The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has responded to growing concerns over the safety of products sold across Nigerian markets.
Prof. Adeyeye, who spoke with journalists on Monday, described Nigerians as “very ignorant” about food safety regulations, particularly the proper use of pesticides, while explaining that NAFDAC’s mandate does not cover every product or activity along the food supply chain.
According to her, food safety regulation operates across different stages “from farm to fork”, with various government institutions responsible for different aspects. She explained that while NAFDAC regulates processed and semi-processed foods, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has the primary responsibility for fresh agricultural produce.
“NAFDAC mandate is for processed or semi-processed foods. So the oranges you buy in the market, we don’t control the oranges you buy in the market,” she said, adding that fresh produce falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Adeyeye, however, said NAFDAC has a role in agricultural chemical safety because the agency approves, regulates and controls pesticides used in farming. She said NAFDAC works with the Ministry of Agriculture to educate farmers on the appropriate quantity of pesticides to apply, when to apply them and the required interval between chemical application and harvesting.
The NAFDAC boss attributed some cases of pesticide misuse to farmers’ failure to properly understand product labels, stressing that using more chemicals does not necessarily produce better results. She cited Nigeria’s literacy challenges as one factor that can affect farmers’ ability to interpret instructions correctly.
“We have about 56 per cent illiteracy. If it’s a literate country, they will read: ‘Put one teaspoon in one gallon.’ Sometimes our people don’t understand. And they think the more you put, the better,” Adeyeye said.
She disclosed that NAFDAC’s Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate trains farmers and other stakeholders on the safe use of pesticides, but said the agency could not independently reach the millions of farmers across the country.
“But we cannot go to one million farmers in Nigeria, I don’t know how many millions we have. NAFDAC cannot do that. It is the Ministry of Agriculture that should be doing that,” she said.
Adeyeye also said many Nigerians have limited knowledge of the statutory responsibilities of government agencies involved in food safety, making it difficult for the public to know which institution to hold accountable for specific concerns.
Her comments come against the backdrop of heightened public concern over the safety and authenticity of products sold in Nigerian markets, with consumers increasingly raising questions over suspected counterfeit, substandard and unsafe food, beverages, medicines and household products.
NAFDAC has continued to carry out enforcement operations against products considered unsafe, unregistered or unfit for consumption, as the agency seeks to protect consumers and strengthen compliance across the regulated product sector.
