Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and other unsafe products in Nigeria.

Adeyanju also demanded the immediate removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the heads of other regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), accusing them of failing to adequately protect Nigerians from dangerous products.

In a statement, Adeyanju expressed concern over the alarming prevalence of fake and substandard medicines and consumer products across the country, describing the situation as evidence of a “complete collapse of regulation” in critical sectors.

He warned that Nigerians are being exposed to potentially dangerous products daily, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, where counterfeit and substandard medicines can have deadly consequences.

Adeyanju also cited reports of medicines being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun, arguing that such practices further demonstrate the severity of the regulatory crisis and could contribute to serious public health consequences.

“The alarming prevalence of counterfeit and substandard drugs and other consumer products in Nigeria points to a complete collapse of regulation in critical sectors,” Adeyanju said.

“Nigerians are being exposed to dangerous products daily, from fake and substandard medicines to unsafe consumer goods, with reports of drugs being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun.

“No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise.”

The activist accused NAFDAC and other regulatory agencies of failing to effectively curb the proliferation of fake and substandard products.

He therefore urged President Tinubu to remove the heads of the affected agencies and appoint what he described as competent leadership capable of restoring effective regulation and enforcement.

Adeyanju further called for an urgent and comprehensive review of Nigeria’s regulatory system, stressing that decisive measures were needed to protect Nigerians from unsafe products.

“The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and products and undertake a comprehensive review of the country’s regulatory system,” he said.

“Nigerians cannot continue to pay with their lives for regulatory failure.”