Veteran Nollywood actress and film executive Mary Remmy Njoku has sparked a heated conversation on social media after sharing a shocking experience that calls into question the quality and potency of medications sold in Nigeria.
Her post, which reads more like a cry for help than a mere complaint, has reignited public concern about the country’s healthcare and pharmaceutical standards.
Taking to Instagram, the ROK Studios boss detailed how a recent bout of food poisoning left her in distress, despite taking what she believed was a reliable medication. Mary Njoku revealed she used Imodium, but this time, the antidiarrheal did absolutely nothing. She began:
“I had a bit of food poisoning on set.
“Sent a staff to buy Imodium from arguably one of the biggest pharmacy chains in Nigeria… I took it for three days straight, and nothing changed.”
This wasn’t her first time using Imodium, and she emphasized that the brand had worked for her in the past. However, this locally purchased version didn’t just underperform, it completely failed.
The shocker came when her husband, filmmaker Jason Njoku, returned from a trip abroad with a similar Imodium tablet. According to her, the difference was instant.
“I took it, and within five minutes, my stomach calmed down. Just five minutes!” she exclaimed.
While Mary Njoku refrained from making sweeping allegations, she did call out Nigeria’s drug regulatory body, NAFDAC, multiple times, urging them to take urgent action. She wrote:
“What exactly are we being sold in Nigeria? What’s going on with our drugs? This is a public health risk, and @nafdac_ng must take it seriously. This is dangerous!”
Her post has since triggered a wave of reactions online, with many Nigerians sharing similar horror stories about antibiotics that don’t work, painkillers that do nothing, and anti-malarials that fail to clear symptoms even after full dosage.
