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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

NAFDAC DG laments severe manpower shortage, calls for 5,000 more staff

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The Director-General of Nigeria's NAFDAC agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted a severe manpower shortage, stating the agency has only 2,000 staff for over 240 million Nigerians.
  • Adeyeye compared NAFDAC's staffing to Indonesia, which has a similar population but 20,000 regulatory staff, emphasizing a significant gap.
  • The agency requires at least 5,000 additional personnel and improved funding for its Federal Task Force to effectively regulate products nationwide.

The head of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised alarm over a critical shortage of personnel, stating the agency is severely understaffed to effectively regulate products for Nigeria's population of over 240 million people.

We have been chronically short of staff in NAFDAC.

— Prof. Mojisola AdeyeyeNAFDAC's Director-General described the persistent issue of insufficient staffing.

During a television interview, Adeyeye revealed that NAFDAC currently operates with approximately 2,000 workers. She drew a stark comparison with Indonesia, a country with a comparable population of around 280 million, which employs about 20,000 regulatory staff. "We have been chronically short of staff in NAFDAC," Adeyeye stated, highlighting the vast disparity in workforce size.

We are 240 million people and we have 2,000 staff. A comparable country in Indonesia that has about 280 million people, they have 20,000 staff. That is the gap that we have been discussing in terms of closing.

— Prof. Mojisola AdeyeyeNAFDAC's DG highlighted the significant staffing disparity compared to Indonesia.

Adeyeye clarified that NAFDAC is not seeking to match Indonesia's numbers but emphasized the urgent need for at least 5,000 additional staff to bolster its operations across the country. "We need at least 5,000 more. At least 5,000 more staff," she asserted, underscoring the strain on the agency's capacity. The current shortage means NAFDAC is "stretched thin," making it challenging to maintain a physical presence nationwide despite its extensive responsibilities.

We are not asking for 20,000. We need at least 5,000 more. At least 5,000 more staff.

— Prof. Mojisola AdeyeyeThe DG specified the agency's need for additional personnel.

Furthermore, the NAFDAC Director-General called for enhanced financial support for the Federal Task Force, established to aid the agency's enforcement activities. She noted that the task force, created by a 2004 bill, has never received adequate funding. Despite these challenges, Adeyeye expressed optimism that the Federal Government would provide the necessary support, citing recent discussions with the Minister of Finance. The Federal Task Force collaborates with 36 state task forces to support enforcement efforts at the regional level.

Because, like you said, we cannot be everywhere. We are stretched thin. We are doing the very best we can do.

— Prof. Mojisola AdeyeyeThe DG explained the impact of the staff shortage on NAFDAC's operational capacity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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