Adeyeye made the remarks during a television interview, describing the workforce as grossly inadequate. She compared the situation with Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million people but employs around 20,000 regulatory staff.

The NAFDAC boss said the agency is not requesting the same number of workers as Indonesia but needs at least 5,000 additional personnel to improve its operations across the country. She noted that the shortage has stretched the agency thin and limited its ability to be present everywhere it is needed.

Adeyeye also called for better funding for the Federal Task Force set up to support the agency’s enforcement activities. She said the task force, established under a 2004 law, has never received financial support since its creation.

She expressed hope that the Federal Government would address the staffing and funding challenges. According to her, discussions with the Minister of Finance have been positive, and she believes the needed support will soon be provided.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper