Nigerians ignorant about food safety regulation — NAFDAC DG

File: NAFDAC DG Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has described Nigerians as “very ignorant”, saying many people do not understand the roles of agencies responsible for food safety and pesticide regulation.

Adeyeye made the remark in an interview with BusinessDay TV on Monday while explaining NAFDAC’s regulatory responsibilities and the division of duties between the agency and the Ministry of Agriculture.

“First of all, we are ignorant in this country. We are very ignorant. We don’t—we don’t read. We don’t understand,” she said.

She explained that food safety regulation involved several government agencies “from farm to fork”, stressing that NAFDAC’s mandate covered processed and semi-processed foods, rather than fresh produce sold directly in markets.

“From farm to fork, there are many organisations, there are many agencies that are involved. From farm to fork,” Adeyeye said.

According to her, NAFDAC does not regulate fresh oranges or other agricultural produce sold in markets.

“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.

She, however, said NAFDAC had a role to play in the safe use of pesticides because the agency approves, regulates and controls such products.
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Adeyeye said the agency works with the Ministry of Agriculture to train farmers on the appropriate use of pesticides, including when to apply them and when crops should be harvested after treatment.

“It is the Ministry of Agric that has the primary mandate for fresh produce. Fresh produce. However, because we approve, we regulate and control pesticides, we have the obligation to train them on how to use it based on direction on the label,” she said.

The NAFDAC boss said inadequate understanding of pesticide instructions could also contribute to their misuse by farmers.

She said some farmers might assume that using more of a chemical would produce better results, instead of following the instructions on the product.

“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 said NAFDAC’s Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate trains farmers and other stakeholders on the use of pesticides, including the appropriate timing for application and harvesting.

Adeyeye, however, said NAFDAC could not independently reach all farmers in the country, given the size of the farming population.

“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 Agric that should be doing that,” she said.

She added that while NAFDAC had an obligation to assist with educating farmers because it regulates pesticides, the Ministry of Agriculture had the primary responsibility for such training.

“It is because we control the pesticide, we also should help in teaching them. The Ministry of Agric should be teaching them,” she said.

Adeyeye also noted that many Nigerians were unaware of the limits of NAFDAC’s responsibilities.

“But many people don’t know,” she said.

Her comments come amid continuing concerns over food safety, the misuse of agricultural chemicals and the presence of substandard or unsafe products in the Nigerian market.

Adeyeye has repeatedly defended NAFDAC’s regulatory and enforcement activities, while the agency has continued to carry out seizures and other enforcement operations against products it considers unsafe or unfit for consumption.

The NAFDAC boss stressed that responsibility for food safety cuts across different stages of the food chain, with various government agencies having specific regulatory roles.

Fawzi Kehinde

Fawzi is a journalist and subeditor covering a wide range of beats including politics, metro, and international news, among others. He also optimises stories for digital audiences.

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