NAFDAC Probes Death of Enugu NYSC Member, Rejects Fake Medicine Allegation
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced investigation into the death of a member of the National Youth Service Corps
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme requires Nigerian graduates to undergo a mandatory three-week orientation course at state camps, where they are housed, fed and given medical attention under NYSC supervision. Deaths of corps members during camp activities periodically trigger public scrutiny of camp welfare, medical facilities and the quality of drugs administered on-site, given Nigeria's long-running struggle with counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals in circulation.
NAFDAC is the federal agency responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of food, drugs and related products in Nigeria, including the fight against fake and substandard medicines. Its involvement in this case follows allegations linking the death of a corps member at the Enugu State orientation camp to fake medicine, a claim the agency has disputed as it carries out its own investigation. Coverage so far agrees on the core facts — the corps member's death during orientation camp and NAFDAC's probe — but neither the exact cause of death, the specific drug or medical circumstances involved, nor the timeline for concluding the investigation has yet been reported.