The House of Representatives is pushing for life imprisonment for individuals involved in the production and importation of counterfeit medicines,Thecable reports.
Lawmakers have urged Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to propose amendments to existing laws, imposing stricter penalties on those convicted of dealing in fake pharmaceuticals.
This resolution was passed 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 comes in response to the rising circulation of counterfeit medicines and substandard products in Nigeria. In December 2023, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) reported that it had destroyed fake products worth ₦120 billion within six months.
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Back in 2019, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, called for harsher penalties against drug traffickers, arguing that light sentences were failing to serve as an effective deterrent.
The Motion
Presenting the motion, Shagaya expressed deep concern over the “alarming” increase in counterfeit medicines and substandard goods, warning that they pose significant threats to public health, national security, and the economy.
“Nigeria suffers economic losses of approximately ₦15 trillion annually due to counterfeit and substandard goods, as reported by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON),” he stated.
He further noted that the unchecked spread of fake products endangers consumer safety while also discouraging legitimate investments in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Shagaya attributed the persistence of the problem to weak enforcement, corruption, and the lack of stringent penalties, stating that offenders often return to illicit trade due to “lenient fines and bailable sentences,” allowing them to act with impunity.
To combat this, he called for a national state of emergency to ramp up enforcement, strengthen regulatory institutions, and impose tougher sanctions on perpetrators.
The motion was unanimously adopted without debate after a voice vote led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
As a result, the House has urged the federal government to enhance the capacity of regulatory agencies—particularly NAFDAC, SON, and Customs—by providing adequate funding, modern equipment, and advanced technology to improve surveillance, detection, and enforcement efforts.
Additionally, the green chamber mandated its committees on health, commerce, and industry to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence of counterfeit products and recommend legislative measures to close regulatory loopholes.
