Staff Shortage Crisis: NAFDAC Urges Government Intervention To Avoid Catastrophe

Staff Shortage Crisis: NAFDAC Urges Government Intervention To Avoid Catastrophe

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised serious concerns about its inability to carry out its critical duties due to a severe staff shortage. According to NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, the shortage is…Staff Shortage Crisis: NAFDAC Urges Government Intervention To Avoid Catastrophe

significantly limiting the agency’s operational capacity.

In a recent address to the press, Adeyeye acknowledged that while NAFDAC is primarily known for regulating substandard and counterfeit medicines, it collaborates with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) in several areas, including the registration of drug-selling establishments and professionals. However, both agencies are grappling with inadequate staffing, which is hampering their ability to function effectively nationwide.

“The PCN is tasked with overseeing drug-selling outlets, whether small kiosks or large stores, and ensuring that practitioners are properly registered. But the combined shortage of staff at both NAFDAC and PCN remains a major challenge, preventing us from reaching every part of the country,” Adeyeye explained.

The NAFDAC boss highlighted the disparity in staffing between Nigeria and countries like Indonesia, which has 20,000 staff members at its regulatory agency for a population of 280 million, while Nigeria, with a population of 220 million, only has 2,000 NAFDAC staff.

In light of this, Adeyeye urged the Nigerian government to address the staffing crisis to enhance the agency’s capacity for effective service delivery.

On the ongoing labor union issues at NAFDAC, Adeyeye clarified that the unions’ demands, including promotions, are outside the agency’s control. She explained that promotions are determined by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOS), not by NAFDAC’s management.

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