Customs, NAFDAC and the Fight that Matters
By Abdulsalam Mahmud,
There is no overstating the damage that fake and substandard drugs have inflicted on lives in Nigeria. Across local markets and roadside pharmacies, harmful products still find their way into homes, silently wreaking havoc. These are not just counterfeit pills and fake syrups.
They are agents of death, slipped into the veins of a nation struggling to heal. And for far too long, fragmented regulation and turf battles have allowed these dangers to slip through the cracks. But something seems to be shifting.
The wall that once separated regulatory enforcement from border security is being torn down, not with fanfare, but with firm, deliberate steps. What is emerging is a new kind of alliance, one that prioritises the health and safety of Nigerians over institutional silos.
When Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sit at the same table to enforce a joint agreement, it is more than a bureaucratic handshake. It is the start of a unified defence. This development is not coming from thin air.
It is the product of a shared understanding that the fight against harmful imports requires more than isolated vigilance. It demands real-time intelligence, harmonised procedures, and a clear sense of duty to Nigerians who depend on these institutions to do more than talk.
It requires, in every sense, collaboration with teeth. And that is precisely what unfolded in Abuja last Wednesday, when the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, paid a formal visit to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye.
During the meeting, both agencies inaugurated a Joint Implementation Committee, a decisive step in giving life to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between them in November 2024. The visit, held at the NAFDAC headquarters, was not just ceremonial. It was a strong indication that both institutions are ready to move from words to work.
Present at the inauguration were the Legal Adviser to the Nigeria Customs, Smart Akande, and NAFDAC representative, Olakunle Olaniran, both of whom have been pivotal in anchoring this partnership. Their presence underscored the seriousness of purpose.
It would be recalled that the MoU was first signed during the second day of the CGC’s Annual Conference in Abuja last year. The agreement was aimed at combating the influx of illicit pharmaceutical products and dangerous substances into the country, especially through unregulated entry points.
Since then, both agencies have held a series of technical sessions to outline areas of operational convergence and draw up terms of reference. Speaking during the meeting, CGC Adeniyi reaffirmed Customs’ full commitment to the partnership, describing the constitution of the committee as the next logical step in actualising the intent of the agreement.
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He acknowledged the Director-General’s consistent call for closer inter-agency collaboration and expressed confidence that the new committee would drive measurable outcomes. Adeniyi explained that the committee would work within already developed terms of reference which include drafting a joint work plan, coordinating communication and capacity-building efforts, and harmonising operational standards between both institutions.
He added that the committee’s activities would be structured around monitoring and evaluation, identifying challenges, and proposing practical solutions with measurable benchmarks. He also made it clear that the agreement is more than symbolic, reminding stakeholders that the MoU is a legally binding document governed by Nigerian law.
Its implementation, he noted, is not optional but required, given the scale of the threat that unregulated substances pose to public health and national security. On her part, Prof. Adeyeye welcomed the pace of progress and pledged NAFDAC’s full commitment to seeing the agreement through to its logical end.
She described the implementation committee as a critical shift from dialogue to coordinated action. According to her, there is no room for half measures in the fight against counterfeit and unwholesome products. Effective regulatory control, she stressed, demands joint action rooted in trust and shared responsibility.
She noted that when agencies with such overlapping mandates choose synergy over siloed operations, the gains for public health and safety are immediate. The committee, she said, would strengthen national controls, improve operational synergy, and offer a stronger shield against the growing threats posed by organised networks of illicit drug traffickers and smugglers.
The committee itself is co-chaired by Olaniran, with Akande serving as Deputy Chairman. Other members drawn from both agencies will contribute to its work in line with the mandates and capacities of their respective organisations.
What emerges from this partnership is not just the outline of a good policy, but the architecture of a system that listens, learns, and adapts. A Customs officer may not be trained in pharmacovigilance, just as a NAFDAC inspector may not be skilled in border surveillance.
But when they work together, the result is stronger, faster, and more intelligent enforcement. If sustained, this collaboration could change the way Nigeria handles threats at its ports, borders, and marketplaces. It could send a clear message to traffickers and counterfeiters that Nigeria’s regulatory walls are no longer porous, and that inter-agency cooperation is no longer a wish but a working reality.
And for millions of Nigerians who rely on medicines to survive and stay healthy, this alliance offers something rare and precious—hope that what they buy, swallow, or inject is not a silent killer but a product of a system finally doing its job.
*Mahmud, Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, can be reached at: [email protected].*
