NAFDAC Needs 5,000 More Staff to Effectively Regulate Nigeria, Says Adeyeye

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for significant investment in the agency's workforce and funding, saying Nigeria's current regulatory capacity is insufficient for its rapidly growing population.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Adeyeye revealed that NAFDAC currently has about 2,000 personnel responsible for regulating medicines, food, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and other regulated products across Nigeria.

According to her, the workforce is inadequate for a country with an estimated population of approximately 240 million people.

Drawing an international comparison, she noted that Indonesia, with a population of around 280 million, reportedly has about 20,000 regulatory personnel.

"The gap is enormous," she said.

Adeyeye stated that NAFDAC requires at least 5,000 additional staff members to improve surveillance, inspections, enforcement and regulatory activities nationwide.

She explained that regulatory officers cannot be physically present everywhere across the country, making it difficult to promptly detect illegal manufacturing, counterfeit products and other regulatory violations.

The Director-General also identified inadequate funding as another major constraint affecting the agency's operations.

She said strengthening human resources and improving financial support would significantly enhance NAFDAC's ability to protect Nigerians from unsafe, counterfeit and substandard regulated products.

Her remarks come amid intensified nationwide enforcement activities targeting illegal alcohol production and other public health threats.