ABUJA – A US-based non-profit organization, Tilova For Africa (TFA), has issued a urgent call for the Nigerian government to implement a decisive strategy to curb the rampant influx of fake, adulterated, and expired medicines, labeling it a national crisis.

The group’s demand follows alarming statistics from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), which estimates that a staggering 70 percent of drugs distributed in Nigeria are substandard or counterfeit.

In a statement released yesterday, TFA co-founder and pharmacist, Martin Nwabueze, detailed the severe health consequences, linking the fake drugs to a rise in cases of kidney failure, liver disease, stroke, and treatment-resistant infections across the country.

“We should be vigilant and ready to rid the country of these poisons,” Nwabueze stated. “When a patient ingests a fake antihypertension drug, their blood pressure will spike uncontrollably. This can lead to a stroke, immense suffering, and eventually, death.”

Nwabueze revealed the shocking composition of some counterfeit medications, which he said can contain harmless substances like chalk, cotton wool, or milk powder instead of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In other cases, manufacturers include a minimal amount of the active drug to mimic the taste of the genuine product, rendering the medication ineffective and contributing to drug resistance.

“There are many cases of patients who no longer respond to genuine antibiotics as a result of resistance induced by previous intake of fake antibiotics,” he added.

TFA identified that these dangerous pharmaceuticals are primarily imported from countries including India, China, Pakistan, Egypt, and Indonesia, while some are also produced locally by criminal networks.

The advocacy group called for specific actions, urging the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to strengthen international collaboration with health authorities in these source countries to halt the export of substandard drugs to Nigeria.

Furthermore, TFA pressed the federal government to declare a state of emergency on fake and adulterated medicines, mobilizing all relevant agencies—including NAFDAC, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), and the Federal Ministry of Health—to wage a comprehensive war against the scourge.

“Our people are suffering and dying every day. Enough is enough,” Nwabueze concluded.