The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has faced criticism after laughing when asked by a journalist about calls for her resignation amid concerns over the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria.
Adeyeye was speaking at an engagement with journalists in Lagos on Monday when she was asked whether she would resign in response to mounting criticism of NAFDAC’s handling of fake and unsafe products in the country. The question initially drew laughter from the NAFDAC chief before she launched into a defence of her record at the agency.
She said she returned to Nigeria after decades in the United States because she wanted to serve the country and help restore NAFDAC’s reputation, rather than seek personal enrichment. Adeyeye said she spent about three decades as a professor in the US before retiring and returning to Nigeria to lead the regulatory agency.
The NAFDAC boss also challenged anyone who had accused her of demanding money from contractors to come forward with evidence. She said her motivation for returning to Nigeria was service and expressed frustration with what she described as an attitude among some Nigerians of seeking personal gain from public service.
Adeyeye recalled that when she assumed office in 2017, NAFDAC had about ₦3.2 billion in outstanding liabilities, while between 70 and 80 per cent of its laboratory equipment was reportedly not functioning. She said the agency also had significant weaknesses in its information and communications technology infrastructure.
She said her administration subsequently paid about ₦3.1 billion of the inherited liabilities by November 2018 and improved the agency’s regulatory standing. According to her, NAFDAC moved from maturity level one to level three by March 2022, while it subsequently gained membership or affiliate status in international regulatory organisations.
The defence came amid renewed public concern over counterfeit and substandard medicines, food, beverages and cosmetics in Nigerian markets. NAFDAC has, however, pointed to its enforcement activities, including the seizure and destruction of counterfeit products valued at more than ₦1.5 trillion over the past three years.
The agency has also reported 64 convictions against counterfeiters within one year, while continuing nationwide surveillance and enforcement operations against manufacturers, importers and distributors of substandard regulated products.
Returning to the resignation question, Adeyeye gave a pointed response, asking the journalist whether she had received the answer to the question about when she would resign. She maintained that her record at NAFDAC should speak for itself despite the continuing criticism.
