NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Staff Shortage Threatening Nationwide Monitoring

(NAFDAC DG Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye. Photo by Punch News)

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, has bemoaned the lack of personnel in the organization.

She claimed that the organization is woefully understaffed to properly oversee goods that more than 240 million Nigerians use.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised concerns over the agency’s staff shortage, saying it currently operates with far fewer personnel than its workload demands.

Speaking during an interview on an online news platform on Thursday, Adeyeye said NAFDAC currently operates with about 2,000 workers, describing the number as inadequate given the country’s population.

She said a comparable country such as Indonesia, with a population of about 280 million people, has around 20,000 regulatory staff, noting that Nigeria, with 240 million people, had only 2,000 staff, a gap she said the agency had long been discussing how to close.

The NAFDAC boss clarified that the agency was not asking for a workforce as large as Indonesia’s, but needed at least 5,000 additional personnel to improve its operations nationwide.

She said the shortage had stretched the agency’s capacity thin, noting that it could not be physically present everywhere across the country despite its responsibilities, adding that the agency was doing the best it could under the circumstances.

Adeyeye also called for improved funding for the Federal Task Force established to support the agency’s enforcement activities, revealing that the Federal Task Force C34 Bill, enacted in 2004, had never received any financial backing since its creation.

She, however, expressed optimism that the Federal Government would provide the needed support, following discussions with the Minister of Finance.

According to her, the Federal Task Force works alongside 36 state task forces expected to assist with enforcement activities at the state level.

She said the Federal Government was aware of the agency’s need for more staff and support, and expressed confidence that it would act accordingly.