Veteran Nollywood actress Ngozi Ezeonu has called on sellers of counterfeit drugs, baby formula and other fake products to stop endangering lives for profit, urging Nigerians not to become “their own enemy.”
In a video shared on her Instagram page this week, Ezeonu expressed alarm at the growing circulation of substandard goods and said she had seen young people in hospitals suffering from kidney and liver problems.
“If you are one of the people doing fake drugs, please stop,” she said. She acknowledged the need to earn a living but insisted profit should not come at the expense of human lives.
“We shouldn’t be our own enemy,” Ezeonu added, while appealing to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to intensify monitoring and enforcement.
The actress also highlighted counterfeit children’s drinks and baby formula, warning that such products posed serious risks to vulnerable consumers. She said some patients take prescribed medicines yet fail to recover, raising questions about whether fake or substandard drugs could be contributing to poor outcomes.
Her comments come amid wider public debate over regulatory responsibility for products reaching Nigerian markets, following recent remarks by NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, who noted that many Nigerians do not read product labels and that the agency regulates processed foods while fresh produce falls under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Ezeonu’s appeal has added to growing concerns over consumer safety, with calls for stronger oversight and greater responsibility from manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the public to keep harmful products off the market.
