The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised fresh concerns over the agency's severe manpower shortage, warning that its current workforce is insufficient to effectively protect the health of more than 240 million Nigerians.
Adeyeye made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television, where she described the staffing situation as one of the biggest challenges limiting NAFDAC's ability to regulate food, medicines and other consumer products across the country.
According to the NAFDAC boss, the agency currently operates with only about 2,000 employees, a figure she said is grossly inadequate for Nigeria's growing population and expanding regulatory responsibilities.
She compared Nigeria's situation with Indonesia, noting that the Asian country, with a population of about 280 million people, has approximately 20,000 regulatory personnel overseeing similar responsibilities.
Adeyeye explained that the comparison highlights the enormous manpower gap confronting NAFDAC as it strives to ensure the safety and quality of products consumed by millions of Nigerians every day.
While acknowledging that Nigeria may not immediately require a workforce equal to Indonesia's, she stressed that the agency urgently needs at least 5,000 additional staff to strengthen its nationwide operations.
She stated that recruiting more personnel would significantly improve surveillance, inspections, enforcement activities and regulatory oversight across the country's pharmaceutical, food and manufacturing sectors.
Adeyeye lamented that the shortage has forced existing employees to shoulder enormous workloads while attempting to fulfil the agency's statutory responsibilities.
According to her, NAFDAC officials are often stretched beyond their limits because the agency simply does not have enough personnel to maintain a physical presence in every part of Nigeria.
She noted that despite the dedication of staff members, it is practically impossible for the agency to monitor every production facility, warehouse, market and distribution network across the federation.
The NAFDAC Director-General also called for increased government support to strengthen the agency's enforcement capacity through improved funding and logistics.
She specifically highlighted the Federal Task Force C34 Bill, enacted in 2004, which established a federal enforcement framework but, according to her, has never received financial backing from the government.
Adeyeye explained that the task force was created to complement NAFDAC's enforcement activities by working alongside 36 state task forces across the country.
She argued that proper funding of the task force would greatly enhance efforts to combat counterfeit medicines, unsafe food products and other regulated items that threaten public health.
The agency has intensified nationwide enforcement operations in recent months, sealing illegal factories, destroying counterfeit products and removing banned substances from circulation despite its limited workforce.
Adeyeye expressed optimism that the Federal Government recognises the urgency of the situation and is considering measures to improve staffing and operational support for the agency.
She disclosed that discussions have already taken place with the Minister of Finance, expressing confidence that the government understands the importance of strengthening NAFDAC's regulatory capacity.
The NAFDAC chief reiterated that protecting public health requires sustained investment in human resources, enforcement infrastructure and modern regulatory systems capable of responding to emerging challenges.
She maintained that increasing manpower remains one of the agency's most pressing priorities, insisting that a stronger workforce would significantly improve consumer protection, product safety and regulatory compliance nationwide.