The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has urged consumers in Kano State to be vigilant of products they buy and provide intelligence on suspected counterfeit of regulated products to the agency, assuring the whistle blowers of adequate safety.
The NAFDAC State Coordinator, Kano, Kasim Idrisa Ibrahim, made the call on Thursday while playing host to a delegation of the Association of Kano Online Journalists (ASKOJ) led by the Chairman, Salisu Yakubu, who pay courtesy call on his office to seek collaboration towards fighting fake news and other ills on Kano’s digital space.
Ibrahim, who applauded consumers in Kano for providing timely intelligence to the agency without fear of intimidation from the perpetrators, said the task of achieving a Nigeria free from counterfeit products is an uphill struggle for the watchdog institutions but NAFDAC was committed to taming the activities of fraudulent producers and their agents in Kano and every other parts of the country.
He said the government was concerned about the rising advertisement of unregistered products on the digital space, urging ASKOJ to support NAFDAC in the fight against counterfeit in the country.
He noted that his agency has cultivated good relationships with the consumers, market associations and other stakeholders in Kano, warning that NAFDAC will not hesitate to mete out its stiff sanctions to erring producers and their agents including N5 million fines per counterfeit product.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of ASKOJ solicited for a collaboration with the NAFDAC towards educating and informing the public on dangers of fake news and counterfeit products to the well being of the people and country at large.
Yakubu assured the NAFDAC of responsible journalism and credibility in news reportage of its programmes and activities for the better society Nigerians crave.
