Publication Details
Abstract
Counterfeit products constitute a growing public health, economic and regulatory challenge in Nigeria. Recent disclosures by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) indicate that some alleged Chinese-linked counterfeit operators have moved beyond importing fake products to establishing production and distribution networks within Nigeria. This development raises concerns about the changing structure of counterfeit supply chains and the adequacy of existing regulatory and enforcement mechanisms. This study examines Nigeria’s counterfeit crisis, focusing on foreign-linked networks, domestic supply-chain vulnerabilities, public-health consequences and institutional responses. A qualitative documentary research design was adopted, drawing on NAFDAC documents, Nigerian regulatory frameworks, World Health Organization reports, OECD/EUIPO evidence and relevant scholarly literature. The study finds that counterfeiting is increasingly a networked problem involving production, importation, warehousing, logistics, wholesale, retail and consumer demand. NAFDAC reported that more than ₦1.5 trillion worth of regulated products had been confiscated and destroyed in major enforcement operations and that 64 counterfeit-related convictions were secured between June 2025 and June 2026 (Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation [FMINO], 2026). The study argues that attributing the crisis exclusively to foreign operators would overlook Nigerian actors and institutional weaknesses that enable counterfeit products to reach consumers. It therefore recommends integrated counterfeit intelligence, end-to-end product traceability, coordinated prosecution, stronger market surveillance and accelerated legitimate local manufacturing. The study concludes that Nigeria must move from reactive seizure towards preventive disruption of the supply chains that sustain counterfeiting.