In a bid to safeguard public health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed seized and forfeited products worth N10 billion in the North-East Zone.
Our correspondent reports that the commodities were publicly burnt by the agency in Gombe State on Wednesday.
Addressing the public during the exercise, the NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the North-East Zonal Director, Mr Kenneth Azikwe, explained that the move demonstrates the agency’s unwavering commitment to ridding Nigerian markets of substandard, falsified, and unwholesome products.
“NAFDAC remains at the forefront of protecting and promoting public health through rigorous standards, innovative practices, and international collaboration,” he stated.
Azikwe said the destroyed products, including food, drugs, and other regulated items were seized by NAFDAC’s regulatory and enforcement officers, adding that if circulated, those products could have caused harm to countless individuals in the region.
The NAFDAC Director-General encouraged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious products to the agency with a view to building a safer and healthier nation.
Earlier, the state coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr James Agada, said the agency was taking a decisive stand against those prioritising profits over public safety.
He stated that the exercise was a key component of NAFDAC’s market control strategies of ensuring that only quality products reach the consumers.
Agada assured that the agency would continue to strengthen regulatory frameworks, enhance surveillance, and bring violators to justice.
