NAFDAC Seeks More Funding, 5,000 Additional Staff To Strengthen Regulation

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has appealed to the federal government for increased funding and the recruitment of at least 5,000 additional personnel, warning that its current workforce of about 2,000 is inadequate to effectively regulate products consumed by Nigeria’s more than 240 million people.

Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the appeal during an interview on Channels Television  where she described the agency as chronically understaffed and overstretched in carrying out its regulatory and enforcement responsibilities across the country.

She said Nigeria’s staffing level compares unfavourably with that of Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million but employs around 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. That is the gap that we have been discussing in terms of closing,” she said.

Adeyeye stressed that the agency was not seeking a workforce on the scale of Indonesia’s but estimated that recruiting at least 5,000 more staff would significantly improve its nationwide operations.

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

She noted that the manpower shortage has stretched the agency’s capacity, making it impossible to maintain an effective presence across the country.

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

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

“The Federal Task Force C34 Bill was enacted in 2004. That bill was never supported with one naira,” she said.

She expressed optimism that the Federal Government would respond positively to the agency’s requests following discussions with the Minister of Finance.

According to her, the Federal Task Force works with task forces in all 36 states to strengthen enforcement efforts nationwide.

“The federal government is listening that we need a lot of staff and we need support. And I believe they’re going to do that,” Adeyeye said.