Reps ask FG to treat fake food and drinks as national priority

The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to treat the making and selling of fake, adulterated and substandard food and drinks as a national priority, and to keep regulators and security agencies working together against it.

The lawmakers want 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 join forces with the police, the Nigeria Customs Service, state governments and other agencies to watch the market more closely and act against offenders across the country.

The call matters for ordinary Nigerians because most families buy their food, drinks and bottled water from open markets and small shops, where checking labels and expiry dates is often the only protection a buyer has.

What the House wants

Presenting the motion, Abubakar Maki Yalleman, who chairs the House Committee on Police Affairs, said safe and wholesome food is central to Nigerians' health and productivity. He said proper processing and hygiene could prevent illnesses caused by harmful bacteria, chemical residues, expired ingredients and physical contaminants.

He also argued that meeting food safety standards would help Nigerian food businesses sell into regional and international markets, cut rejections of exported goods and support economic growth.

The House asked for more inspections, product sampling, laboratory testing and enforcement targeting manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. It also directed its relevant committees to look at how big the problem is and how well existing enforcement is working, with findings due back within four weeks.

Lawmakers also want the agencies to report periodically on what they have achieved, so the House can review progress.

Yalleman pointed to recent operations, including NAFDAC's break-up of illegal alcohol counterfeiting operations at Zamfara Plaza on Lagos Island on 22 April 2026, and a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps raid on an unregistered fruit juice factory in Badagry, Lagos State, on 22 September 2026.

He said the growing sale of fake, unregistered and substandard food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and bottled water worries him, especially for children, the elderly and other vulnerable people.

He alleged that some manufacturers and distributors counterfeit well-known brands, change labels and expiry dates, use inferior or contaminated raw materials, refill containers illegally and produce outside approved standards. Such products, he said, can cause acute poisoning, cancer and damage to organs such as the kidney, lung, liver and heart.

He said NAFDAC, SON and the FCCPC are doing their best within their roles, but that misleading labels, including false production and expiry dates, batch numbers and ingredient details, remain a problem.

Yalleman said existing laws give agencies a basis to act, but that stronger enforcement, better coordination, more market surveillance and public awareness are needed.

What happens next

The House committees have four weeks to report back, after which the House can decide on further legislative steps. Whether the agencies get more money, staff or powers will depend on what those findings show and on action by the executive.