Veteran Nollywood actress Ngozi Ezeonu has added her voice to the rising public outcry over the proliferation of counterfeit and unsafe products across Nigeria, warning manufacturers and vendors that the pursuit of wealth must not come at the cost of human lives.
Speaking in a broadcast video published across her official social media platforms on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Ezeonu expressed profound distress over the widespread circulation of fake pharmaceuticals, contaminated foods, unsafe cosmetics, and adulterated baby formula.
She noted that the country’s healthcare facilities are increasingly filled with young citizens suffering from critical organ failures directly linked to compromised daily consumables.
“I don’t understand what is happening in this country anymore,” Ezeonu stated during her broadcast from Lagos. “When you go to hospitals, you see young people dying with kidney problems and liver problems because everything is fake. I know we have to look for money and be rich, but not at the detriment of lives. We shouldn’t be our own enemy”.
Directing an emotional plea to vendors and illegal manufacturers, the veteran film star urged individuals involved in counterfeit supply chains to consider the human toll of their operations.
“Please, think about the people in the hospitals. Think about the lives you are affecting. Prioritise lives over money,” she appealed, emphasizing that counterfeiters are destroying families within their own communities.
Ezeonu’s public intervention joins a growing public advocacy movement led by notable Nollywood personalities, including actress Ruth Kadiri, calling for immediate, large-scale structural intervention.
In her address, Ezeonu called directly on major federal regulatory authorities to intensify field operations, market surveillance, and legal prosecution against counterfeit networks. She specifically urged key leadership and enforcement divisions at the following agencies to step up monitoring across wholesale distribution hubs.
Public health experts and consumer rights groups have echoed Ezeonu’s warnings, reiterating that the unchecked distribution of substandard medicines and adulterated food items poses a national security threat to Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure. Regulatory bodies have been urged to increase surprise raids at major open markets and distribution centers nationwide to dismantle illegal syndicates.
