NAFDAC needs 5,000 more workers to regulate products effectively — Adeyeye

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised concerns over the agency’s manpower shortage, saying its current workforce is inadequate to regulate products consumed by more than 240 million Nigerians.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Adeyeye said NAFDAC currently has about 2,000 employees, far below what is required to effectively carry out its regulatory responsibilities nationwide.

She compared Nigeria’s situation with Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million but operates with approximately 20,000 regulatory personnel.

“We have been chronically short of staff in NAFDAC. We are 240 million people and we have 2,000 staff. A comparable country like Indonesia, with about 280 million people, has 20,000 staff,” she said.

According to the NAFDAC boss, the agency is not seeking a workforce on the same scale as Indonesia but requires at least 5,000 additional staff to strengthen its operations.

“We are not asking for 20,000. We need at least 5,000 more staff,” she stated.

Adeyeye said the shortage has overstretched the agency, limiting its ability to effectively monitor and enforce regulations across the country.

“We cannot be everywhere. We are stretched thin, but we are doing the very best we can,” she added.

The NAFDAC chief also called for improved funding for the Federal Task Force established to support the agency’s enforcement activities, noting that although the Federal Task Force C34 Bill was enacted in 2004, it has never received financial backing.

She expressed optimism that the Federal Government would address the challenges, saying discussions had already been held with the Minister of Finance.

Adeyeye explained that the Federal Task Force works alongside task forces in all 36 states to strengthen enforcement efforts and improve regulatory compliance nationwide.