The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public alert over falsified versions of two essential medicines, warning of serious health risks.

In a statement numbered 030/2025, the agency said counterfeit batches of the anti-malarial Artemetrin DS and the antibiotic Ciprofit 500 were in circulation, despite being sourced from licensed vendors and wholesalers.

Laboratory tests showed the products contained dangerously low levels of active ingredients. NAFDAC said Artemetrin DS, labelled as manufactured by A.C. Drugs Ltd in Enugu State, contained only 59.2 per cent artemether and 71.2 per cent lumefantrine — well below the 90-110 per cent potency limit.

Ciprofit 500, falsely labelled as produced by Impact Pharmaceutical Ltd, was found to contain just 5.7 per cent ciprofloxacin. Neither drug is registered in NAFDAC’s official database and the registration numbers printed on the packaging were fabricated.

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“The implications of substandard anti-malarials in a malaria-endemic country like Nigeria cannot be overstated,” a NAFDAC spokesperson said in the alert. “These falsified products undermine treatment efficacy and could lead to preventable deaths.”

The agency urged the public to stop using the medicines and return the stocks to its nearest office. Those who have taken the drugs and experienced adverse reactions or treatment failure should seek immediate medical attention.

The World Health Organisation estimates that substandard and falsified medicines make up about 10 per cent of the global market. In Nigeria, prevalence may be higher, complicating the fight against malaria, which kills over 200,000 people annually, and bacterial infections, which contribute to high morbidity.

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The latest warning comes after NAFDAC seized fake malaria drugs worth 1.2 billion naira ($750,000) in Lagos on 12 September. Earlier alerts this year covered falsified Postinor-2 contraceptives, Oxytocin injections, and milk products. The regulator has pledged to reduce falsified medicine prevalence to below five per cent by the end of 2025.

NAFDAC advised healthcare providers, distributors, and consumers to verify products using its online database, purchase only from authorised outlets, and report suspicious cases via its hotline or dedicated email.

The agency’s director-general, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed its commitment to tackling counterfeit medicines. “With the full support of the government, we will continue to intensify surveillance and enforcement to eliminate these threats,” she said in a recent address.

The Nigerian government has been called upon to enforce existing anti-ozone layer depletion laws and support the use of clean energy technologies.

Stakeholders, who made the call in Benin City on Tuesday at the commemoration of the 2025 International Ozone Day celebration with the theme: ‘From Science to Global Action,’ lamented that Borno, Rivers, Abuja and Lagos are the worst hit states by radiation from the Ozone layer.

The 2025 International Ozone Day celebration was organised by Save The Ozone Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal and State Ministries of Environment and the National Centre for Energy and Environment (NCEE) situated at the University of Benin City.

In his opening address, the chairman of the event, Professor Anthony Ogbeibu, said Nigeria must sustain its policies on the ozone layer because “recent scientific research shows that Ozone depletion and exposure to erythemal UV radiation (EUVR), affect Nigeria more than many places. So we are not isolated from this global threat.”

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He added: “It is documented that in Borno, Rivers, Abuja and Lagos, UV radiation often reaches very high extreme levels in the midday, especially in the dry and early rainy seasons. Even a short exposure with no protection can have harmful effects.”

Ogbeibu, who advocated for enlightenment on UV risks and protective behaviours, added: “We must support clean technologies by enforcing existing laws more strictly and ensuring that ozone-depleting substances are not imported or used illegally.”

In his keynote address, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, who was represented by Osagie Edomwandagbon said the Nigerian government has been carrying out a lot of sensitization on the protection of the ozone layer through various policy formulations and implementations.

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On his part, the Acting Director of the NCEE, Dr. Emmanuel Ogbomida said the Energy Commission of Nigeria and its specialised research centres have been supporting the global mission to protect the ozone layer.

“Then the Ozone hole is shrinking and experts project that the ozone layer will return to pre-1980slevel between 2060 and 2070. However, this could only be achieved by not allowing complacency in the efforts at protecting the ozone layer.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Director and Founder of Save The Ozone, Nigeria, Ozaveshe Balogun commended participants, saying the annual event was as a result of the Montreal Protocol that gave a clear global definition to the protection of the environment.

The Bauchi state Universal Basic Education (BASUBEB) has called on all contractors that would be handling the construction of school projects in the state to also plant trees while making the foundations.

Mr Rabiu Usman, Director, School Services, BASUBEB made the call on the sideline of the 2024 UBEC/SUBEB intervention contract bid opening ceremony on Wednesday in Bauchi.

“A School needs to be a conducive environment for learning and one of the things that make a school to be a conducive environment is tree planting.

“It controls a lot of things and in fact in schools now, we are even trying to have a club that we call climate change club which involves planting trees.

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“I asked all the contractors to at least see it as very important and to plant trees immediately they start the foundation so that as they are building, the trees will be growing.

“Before the end of the project, we would have achieved what we wanted to achieve,” he said.

Also speaking during the ceremony, Alh. Adamu Muhammad, the Executive Chairman, BASUBEB said that the aim of the ceremony was to improve the overall process of project execution, create awareness, ensure transparency and due diligence in the year’s projects.

Represented by Abdulhamid Jibrin, the Permanent Secretary, BASUBEB, the Chairman lauded Gov. Bala Mohammed and the Executive Secretary of UBEC for providing the counterpart funds as at when due for project execution in the state.

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“I believe that today’s occasion aims at observing due process in the project execution and to educate stakeholders on its significance that will cut across all the nooks and crannies of the state in line with the governor’s policy to provide a befitting teaching and learning environment in the state.

“To our bidders, I trust you know very well that some among you will be successful while others may not, I therefore, call on all and sundry to exhibit a sense of maturity and exercise patience as we are committed to ensuring fairness and justice to all.

“For those who will win the contract, you are strongly advised to comply with the contract specifications in the discharge of your work.

“We are not going to compromise standards in any way, you are therefore advised to avoid violating the contract agreement throughout the period of the work,” he said.

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According to him, the education sector was receiving the desirable attention, as the present administration was determined to ensure that schools have a new look with skillful and well-groomed teachers concurrently.

Mr Adamu Abdullahi, Director, Physical Planning, BASUBEB, lauded the turn out of bidders, adding that it showed their zeal and commitment in providing timely and quality work that could stand the test of time.

This, he said, would move the Basic Education sub-sector to greater and more enviable heights in the state.