Nollywood actress Ruth Kadiri has called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to intensify efforts to curb the circulation of counterfeit and potentially harmful products in Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that Kadiri made the appeal in a recent video shared on her Instagram page, where she expressed concern over the increasing availability of fake food, drinks, medicines, cosmetics and household products.
She urged NAFDAC to strengthen its monitoring and inspection of products in the market and ensure that manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit goods face appropriate sanctions.
The actress described the proliferation of fake products as a threat to public health, particularly because consumers often purchase them believing they are safe.
“Every day, people buy food, drinks, medicines, cosmetics, household products, believing that they’re safe, but sadly, they are poorly produced, contaminated, harmful, and mostly fake. This isn’t a business problem; it’s a threat to human life. Imagine little children battling kidney failure,” she said.
Kadiri also appealed directly to NAFDAC to pay greater attention to the health challenges Nigerians face, saying many people are ill without recovering.
“NAFDAC, please pay attention to the lives of Nigerians. Lots and lots of people are sick and are not getting better.”
The actress recounted an experience that heightened her concerns about the quality of products Nigerians consume. She said garlic she purchased and blended unexpectedly changed colour.
“I bought garlic, blended it, went upstairs and came back, my garlic had turned green,” she said.
According to Kadiri, the incident made her question the quality and safety of everyday consumer products, particularly packaged drinks given to children.
She urged consumers to exercise greater caution when purchasing food, medicines and other products by checking expiry dates and NAFDAC registration numbers.
“You might be saving a child from kidney failure, you might be saving a child from heart failure, and you may be saving a family from losing the life of their benefactor,” she said.
Kadiri further expressed concern that counterfeit medicines could leave people suffering from illnesses without access to effective treatment.
“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 also warned manufacturers and sellers of counterfeit goods that they could face serious consequences if caught.
“If you deal in fake products, you can rest assured that you will be caught and you’ll be treated like a criminal, in fact, like a hired killer that you are.”
