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 severe manpower shortage, warning that its current workforce is insufficient to effectively regulate products consumed by Nigeria’s growing population.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Adeyeye revealed that NAFDAC currently has about 2,000 employees responsible for overseeing the safety and quality of food, medicines and other regulated products for more than 240 million Nigerians.
She noted that the staffing level falls far below what is required for effective nationwide regulation, drawing a comparison with Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million and employs roughly 20,000 regulatory personnel.
According to her, while NAFDAC is not seeking to match Indonesia’s workforce, the agency urgently requires at least 5,000 additional employees to improve its operations across the country.
“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. We are not asking for 20,000. We need at least 5,000 more staff,” she said.
Adeyeye explained that the shortage has placed enormous pressure on the agency, making it impossible to maintain a physical presence in every part of the country despite its extensive regulatory responsibilities.
She said NAFDAC continues to perform its duties with the limited resources available but acknowledged that the agency remains overstretched.
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The NAFDAC boss also called for improved financial support for the Federal Task Force established to strengthen the agency’s enforcement operations.
She disclosed that although the Federal Task Force C34 Bill was enacted in 2004, it has never received dedicated funding from the government.
Adeyeye expressed optimism that the situation could improve, noting that discussions with the Minister of Finance had been encouraging and that the Federal Government appeared willing to provide the manpower and financial support required.
She explained that the Federal Task Force works alongside task forces in all 36 states to enhance enforcement activities and improve compliance with regulatory standards nationwide.
According to her, strengthening both staffing and funding would significantly enhance NAFDAC’s capacity to safeguard public health and combat the circulation of unsafe and substandard products across the country.