Kano State has recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against fake and substandard pharmaceutical products, with the seizure of counterfeit drugs worth over N1.3 billion.
The feat was achieved through the operations of the Kanawa Pharmaceutical Coordinated Wholesale Centre (KPP-CWC) located at Kano Economic City, Dangwaura, along Zaria Road.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, Chief Superintendent Pharmacist with the centre, Hajiya Furera Ado Muhammed, said the seizure followed a series of quality control activities and regulatory checks introduced after the relocation of the illegal open drug market to the new coordinated wholesale centre.
“This centre has become a game changer. We now have proper control over the influx and quality of medicines entering Kano. Without this intervention, these drugs would have reached the public, leading to treatment failures and loss of lives,” she said.
SolaceBase reports that the KPP-CWC, the only fully operational centre among four originally approved across the country, was established under the Federal Ministry of Health’s Coordinated Wholesale Centre concept—an initiative first proposed by Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, now Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The concept was designed to sanitize Nigeria’s chaotic drug distribution system, especially in states notorious for open drug markets.
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“Though four states—Kano, Lagos, Anambra, and Abia—were selected for the pilot phase, only Kano has successfully implemented the project,” Furera disclosed.
She added that, “The centre was commissioned in February 2023 but only became fully operational after a court ruling in February 2024. By February 16, 2025, the illegal open drug market in Kano was effectively relocated here.”
According to her, since then, regulatory authorities such as the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have maintained strong oversight of the centre’s operations.
“Our activities are now subject to real-time supervision by regulatory officers,” she added. “Officials have the ability to check practices at will, thanks to the centralized structure of the centre.”
”One of the centre’s most notable innovations is the acquisition of a WHO-certified cold room from the United States, powered by 24-hour solar energy, ensuring the safe storage of thermolabile pharmaceuticals, including vaccines, ”she said.
”The facility maintains temperatures between +2°C to +8°C and can be adjusted below freezing when needed.
”Also, random sampling of drugs for Active Ingredient Content (AIC) tests has revealed disturbing trends.
“From the analyses conducted so far, about 40.3% of pharmaceutical products sampled failed the test and were deemed substandard.
These were mostly pediatric antimalarials, antibiotics, and analgesics,” Furera noted. “Such products were previously widely accepted, which tells you the scale of the problem.”
”The seized counterfeit drugs, estimated at N1.3 billion, have since been handed over to the State Committee on Drug Abuse for destruction.
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”To prevent infiltration of counterfeit medicines, a special ad hoc committee at the centre now monitors all incoming pharmaceutical consignments—searching vehicles, verifying supply chain actors, and subjecting suspicious products to laboratory testing.
”In some cases, experienced personnel detect falsified products without needing lab tests, based on visual or contextual clues.
She further emphasized that KPP-CWC has started receiving applications from pharmacists nationwide and will soon begin interviews to fill critical regulatory and distribution roles. This comes after earlier delays in pharmacist recruitment due to operational challenges.
Despite facing initial hurdles in power supply and environmental sanitation, Furera described the centre’s success so far as “tremendous,” calling for PCN to launch a sensitization campaign to sustain the current momentum and compliance.
“We thank the Honourable Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the PCN Registrar, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu and the NAFDAC DG, Prof. Christiana Mojisola Adeyeye, for their tireless commitment. Their leadership ensured this centre became a national model,” she added.
She also expressed appreciation in the official statement for the federal government’s support and reaffirmed the centre’s commitment to making Kano a hub of regulated and safe pharmaceutical trade in Nigeria.
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