02/07/2025
PATRIOTISM OR SELF-PRESERVATION? THE SILENT GENOCIDE BY FAKE DRUGS AND THE BETRAYAL OF NIGERIA'S PHARMACEUTICAL REGULATION
By: Ferdinand Ugbong
Recently, I ventured into Andy pharmacy, along Atimbo road in Calabar to purchase a drug over the counter. I specifically requested an Indian, Swiss, or English brand, upon which I was instantly criticised for lacking patriotism. I was asked, somewhat accusatorily, how I could wish Nigeria to improve if I adamantly refused to patronise Nigerian-made products. This prompted me to reflect, not only upon my personal choices but upon the historical and contemporary context of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, and to question whether blind patriotism should truly supersede self-preservation in matters of health and life.
To properly understand this dilemma, we must cast our minds back to the era when the late Professor Dora Akunyili served as the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Her era was hallmarked by an unflinching zero tolerance for counterfeit, fake, and substandard pharmaceutical products and food items. Through relentless raids, public destruction of seized fake drugs, and unwavering commitment to regulatory integrity, the Nigerian pharmaceutical market experienced a renaissance of quality. Local pharmaceutical manufacturers, compelled by the fear of strict sanctions, adhered to global best practices and produced medicines that were demonstrably effective. Consequently, Nigerian consumers, having regained trust in domestic products, patronised them enthusiastically and without fear. The landscape then was one of hope, quality assurance, and rising national confidence.
Tragically, this moral and professional revival dissipated with Professor Akunyili’s exit from office. In her place emerged an allegedly complacent and notoriously compromised supervisory regime. Rumours, now almost conventional knowledge among industry insiders and the general public alike, abound about officials who, rather than safeguard the lives of Nigerians, reportedly make clandestine visits to pharmaceutical firms and distributors to extort bribes. The consequences of this rot have been dire. Substandard and counterfeit drugs now brazenly flood the markets. Patients, often unsuspecting, ingest these ineffective or harmful products, leading to treatment failures, prolonged illnesses, and thousands of avoidable deaths. Hospitals and doctors, unfairly blamed for rising mortality rates and seemingly ineffectual treatments, are left battling an epidemic of fake drugs that the regulatory system should have prevented in the first instance.
The moral tragedy is compounded when ordinary Nigerians who, understandably fearful of the pervasive counterfeits, opt for foreign-made pharmaceutical products are denounced as unpatriotic. How can a citizen, whose singular intention is survival and health, be so cynically blackmailed? Patriotism, by its true definition, does not mean blind allegiance to flawed products; it demands that citizens insist upon standards worthy of national pride.
In our present climate, it is impossible to ignore the ripple effects of this pharmaceutical perfidy. We are witnessing an unprecedented toll of deaths traceable to fake medications. Chronic illnesses become incurable, treatment-resistant strains of diseases emerge, and public trust in domestic pharmaceutical brands and medical institutions continues to erode. The long-term consequences are catastrophic: Nigeria risks becoming a graveyard of preventable deaths, an international pariah in pharmaceutical trade, and a nation whose own people neither trust nor consume its medical products.
To arrest this catastrophic trajectory, a holistic and courageous reform agenda is indispensable. First, there must be an unyielding restoration of institutional integrity within NAFDAC and allied regulatory bodies. This requires the appointment of leaders of unimpeachable character who are resolutely committed to transparency and national interest. Second, strict, technology-driven monitoring systems, such as track-and-trace mechanisms, should be enforced to prevent counterfeit drugs from infiltrating the market. Third, pharmaceutical companies must be incentivised, through tax breaks and government procurement guarantees, to adhere strictly to international manufacturing standards. Fourth, citizens must be educated about the dangers of fake drugs and encouraged to demand quality through verified outlets. Lastly, punitive measures, including criminal prosecution and public blacklisting of offenders within regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical firms, must be implemented to deter future misconduct.
In conclusion, a better Nigeria in the pharmaceutical sector will never be achieved through sentimental appeals to patriotism alone, but rather through uncompromising policy, regulatory integrity, and collective national accountability. Only when Nigerian-made drugs can once again be trusted for their efficacy and safety will citizens willingly and proudly patronise them, and the age-old dream of a healthier, self-reliant Nigeria can finally be realised.
