Nigerians are increasingly turning to social media to expose suspected counterfeit food, medicines, cosmetics, and other consumer products, putting renewed pressure on regulatory agencies to explain how dangerous goods continue to circulate in markets across the country.
The growing online campaign has drawn particular attention to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), whose statutory responsibilities include regulating products and protecting consumers from harmful and substandard goods.
Although several claims circulating online have not been independently verified, videos and personal accounts have heightened public anxiety over the authenticity of everyday products, from toothpaste and yoghurt to medicines, beverages, and cooking ingredients.
The concern has been amplified by recent reports of sudden deaths and the deaths of some public figures, including veteran Nollywood actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, from cancer. However, no evidence provided in the report establishes a link between those deaths and counterfeit products.
Across X, TikTok, and Instagram, consumers, doctors, and content creators have shared comparisons of suspected fake products, market discoveries, and tips for identifying differences between genuine and counterfeit items.
One widely circulated example involved Oral-B toothpaste. A Nigerian doctor, Somto Okonkwo, posted a comparison of genuine and suspected counterfeit tubes, pointing to differences in packaging, seals, texture, translucency, and taste.
Okonkwo said he visited between five and seven shops where he found suspected counterfeit Oral-B products, with some sellers allegedly unaware that the products were fake. He also explained that genuine products generally use safe glycerine, while some counterfeit versions could contain diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical.
The video was later amplified by UK-based Nigerian physician, Dr Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya.
Another online alert involved suspected counterfeit Hollandia yoghurt. Videos circulated showing what was presented as fake yoghurt being packaged under unhygienic conditions. Other social media users compared genuine and suspected fake yoghurt by examining their thickness, creaminess and barcodes.
On September 4, Ogunsanya also drew attention to two paracetamol tablets allegedly produced by the same company but showing obvious differences in colour. He cautioned that consumers might not detect such discrepancies without placing the products side by side.
The online discussions have expanded to allegations involving palm oil, apples, soy sauce, olive oil, chicken, fish, bottled, and sachet water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and other household products.
Oluwole Olofintuyi, an X user, listed numerous products he believed were being cunterfeited and alleged that regulatory officials, distributors, and importers could be complicit in the trade. Chinedu Samuel and other users also questioned the effectiveness of existing enforcement.
However, the scale of the problem is not confined to social media allegations.
NAFDAC reported that its operations in February 2026 led to the seizure of more than 10 million doses of fake malaria medicines at Lagos Trade Fair Market. The agency also discovered an uncompleted building in Apapa containing banned, fake, and unregistered medicines valued at more than N3bn.
In 2025, NAFDAC disclosed that 30 per cent of medicines in open markets were fake or substandard. In March of that year, the agency said it seized and destroyed confiscated drugs worth N1tn following operations in major drug markets in Onitsha, Ogbo-Ogwu and Aba.
Medical practitioners have warned that the consequences of counterfeit products can extend beyond financial loss.
Dr Rotimi Adesanya, Director of Medical Services at the Medical Centre of the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos, said contaminated food, medicines and drinks could damage vital organs, including the kidneys and liver.
He attributed part of the problem to economic hardship, noting that some consumers turn to cheaper products because genuine alternatives are unaffordable.
Adesanya also distinguished between an expiry date and a “best before” date where he explained that expired medicines may lose potency and fail to produce the intended therapeutic effect.
He called for regular surveillance and random testing of products on shop shelves, particularly because counterfeiters often target expensive goods.
A former Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Saheed Babajide, attributed the proliferation of fake medicines to weak enforcement. He said ineffective medicines could prolong illnesses, increase hospital admissions, and impose additional financial pressure on patients.
Babajide called for stronger penalties for those involved in the circulation of counterfeit medicines and greater enforcement by NAFDAC and SON.
Public affairs analysts have also proposed institutional reforms rather than the abolition of the regulatory bodies.
Segun Odunewu called for an overhaul of NAFDAC, alleging that the agency had lost the effectiveness associated with earlier anti-counterfeit campaigns.
Adebayo Abubakar, however, said scrapping NAFDAC or SON would not resolve the problem. He said the agencies already had legal mandates to police the marketplace and should instead be strengthened and held accountable.
Musa Aliyu called for a review of the National Policy on the Contamination of Drugs and Unwholesome Practices of Pharmaceuticals, alongside greater community involvement and decentralised NAFDAC operations.
Legal practitioners have also pressed for tougher action. Lagos-based dispute resolution lawyer Muhammed Adam described the counterfeit trade as a serious public-health and economic threat and called for a state of emergency on fake and substandard products.
He cited reported Customs seizures involving expired medicines, allegedly fake NAFDAC labels and fake anti-malaria drugs, and said enforcement should cover physical markets, ports, warehouses, and online platforms.
Another lawyer, Ibrahim Adebayo, called for closer coordination among NAFDAC, SON, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and security agencies.
Despite the mounting concerns, NAFDAC’s Head of Enforcement, Dr Martin Iluyomade, did not respond to enquiries seeking the agency’s position.
Calls and WhatsApp messages sent to him were unanswered as of press time.
SON also did not provide a substantive response. A senior official directed enquiries concerning fake, substandard and falsified medicines to NAFDAC, while advising that correspondence on SON’s mandate be addressed formally to its Director-General.
The silence has left consumers, health professionals and policy commentators seeking clearer answers on how counterfeit products continue to find their way into the Nigerian marketplace and whether existing enforcement mechanisms are adequate to contain the problem.
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