Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs as well as unsafe consumer goods in Nigeria.
Adeyanju made the call while expressing concern over what he described as a collapse of regulatory oversight in the country.
The lawyer also raised concerns over what he described as an alarming increase in kidney disease among middle-aged Nigerians, linking the development to exposure to dangerous medicines and consumer products.
According to him, some drugs and other products are openly displayed and sold in markets under harsh environmental conditions, potentially exposing consumers to additional health risks.
“No responsible government should allow its citizens to be exposed to such preventable mortality risks,” Adeyanju said.
Adeyanju further called for the immediate removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, and the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke.
He also demanded the removal of other heads of regulatory agencies which he alleged had failed in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Adeyanju urged the Federal Government to replace the affected officials with what he described as competent leadership capable of restoring strict regulatory enforcement.
He further called for a comprehensive structural review of Nigeria’s regulatory system, arguing that stronger oversight was necessary to protect Nigerians from potentially harmful drugs and consumer products.
The lawyer’s demands come amid concerns over the availability of counterfeit and substandard medicines and unsafe consumer goods in parts of the country.
