The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has linked Chinese counterfeiters now living in Nigeria to the proliferation of fake goods, worsening the production, distribution and sale of adulterated, harmful and unwholesome products.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, responding to The PUNCH in Lagos on Monday, said recent investigations found Chinese counterfeiters, previously operating externally, have set up plants and logistics channels inside the country.
He said, “Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here (in Nigeria) with us. They are the ones who will identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country (China), and then come here and distribute it to our people (Nigerians) without having to travel.
Iluyomade, describing it as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious,” noted that NAFDAC discovered the “Chinese people (counterfeiters) own the logistics companies which they used to bring these (fake goods) things.” NAFDAC said it has been shutting down the logistics companies.
The agency’s revelations come amid growing backlash. Manufacturers, medical experts and economists have jointly raised the alarm over the surge in counterfeit and substandard products across Nigeria, warning that the trend is wiping out legitimate businesses, killing consumers and stunting the economy.
