NAFDAC Condemns VeryDarkMan’ Inciting Remarks Over Drug Market Raids.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has strongly criticised a popular social media commentator, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), for comments deemed to incite defiance against federal regulatory protocols. The agency’s condemnation follows a viral video in which the influencer allegedly misrepresented NAFDAC’s enforcement operations at Onitsha Bridge Head Market, potentially breaching Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act.
In a statement issued on Monday by NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency accused VDM of encouraging his audience to disregard its regulatory processes. “What this perpetrator has done is that he has openly told his audience to defy the regulatory processes of NAFDAC following the enforcement operation carried out under the Office of the National Security Adviser,” the statement read.
The agency’s recent enforcement actions targeted open drug markets in Idumota, Aba, and Onitsha, where it uncovered banned, expired, and falsified narcotic drugs valued at over one trillion naira. NAFDAC revealed that all inspected warehouses, shops, and storage facilities in these markets failed to meet the minimum standards for Good Storage and Distribution Practices.
Professor Adeyeye further noted that a small number of shop owners, who have refused to come forward for identification, were found to be dealing in outrightly banned narcotics, according to NAFDAC’s database. She accused these individuals, along with their associates, of orchestrating incitements to undermine the agency’s efforts.
Reaffirming its commitment to public health, NAFDAC stressed that its mandate is to ensure all medicines and regulated products in circulation are safe, effective, and of high quality. “NAFDAC will continue to safeguard the health of the nation. Our duty is to reduce the incidence of untimely deaths caused by fake or substandard medicines,” Adeyeye stated.
While NAFDAC has deferred to security operatives to determine whether VDM’s actions constitute a legal violation, the agency issued a stern warning that it would not tolerate actions that incite traders or undermine its regulatory authority.
The controversy has sparked broader discussion, with related concerns raised in other quarters. An Anambra senator recently accused NAFDAC of extorting traders in Onitsha and sealing shops, while the Senate has summoned the agency to address concerns over toxic fruit-ripening practices. Despite these challenges, NAFDAC remains steadfast in its mission to protect Nigerian consumers from harmful products.
