There was a time when buying a product in Nigeria was mostly about whether you could afford it. Now, sometimes, you have to worry about whether what you have bought is even what it claims to be.
Fake products have become so common that Nigerians have almost developed a sixth sense for them. We check the seal, smell the perfume, look at the colour, compare the packaging and sometimes even ask the seller, “Are you sure this one is original?” And the funny thing is that even after doing all of that, you can still get home and discover that what you bought is not the real thing.
It is not just clothes, shoes, bags or electronics anymore. Fake and substandard medicines, cosmetics, food products, drinks, baby products and other everyday items can find their way into the Nigerian market. NAFDAC has continued to issue alerts over counterfeit and substandard products, including medicines, food and other regulated products. The agency has also reported removing thousands of non-compliant products through nationwide surveillance.
The frightening part is that fake products are not always obvious. Some are packaged so well that the average consumer may not know the difference. Some even carry fake NAFDAC registration numbers, making people believe they are buying something approved by the regulatory agency.
And this is where the matter becomes bigger than the dishonest trader selling a fake product.
Nigeria has a governance problem that makes this environment easier to thrive in.
When institutions are weak, regulation becomes inconsistent. When borders and supply chains are poorly monitored, illegal products can find their way into the country. When markets are overcrowded and enforcement is inadequate, people who sell these products can continue operating. When there are not enough consequences for breaking regulations, some businesses simply calculate the risk and continue.
This is why the recent reaction of the NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, became such a talking point. During a media engagement in Lagos on September 7, she was asked about calls for her resignation over concerns about the circulation of fake and substandard products. She laughed before defending her record at the agency and making it clear that she had no intention of resigning.
And honestly, that moment says something about how accountability is viewed in Nigeria. In a country where public officials are expected to take responsibility when the institutions under their leadership face serious failures, one can understand why some Nigerians believe such a reaction should have been followed by accountability, including resignation. In many better-functioning systems, sustained failure in a regulator responsible for protecting public health can create serious pressure on its leadership to step aside. But here, resignation often feels like an almost impossible word in government.
To be fair, NAFDAC has pointed to its enforcement record. The agency says it has seized and destroyed fake and substandard products worth more than ₦1.5 trillion since 2023, while thousands of non-compliant products were removed between May and July 2026. Adeyeye has also cited improvements in NAFDAC’s regulatory capacity and international recognition under her leadership.
But the question Nigerians are asking is not whether NAFDAC has done anything. The question is whether what it is doing is enough when fake products are still finding their way into the hands of ordinary people. NAFDAC’s current strategy includes market surveillance, inspections, investigations, product recalls, enforcement and systems for consumers to verify and report suspicious products. The agency has also set a target of closing open drug markets across Nigeria by 2027.
The problem, however, is bigger than NAFDAC. A country where genuine products are increasingly unaffordable, where local manufacturing struggles, where enforcement can be inconsistent and where people are desperately searching for cheaper alternatives creates a fertile market for counterfeiters.
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