By Nkechi Eze
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disowned a viral list circulating on social media that purports to identify products in the Nigerian market as fake, adulterated or substandard, warning Nigerians against treating the information as an official regulatory alert.
The agency clarified that the list did not originate from NAFDAC and should not be regarded as an official product recall, safety warning or regulatory communication.
According to an official statement issued by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency does not classify products as fake, adulterated or unsafe without following due regulatory processes, including investigation, sampling and, where necessary, scientific and laboratory verification.
Adeyeye explained that official NAFDAC alerts were specific and verifiable, and were issued through the agency’s established communication channels with details of affected products and the appropriate regulatory actions.
She therefore urged members of the public to disregard the circulating list and refrain from sharing or amplifying the unverified information.
The NAFDAC boss warned that misinformation of this nature could trigger unnecessary public concern and unfairly damage the reputation and business interests of legitimate manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
She stressed that the appearance of a product’s name or photograph on a social media list did not, in itself, constitute an official finding by NAFDAC that the product was fake or unsafe.
Adeyeye noted that NAFDAC Public Alerts remained an important reference resource for consumers, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders seeking information about products requiring regulatory attention.
She said the agency would continue to issue alerts, conduct market surveillance and remove affected products from circulation where necessary, while taking appropriate enforcement action, including destruction, when investigations and scientific assessments established the need for regulatory intervention.
The agency urged Nigerians and other stakeholders to rely on its official communication channels for accurate information on product alerts, recalls, withdrawals, suspensions and other regulatory actions.
For enquiries, members of the public can contact NAFDAC on 0700-1-NAFDAC (0700-1-623322). Complaints can be directed to 0800-1-NAFDAC (0800-1-623322) or emailed to sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng.
