The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised concerns about the agency’s ongoing staff shortage, which is affecting its ability to effectively carry out its regulatory responsibilities.
In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Adeyeye discussed the challenges faced by NAFDAC, particularly in its efforts to regulate substandard and counterfeit medicines.
While acknowledging that the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) also plays a key role in regulating drug-selling establishments and practitioners, she pointed out that both NAFDAC and PCN are struggling with insufficient staff.
“The lack of personnel is a major barrier to NAFDAC and PCN’s ability to fully perform our duties, especially in reaching all areas of the country,” Adeyeye explained.
She called on the government to address the staffing issue, emphasizing that both agencies need more resources to meet their growing demands.
Adeyeye also made a comparison between Nigeria and Indonesia, noting that despite Indonesia’s larger population of 280 million, it has 20,000 staff at its regulatory agency.
In contrast, Nigeria, with a population of 220 million, only has about 2,000 staff at NAFDAC.
Regarding the recent labor union disputes at NAFDAC, the Director-General clarified that the unions’ demands for staff promotions based on the last promotion exam were beyond the agency’s control.
She explained that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOS) determines the number of promotions, not NAFDAC’s management.
“The Head of Service has the authority to decide on the number of promotions,” she stated, adding that after discussions with the unions and intervention from the presidency, the matter had been resolved.
Adeyeye reassured the public that NAFDAC had continued to prioritize the welfare of its staff by ensuring timely payments of salaries, allowances, and other benefits. She also highlighted improvements within the agency since her appointment, noting that the staff now feels supported by the management.
“Things have changed significantly in NAFDAC. The staff knows they have a management that is always on their side,” she concluded.
