This is going to be a series where we will be talking about different ministries in Nigeria and…

NAFDAC DG Prof Adeyeye

This is going to be a series where we will be talking about different ministries in Nigeria and Everything about them.

Today we will talk about NAFDAC.

National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control.

The federal ministry was founded in January of 1993 under President Babangida. The ministry is in charge of regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water.

Its responsibility is to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of foods, drugs, cosmetics, and other regulated products.

That is why for every MAJOR product in the Nigeria market, you are expected to see the NAFDAC number on it, which would certify that the product is vetted by the ministry. Its headquarters is in Abuja.

The current director general is Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, who was appointed by the former president of the republic, Muhammadu Buhari in November of 2017. I can say she has done pretty well in those years.

NAFDAC had to be formed in 1993 as a result of so many fake drugs and beverages saturating the market at the time. Rumors had it that Ghana and Sierra Leone had to ban the importation of food and beverages from Nigeria then.

One incident that happened that really mounted the pressure of creating this ministry was Paracetamol Syrup Poisoning.

The incident you mentioned occurred in 1989, and it involved the deaths of over 150 children who consumed paracetamol syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG). This incident was linked to the “My Pikin” paracetamol syrup, which was manufactured by a Nigerian company called Barewa Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

The “My Pikin” paracetamol syrup poisoning incident led to widespread outrage and calls for improved regulation of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

There is then the need of a regulatory body that needs to ensure that all our materials were not dangerous. NAFDAC was born.

Some of the responsibilities of NAFDAC is:

• Product Registration: It’s NAFDAC responsibility to register and regulate the importation, manufacture, sale, and distribution of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. That’s why every product both locally made or imported must have an approved NAFDAC number. They issue licenses and certificates to manufacturers, importers, and distributors of regulated products.
• Quality Control: The agency conducts regular inspections and testing to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards. They ensure that businesses and companies comply with regulations, investigate complaints, and take action against counterfeit or substandard products.
• Consumer Protection: The agency educates consumers about safe use of regulated products and provides information on potential health risks.
• Research and Development: NAFDAC collaborates with research institutions and industries to promote the development of new products and technologies. They also works with international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to harmonize regulatory standards and share best practices.

It is very hard to track the exact figure they get from the budget but Professor Adeyeye is doing her best with what she has,

A report from The Nation Newspaper on the December, 2022 stated and I quote;

“NAFDAC was in debt to the tune of N3.2 billion before Adeyeye took over the helm of affairs. However, with her determination, cooperation from the members of staff, and efforts by the Finance and Accounts Directorate, she brought financial sanity to the agency by stepping down all fictitious claims, and introducing budget discipline to all financial activities of the agency. All these activities reduced its debt profile of N3.2 billion to zero as at 20th November, 2018. The cost effective measures steadily increased NAFDAC’s cash position in Treasury Single Account (TSA). Also, her leadership put both human and material resources in place that resulted in boosting the agency’s internally generated revenue significantly, and also reduced recurrent expenditure drastically.”

Later in January 5th of 2023, the Nigerian Tribune reported that;

NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, stated on Tuesday that during her first term in office, the agency’s internally generated revenue (IGR) increased by three times, from N700 million to N2.5 billion.

There have been so many successful bursts by her and team.

The only lapses here are lack of staff, manpower and also the latest infrastructure which I know the government is looking into already.

Kudos to her and her team, see you on the next one.