Duro Ikhazuagbe
The recent methanol poisoning outbreak in Ondo has raised questions over regulatory enforcement, 11 years after a similar tragedy struck Irele and Odigbo.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) confirmed 48 deaths and 182 cases linked to locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions.
The agency said five victims were totally blind, while two others suffered partial blindness following consumption of the suspected poisonous products.
NAFDAC said laboratory analysis of 15 samples detected high concentrations of methanol, while further investigations into the outbreak were ongoing. The agency also disclosed that 15 people had been arrested over the production, distribution and sale of the suspected toxic products. Those arrested would be investigated, while further action would depend on the outcome of investigations into the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.
However, the incident has revived concerns about whether lessons from previous methanol poisoning outbreaks have been adequately translated into sustained enforcement.
In April 2015, a methanol poisoning outbreak in Irele and Odigbo recorded 37 cases and 27 deaths, according to a published epidemiological investigation.
The investigation linked the outbreak to locally brewed gin and found high concentrations of methanol in some samples examined by researchers. The researchers recommended stronger enforcement against illicitly produced alcoholic beverages to prevent similar outbreaks.
The 2015 outbreak therefore provided authorities with evidence of the danger posed by illicit alcoholic beverages in the affected communities.
Eleven years later, another suspected methanol poisoning outbreak has occurred in the same Ondo communities, prompting renewed questions about prevention and regulatory enforcement.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye became NAFDAC Director-General in November 2017 and has remained in the position for almost nine years. Adeyeye has previously defended her administration by highlighting challenges she said existed when she assumed office.
She said most of NAFDAC’s laboratory equipment was not functioning and that companies sometimes provided vehicles for regulatory inspections.
Adeyeye also said no director had an agency-purchased laptop in 2017 and described the agency’s information technology system as severely neglected. The NAFDAC management has subsequently highlighted improvements in regulatory capacity, laboratory operations, enforcement and international recognition.
However, the latest Ondo outbreak has again placed questions about product safety, enforcement and consumer protection in the public domain. The controversy intensified in September after Adeyeye was asked during a media engagement about calls for her resignation.
Reports said she laughed before responding to the question and defending her administration against criticism.
The incident generated criticism on social media, with Nigerians sharing photographs and videos of products they suspected were counterfeit or adulterated.
NAFDAC has also reported seizures involving counterfeit cosmetics, food and beverages, which accounted for more than half of counterfeit products confiscated during a period cited by the agency. Separately, the federal government has cited industry estimates that about 40 per cent of spirits and wines consumed in Nigeria are illicit or unrecorded.
The estimate was based on a 2024 Euromonitor survey cited during the launch of Nigeria’s Alcohol Policy and Multisectoral Implementation Plan.
The figures underscore the challenges facing regulators in controlling illicit alcoholic beverages and protecting consumers from potentially dangerous products.
However, the latest Ondo deaths do not by themselves establish official negligence by NAFDAC or any other government agency.
They do raise questions about whether previous warnings were adequately followed by sustained surveillance, enforcement and preventive measures. Stakeholders would therefore need to determine how the contaminated products were produced, distributed, sold and consumed in the affected communities.
They would also need to establish whether regulatory authorities received earlier warnings and what measures were taken before the latest outbreak occurred.
The answers could help determine whether existing regulatory systems are adequate to prevent another methanol poisoning tragedy. For families affected by the outbreak, however, the immediate priority remains treatment, support for survivors and accountability for those found responsible.
The Ondo tragedy has therefore renewed calls for stronger enforcement against illicit alcohol production and improved coordination among relevant regulatory and security agencies.
It has also highlighted the need for authorities to ensure that lessons from previous outbreaks translate into concrete measures protecting Nigerians from dangerous products.