By FAVOUR OPADOKUN

Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Ruth Kadiri, has urged National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to intensify enforcement against suspected fake and substandard products in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the actress made the call in a video message shared on her official Instagram account, @ruthkadiri on Monday.

She expressed concern over the safety of food, drinks, medicines, cosmetics and other household products available in the Nigerian markets.

She said: “Dear Nigerians, I’m speaking to you today with a heavy heart and deep concern about the circulation of fake products in our country today.”

“Every day, people buy food, drinks, medicine, cosmetics, and household products, believing that they are safe.

“But sadly, they are poorly produced, contaminated, harmful and most often, fake.”

The actress also recounted a personal experience involving garlic which, according to her, changed colour after she blended it.

“I bought garlic, blended it, went upstairs and came back to find my garlic had turned green. A whole lot of other people have their own experiences.”

Kadiri said she was particularly concerned about packaged drinks purchased for children, saying she was afraid of their possible effects.

“I’m usually afraid of buying already-packed drinks for my kids because I’m scared of what the outcome of that drink might be.

“Most of those products are created and produced in our country by our people, destroying the lives and health of our people, regardless of what they have to lose, as long as they make money.”

Kadiri urged Nigerians, particularly parents and guardians, to check expiry dates and NAFDAC registration numbers before purchasing regulated products.

“To parents, guardians, please pay attention to expiry dates. Pay attention to NAFDAC numbers. NAFDAC, please pay attention to the lives of Nigerians.

“Lots and lots of people are sick and are not getting better because the cost of fake products, the cost of fake medicine, is much more than we can ever ask or think,” she said.

Kadiri’s call came amid intensified efforts by NAFDAC to curb counterfeit and substandard products across the country.

She also called for collective action from consumers and regulatory authorities, urging Nigerians to report products suspected to be fake, unsafe or substandard

In September, NAFDAC said it had secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting between June 2025 and June 2026, with offenders sentenced to between one and seven years’ imprisonment.

The agency also said it had destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5 trillion during coordinated enforcement operations. (NAN)

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