By Abdullahi Inuwa
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has pushed back against growing calls for her resignation, insisting that her return to Nigeria after decades in the United States was driven by a desire to serve rather than seek personal gain.
Adeyeye spoke during an engagement with journalists in Lagos, where she defended her record at NAFDAC and challenged anyone accusing her of demanding money from contractors to come forward with evidence.
The NAFDAC boss said she had built a successful academic career in the United States before voluntarily returning home to take up the agency’s leadership.
“I came here to serve,” she said, arguing that the culture of asking what one can personally gain from public office has contributed to Nigeria’s challenges.
Adeyeye also recalled the difficulties she encountered when she assumed office in 2017, saying NAFDAC inherited about ₦3.2 billion in liabilities, while a large portion of its laboratory equipment was not functioning. She said her administration moved quickly to address the financial and operational problems.
According to her, about ₦3.1 billion of the inherited liabilities had been cleared by November 2018.
She further pointed to what she described as improvements in NAFDAC’s international regulatory standing, including the agency’s progression to maturity level three in 2022 and subsequent affiliations with major international regulatory bodies.
The DG said these developments helped change the perception of NAFDAC internationally after years of criticism over its effectiveness.
Her comments come as NAFDAC faces renewed scrutiny over counterfeit and substandard products in the Nigerian market, as well as controversy surrounding some of its regulatory policies. The agency has recently intensified enforcement operations against suspected fake and non-compliant products.
But when confronted with the question of when she intends to leave office, Adeyeye offered a pointed response, effectively telling her critics that her record should speak for itself.
“So that question—‘when are you going to resign?’—I hope you got the answer?” she said.
Adeyeye maintained that she remains focused on NAFDAC’s mandate and the broader goal of protecting Nigerians from dangerous, counterfeit and substandard products.
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