The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says Nigeria’s fight against fake drugs, unsafe foods, and illicit products isn’t just about raids, it starts with a solid legal framework that makes enforcement effective and credible.
Speaking at a media briefing, Director-General Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye said, “No regulatory agency can function without a legal framework. When WHO assessed us in 2019, our regulations were already in place. That was the foundation”.
Gazetting over 28 regulations transformed NAFDAC from a struggling agency into a globally respected authority. “Without a legal framework, there are no best practices. Without best practices, no one takes you seriously”. she explained.
The regulations strengthened Nigeria’s National Action Plan 2.0 and collaborations with security agencies. Coordinated operations in Aba, Onitsha, and Irumatai removed 137 truckloads of banned medicines and 20 truckloads of narcotics, which were publicly destroyed. Adeyeye said, “We removed medicines that had been poisoning Nigerians for decades”.
NAFDAC has achieved WHO GBT Maturity Level 3, joined the International Council for Harmonization, and now mentors other African regulatory authorities. Initiatives like the 5+5 Regulatory Directive and Ceiling List have boosted local medicine production to over 70%, while contract manufacturing collaborations rose from 10 in 2019 to 87 in 2025.
Digital systems like IRIMS and NTIS, along with AI, help monitor products and detect unsafe medicines and foods before they reach consumers.
Despite progress, Adeyeye warned, “If we removed 137 truckloads, imagine how many are still out there. This is a war, not a ceremony. “We are building a regulatory system that Nigerians, and the world, can trust”, She concluded.
