Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director-General has admitted that the agency doesn’t have enough staff to effectively carry out its regulatory responsibilities across the country.
In a comparison of the agency’s staffing situation with that of Indonesia, she said that with a population of 280 million, Indonesia has 20,000 staff at its regulatory agency, while Nigeria, with 220 million people, had only 2,000 NAFDAC staff.
She called on the government to address the staffing issue to ensure efficient service delivery.
Adeyeye clarified to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that while NAFDAC was often associated with regulating substandard and falsified medicines, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) was also involved in the process, specifically in the registration of drug-selling sites and practitioners.
However, Adeyeye noted that both agencies were severely understaffed, a situation that impacted their ability to effectively carry out their roles.
“PCN is responsible for registering drug-selling sites, whether a small kiosk or large shop, and also the practitioners.
But both NAFDAC and PCN face staff shortages, which hinder our ability to reach every corner of the country,” she said.
Adeyeye pointed out that while NAFDAC had been working closely with PCN, the staff shortage remained a significant obstacle.