**RUTH KADIRI'S 'GARLIC ALARM': ANOTHER KNOCK ON NAFDAC **

Just the other day, Ruth Kadiri, a Nollywood celebrity raised an alarm regarding her alleged purchase of a fake product.

Of course, buying fake products in Nigeria is not news. However, as a "celebrated" Nollywood celebrity, anything concerning Kadiri is 'hot news'.
That notwithstanding, it's necessary to dig deep, going behind the façade of popularity, to establish the facts. This is a matter of public interest since Rule of Law expects that all citizens be treated equally and Nollywood icon, Ruth Kadiri is a Nigerian citizen and shouldn't be treated differently, despite her "star studded status"

She raised concerns over the circulation of fake and potentially harmful products in Nigeria after recounting an experience involving garlic that reportedly turned green after she blended it.

Kadiri shared her concerns in a video message to Nigerians, urging the regulatory agency, National Agency For Administration And Control (NAFDAC) to strengthen its monitoring of products sold across the country. The actress said Nigerians routinely purchase food, drinks, medicines, cosmetics and household products believing they are safe, only to discover that some may be poorly produced, contaminated or counterfeit.

According to her, the issue goes beyond financial loss, as unsafe products can have serious consequences for consumers, particularly children. “This is not just a business problem. It’s a threat to human life,” she said, while expressing concern about children dealing with serious health conditions that she attributed to fake products. Recall that infant diabetes and kidney malfunction is becoming rampant in Nigeria today.

Kadiri then narrated her "garlic" experience. According to her, she went upstairs after blending the product only to come down and see that it had turned green!

The actress said the incident added to her concerns about the safety of products available to Nigerian consumers. She also disclosed that she is increasingly cautious about buying pre-packaged drinks for her children because of concerns about what the products might contain. Kadiri urged Nigerians to speak up when they notice suspicious products being manufactured or sold in their communities.

Also, she urged NAFDAC to pay closer attention to the lives and wellbeing of Nigerians.

“NAFDAC, please pay attention to the lives of Nigerians. Lots and lots of people are sick and are not getting better,” she said.

According to the Nollywood icon, the situation becomes particularly alarming due to the potential health risks for children and other vulnerable members of society. Imagine a pregnant woman buying drugs or even something as common as bananas, only to find such contaminated with cyanide because it was ripened with that hazardous chemical by some greedy traders!

She urged more vigilance on the part of Nigerians so as to curb the menace. Her warning has renewed conversations about counterfeit and substandard goods in Nigeria, where regulators and consumers continue to grapple with the challenge of unsafe products.

Nevertheless, her 'garlic account' remains a personal observation and does not, by itself, establish that the garlic was counterfeit, contaminated or unsafe. No independent laboratory test or regulatory finding confirming the cause of the colour change was reported alongside her comments.

Certainly, it buttresses the relevance of consumer vigilance and stronger regulatory oversight, particularly for products that are eaten, consumed or used by children. She called on Nigerians to speak out regarding suspected counterfeit goods and report suspicious activities, stressing that collective action is necessary to protect consumers from potentially harmful products. She warns that fake food, medicines and other consumables threaten lives, urging swifter stricter regulatory actions and swifter punishment .

There was mixed reactions from her fans online. Generally, everyone condemned Nigeria's regulatory agency - the Nigerian Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control(NAFDAC). Many praised her for speaking up, stating that such was expected from "these stars from the poor long suffering Nigerian masses".

Surprisingly, one of her fans picked on her, asserting that celebrities like her would still be the ones used in running the advertisements and commercials for such fake products. That, certainly was uncharitable and like blaming the victim. As a celebrity, is it your job to take over NAFDAC's duties, by confirming wether a product is genuine before accepting to sign an advertisement deal with the producers? Besides, no Company advertises a fake or counterfeit product. Unscrupulous traders only start producing counterfeits once the product becomes a popular and fast selling brand. For instance, one fan gave the instance of a popular wine- Azul. According to him, the company produces only a hundred bottles in a year. However, some night clubs in Nigeria sell more than that in a day!

The much Kadiri and other celebrities of her ilk can do is to continue calling out NAFDAC to wake up and do more.
Unfortunately, NAFDAC, today, doesn't give much hope to Nigerians in that regard.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC DG, has recently faced heavy public criticism due to several controversial public statements she personally made, making Nigerians to question her commitment to duty despite her "heavy CV" as a professor who had spent so much time overseas.

For instance, just last week, in an interview with BusinessDay TV, she made an outrageous comment, describing Nigerians as “very ignorant” and stated that they “don’t read" while trying to clarify the agency's exact boundaries. She noted that NAFDAC only regulates processed and semi-processed foods, while fresh agricultural produce (like raw ginger or fresh fruits) falls under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Earlier in September, 2026, she had insensitively laughed off calls for her resignation over the influx of lethal counterfeit drugs, foods and other consumables, flaunting her academic credentials.