Counterfeiting: Akunyili indicts powerful Nigerians, multinationals
Published: Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007
The Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, Prof. Dora Akunyili, on Monday, accused some very powerful Nigerians and companies of involvement in the counterfeiting and importation of fake drugs.
She also said that in the last six years, NAFDAC had carried out 115 destruction exercises of counterfeit and fake drugs worth over N20bn.
Akunyili stated this while delivering a keynote address at the 1st International Science Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.
She said the battle against fake and counterfeit drugs was a fight against very powerful Nigerians, “who have over the years formed themselves into a strong mafia.”
She cited some companies allegedly involved in products counterfeiting and faking to include some multinationals.
Akunyili also mentioned the wife of an ex-president, whom she did not name, as having used a prohibited chemical enhancer for bread production.
She said, ”Drug and other regulated products’ counterfeiting is a transnational criminal network that involves stupendously rich and powerful mafia.
”The first shock the criminals had was when in 2001, a multinational, Nestle was trying to clear revalidated expired skimmed milk imported in nine 40-feet containers, supposedly for the production of infant formula.
According to her, ”We recorded a major milestone when we made Chief Marcel Nnakwe to forfeit the fake drugs in his warehouse. He was the biggest fake drug baron in the country.
”In 2002, Cadbury imported and re-labelled expired chocolate. PZ imported menthol crystals labelled, ‘Reject’.
”Park & Shop, one of the biggest supermarkets in Nigeria, was closed in 2002 for selling expired and unregistered food products. Coca-Cola was also forced to comply with the sugar content level in their soft drinks as they were doing in developed countries.”
She said that Unilever was closed in 2005 for producing substandard toothpaste, while a flour mill belonging to a wealthy Nigerian, was closed in May, 2007 for producing semolina flour without vitamin A fortification.
Akunyili said that in September 2005, a bakery belonging to the wife of an ex-president used a forbidden chemical enhancer for bread production and was closed down.
She noted that NAFDAC had also closed several drug shops, supermarkets and eateries for similar crimes.
When contacted, Cadbury agreed that it had issues with the food and drug regulator in 2002 but said these were resolved.
“There was an incident in 2002 that was sorted out,” Cadbury’s spokesman, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, said via the telephone.
However, Unilever denied having issues with NAFDAC.
“We were never involved in faking or counterfeiting. NAFDAC cannot say that about us,” the Head of Corporate Affairs, Unilever, Mr. Yemi Adeboye, said on the telephone.
Coca-Cola, Nestle and PZ could not be reached for comments.
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