By Adedapo Adesanya
Party organisers, entertainment hubs, and partygoers are on alert amid the spread of counterfeit and substandard drinks proliferating the markets following recent revelations by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The December period – often tagged Detty December – in Nigeria is associated with merriment and parties, and a major feature of these events is alcoholic beverages.
However, recent revelations show that a lot of these consumables are substandard and fake with three people sharing with this newspaper about consuming some of these, albeit unknowingly.
“I am sure the Casamigos I drank were fake. This is not good considering the possible health implications,” one visibly seething person told our correspondent.
“We cannot even verify what we drink in this country. This is supposed to be a carefree period for me but I always have to be careful that I am drinking poison,” another person in Lagos for the holidays based in the United Kingdom shared.
The apprehension has heightened in recent days with the NAFDAC shutting down 150 shops at Eziukwu Market, Aba, Abia State, during a two-day operation on December 16 and 17, 2024.
The agency uncovered large-scale production and distribution of fake and expired goods, including beverages, carbonated drinks, wines, spirits, vegetable oils, and revalidated food items such as noodles, powdered milk, and yoghurt.
NAFDAC noted that the team destroyed items that were valued at N5 billion at the market it described as a hub for counterfeit and substandard products.
The agency’s Director in the South-East Zone, Mr Martins Iluyomade, expressed dismay at the continued illegal activities, despite a previous undertaking signed by market leaders in December 2023 to expose counterfeiters.
On her part, NAFDAC’s DG, Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed the agency’s zero tolerance for such practices and emphasised its unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health while working toward a permanent solution to the problem of counterfeit products in the market.
Earlier this month, the agency also seized fake alcoholic drinks worth over N180 million in Lagos after a raid on a makeshift factory in Oke Arin market, Lagos Island.
The operation, NAFDAC stated, followed a complaint about the illegal production of alcoholic beverages.