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, describing it as a major challenge to effective regulation.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC currently operates with about 2,000 staff to regulate products consumed by over 240 million Nigerians, a figure she said is grossly inadequate.

She compared Nigeria with Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million people but employs roughly 20,000 regulatory personnel.

“We are 240 million people and we have 2,000 staff. A comparable country like Indonesia has about 20,000 staff. That is the gap,” she said.

Adeyeye noted that while the agency is not aiming to match Indonesia’s workforce, it requires at least 5,000 additional staff to improve its nationwide operations.

The NAFDAC boss explained that the shortage has overstretched the agency’s capacity, limiting its ability to effectively monitor activities across the country.

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

She also called for increased funding for the Federal Task Force established to support enforcement efforts, revealing that the Federal Task Force C34 Bill, enacted in 2004, has not received any financial backing since its inception.

Despite the challenges, Adeyeye expressed optimism that the Federal Government, following discussions with the Minister of Finance, would provide the needed support to strengthen the agency.

According to her, the Federal Task Force collaborates with task forces across the 36 states to enhance enforcement activities nationwide.