Netigenzs react to counterfeit products circulating in Nigerian market
By Abimbola Mohammed
The prevalence of fake and adulterated products in the Nigerian market, especially in the wines, alcoholic and dairy products segment, has become worrisome amongst the country’s netigenzs.
Recently, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) burst various markets across the country to seal up the outlets of counterfeiters involved in the production and sales of variety of beverages and consumables.
Young social media users, who shared their experiences following the fake products discovery by NAFDAC, said the striking similarity made it a bit difficult to differentiate the original brands from the fake ones. According to them, the fake products in circulation are more from the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector.
Sharing some of the fake brands on X (Twitter), @oku_yungx said he used to store a carton of Malta Guinness in his refrigerator, but not anymore: “I wanted to get cartons of Malta Guinness but I am not doing that anymore. Most brands will be wiped out of business because they lack common sense. The moment you sense some animals are faking your products is the moment you stop sleeping. There should be proper sensitization as to how one can differentiate the real from the fake. It should be done across all media.”
@ptreathaven wrote: “My visitors will drink water this holiday or I’ll probably make cocktails for them. I’m not buying nonsense.”
Speaking from experience about Peak milk sachet and how to differentiate the original brand from counterfeit, Aisha Tukar wrote: “These two sachets of Peak milk look so identical and impossible to differentiate; unfortunately one is fake and the other is original. The only way you can identify the original is at the back in the thick blue line carrying both NAFDAC registration number and expiry date. The fake one on the right has it visible. Please check well before u buy.”
@AIamicah also wrote: “The Nigerian government needs to declare a state of emergency on fake products flooding the country.”
Popular influencer Foundational Nupe Lawyer, said: “One funny thing is that those whose parents and families are heavily involved in these fake products saga will also be here joining us to demand for good governance and call out corrupt leaders. I just hope NAFDAC becomes more brutal like it’s with late Prof Akunyili.”
According to NAFDAC, the latest discovery was made following a tip off, after carrying out several weeks of intelligence gathering and collation of data on the activities of the counterfeiters it described as “merchants of death”. The regulatory agency added that in collaboration with other security agencies, it carried out a sting operation in the market to burst the criminal activities taking place there.
“It is worthy of note that this dastard activity has been going on for a long time and they operate like a cartel threatening anyone who dares challenge them,” the agency said.
Some of the nefarious activities of the counterfeiters included the manufacturing of all kinds of adulterated products, especially different kinds of wine from a wide variety of brands ranging from Seaman Aromatic Schnapps, Hennessy, Four Cousins, Carlo Rossi, Jenney, Chelsea London Dry Gin, Schnapp Dry Gin, McDowells, Black Label, Gordons, Martell, Campari, Smirnoff Ice, Eva Non-Alcoholic Drink, Evra Non-Alcoholic Drink, Cartel, and others.
There is also date revalidation for expired products like Peak milk, Powdered milk, Ketchups, Yoghurt, Coca-Cola products, packaging of fake and substandard products, which are later sold to unsuspecting members of the public for consumption.
According to industry watchers, in today’s digital world, businesses must embrace reviews, which means asking customers to leave reviews based on their product usage or consumption experience. Any business that fails to monitor its consumer’s feedback may have to deal with the negative effects on market share and bottom line.
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