Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has blamed poor public awareness on food safety on what she described as widespread ignorance among Nigerians.
Adeyeye said many Nigerians do not read or understand information and guidelines designed to protect them from unsafe food and other regulated products.
She made the remarks in an interview with BusinessDay published on Monday.
“We are ignorant in this country. We are very ignorant, we don’t read, we don’t understand,” Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC boss explained that several government agencies are responsible for regulating Nigeria’s food chain, from production to consumption.
She said NAFDAC’s mandate covers processed and semi-processed foods, while the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has primary responsibility for fresh produce.
“From farm to fork, there are many organisations involved. There are many agencies involved. NAFDAC mandate is for processed or semi processed foods,” she said.
NAFDAC role in pesticide regulation
Adeyeye said NAFDAC also has a role in food safety where pesticides are involved because the agency regulates and controls pesticides.
She said NAFDAC, working with the Ministry of Agriculture, trains farmers on the proper use of pesticides and the appropriate waiting period before crops are harvested.
The agency’s Veterinary and Allied Products Directorate also provides training to farmers and other stakeholders on pesticide use, she added.
However, Adeyeye said NAFDAC could not directly train all farmers across the country because of the size of the farming population.
“We cannot go to one million farmers in Nigeria, NAFDAC cannot do that, it is the ministry of agriculture that should be doing that,” she said.
She said the Ministry of Agriculture should take responsibility for educating farmers, while NAFDAC would continue to support the process because of its regulatory responsibilities.
“Many people don’t know,” Adeyeye added.
NAFDAC receives over 200 complaints monthly
Adeyeye also disclosed that NAFDAC receives more than 200 complaints from Nigerians every month through its complaint channels.
She said the complaints provide important leads for the agency’s investigations.
In September, NAFDAC said it received 225 complaints about suspected counterfeit products in August.
The agency has continued to urge Nigerians to report suspected counterfeit and unsafe products through its established complaint channels.
