The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has dismissed videos circulating on social media alleging the widespread sale of fake and substandard food products, describing many of them as false and sensationalised.
Gatekeepers News reports that Adeyeye spoke on Tuesday while serving as special guest of honour at the 50th conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) in Lagos.
She cautioned Nigerians against accepting social media reports without verification, saying many of the videos making the rounds were misleading and lacked credible evidence.
“Many of those videos seen on social media are untrue. Nigerians have to be careful regarding what they see posted on social media because many are simply posting untrue things there,” she said.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Transforming Food Research into Enterprise through Innovation and Commercialisation,” the NAFDAC chief clarified that the agency’s regulatory mandate covers semi-processed and processed foods, rather than every category of food consumed in the country.
“Nigerians think we are in charge of everything from amala, pounded yam, fufu and so on, but we are not. Our mandate is only for semi-processed and processed foods,” she said.
Adeyeye warned that manufacturers who bypass NAFDAC’s approval process or misuse product registration numbers contribute to the circulation of unsafe and substandard products.
She cited the example of a manufacturer in Abuja who obtained three NAFDAC registration numbers for three products but subsequently produced six products using the same numbers.
“After getting approved for the three products, he went and made six products and used the three numbers for the six. Nigerians are the ones making bad food and products for ourselves and we start calling NAFDAC after. How can you use three approved numbers for six products?” she asked.
She stressed that NAFDAC continued to work around the clock to ensure that processed foods available to consumers met the required safety and quality standards.
According to her, food safety requires the cooperation of multiple agencies responsible for different stages of the food supply chain, from production to consumption.
“From farm to fork, there are many players in the food chain. Ministry of Agriculture and Nigerian Quarantine Service are supposed to take care of the early parts before we come in,” she said.
Adeyeye called for stronger collaboration among relevant government agencies, stressing that no single institution could effectively oversee every aspect of food safety.
“However, we need more collaboration in Nigeria. No single agency can do it all and we need to collaborate amongst ourselves. Those supposed to take care of produce should do so. They should be active in making sure that our foods come out right for our people,” she added.
The NAFDAC director-general urged Nigerians to report suspicious products and activities to the agency rather than relying solely on unverified social media content.
“If you see anyone doing something questionable, call us so that the agency in charge can do their work. It is a collective responsibility that needs all hands on deck. Nigerians must understand that each agency has its mandate and we have too much on our hands already to start doing somebody else’s job,” she said.
Adeyeye also highlighted the agency’s staffing challenges, noting that its workforce of slightly more than 2,000 employees was inadequate to regulate food, drugs and other regulated products for Nigeria’s estimated population of 240 million.
“The number is insufficient to cater to everyone. Divide 240 million by 2,000, you can see it’s not sufficient,” she said.
She encouraged consumers to use NAFDAC’s call centre to report irregularities in markets and other locations, warning that social media posts could exaggerate incidents or present information without the necessary context.
“Whatever you see on social media is usually blown out of proportion. You know whatever gets there is taken out of context and is rapidly shared,” she said.
On nutrition and local food consumption, Adeyeye noted that Nigerian foods could contribute to improved quality of life but cautioned against excessive consumption of certain ingredients.
“Nigerians, especially Yorubas, use a lot of oil in their soups. This is dangerous and cause fatty acid to build up, which leads to cardiovascular problems later on. We must reduce salt intake in food, excess sugar and additives,” she said.
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment to public health, Adeyeye said NAFDAC staff were expected to uphold high standards during inspections and laboratory assessments because their work directly affected people’s lives.
“We are working round the clock for Nigerians and public health. I tell my staff that Nigerians’ lives are in their hands. I tell them that when they go for inspection or in the laboratory, they must do the right thing.
“We know and understand we are dealing with life and death and that is how we approach Nigerians’ health and safety,” she said.
