The House of Representatives is seeking life imprisonment for individuals involved in the production and importation of fake medicines. Lawmakers are urging the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to propose amendments to existing laws that would impose stricter penalties on those found guilty of dealing in counterfeit medicine.
The House passed this resolution during Tuesday’s plenary session, following a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Muktar Shagaya, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Kwara state. The motion was prompted by an alarming rise in the circulation of counterfeit medicines and substandard products across Nigeria in recent years.
In December 2023, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced it had destroyed fake products worth N120 billion in just six months. This comes after NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, called for harsher punishments for drug traffickers in 2019, stating that light sentences were an inadequate deterrent.
Presenting the motion, Shagaya highlighted that Nigeria suffers economic losses of approximately N15 trillion annually due to counterfeit and substandard goods, as reported by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). He warned that the unchecked proliferation of fake products not only jeopardizes consumer safety but also discourages genuine investment in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
The legislator argued that existing regulations have failed to deter fake medicine peddlers due to weak enforcement, corruption, and the absence of stringent penalties for offenders. He said offenders often return to the illicit trade due to “lenient fines and bailable sentences,” allowing them to operate with impunity.
The motion was unanimously adopted without debate when it was put to a voice vote by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker who presided over the plenary. Consequently, the House has asked the federal government to strengthen the capacity of regulatory agencies, particularly NAFDAC, SON, and customs, by providing adequate funding, modern equipment, and advanced technology for effective surveillance, detection, and enforcement.
The House has also mandated the committees on health, commerce, and industry to conduct a “comprehensive investigation” into the prevalence of counterfeit products and propose legislative measures to address regulatory gaps.
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