A Call to Restructure and Rejig NAFDAC for the Health and Well-being of Nigerians
I respectfully appeal to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Distinguished Senate President, the Right Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Honourable Minister of Health to urgently consider a comprehensive restructuring and rejigging of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), with the primary objective of strengthening its core responsibility of protecting the health and lives of Nigerians.
NAFDAC was established principally as a public-health regulatory agency, with the responsibility of ensuring that food, medicines, medical devices, cosmetics, chemicals, packaged water and other regulated products available to Nigerians are safe and of acceptable quality. (NAFDAC) Therefore, the agency should be viewed first and foremost as a health-protection institution, not primarily as a revenue-generation institution.
I am not advocating for the weakening of regulation or the reduction of government revenue. Rather, I am calling for a careful policy review that will prevent revenue targets from overshadowing the fundamental public-health responsibilities of NAFDAC. The increasing burden of illnesses associated with unsafe medicines, adulterated products, substandard food, harmful chemicals and other unsafe consumer products makes it imperative that Nigeria continuously strengthens its regulatory system.
Our Recommendations
1. Restructure NAFDAC with public health as its overriding priority, while maintaining effective regulation, enforcement and accountability.
2. Remove or significantly reduce NAFDAC's classification and pressure as a major revenue-generating agency, so that its success is measured primarily by the safety and quality of products in Nigeria—not simply by how much revenue it generates.
3. Increase government funding for NAFDAC, particularly for modern laboratories, technology, field surveillance, border control, product testing and the recruitment and training of highly qualified regulatory personnel.
4. Strengthen surveillance and enforcement against counterfeit and substandard medicines, unsafe food products, adulterated consumables and other dangerous products that can contribute to preventable illnesses.
5. Make regulatory fees more health-sensitive, especially for essential medicines, locally manufactured health products and small businesses, so that compliance does not unnecessarily increase the cost of healthcare or discourage local production.
6. Strengthen collaboration between NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, hospitals, pharmacists, medical professionals, research institutions, state governments and other relevant agencies to ensure that health threats are identified and addressed quickly.
7. Introduce stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms, ensuring that every naira collected and spent by the agency supports effective regulation, laboratory capacity, enforcement and public-health protection.
A National Health Imperative
The Federal Government has a responsibility to create an environment where Nigerians can trust the food they eat, the medicines they take, the water they consume and the health products they use. NAFDAC's own current strategic plan recognizes the need to reduce substandard and falsified medical products and strengthen monitoring across the supply chain. (NAFDAC)
Recent figures reported by the News Agency of Nigeria indicate that NAFDAC generated ₦18.73 billion in 2023, ₦29.85 billion in 2024 and ₦39.6 billion in 2025. (News Agency of Nigeria) These figures demonstrate the agency's significant financial contribution, but they also reinforce the need for a national conversation about whether a health regulator should be evaluated primarily through revenue performance.
The health of Nigerians must never become secondary to revenue.
We therefore respectfully urge the President, the National Assembly and the Honourable Minister of Health to initiate a comprehensive review of NAFDAC's structure, funding model, performance indicators and regulatory framework.
Let us build a NAFDAC that is adequately funded, technologically advanced, independent, transparent, professionally driven and firmly focused on one overriding national objective:
PROTECTING THE HEALTH, LIVES AND WELL-BEING OF EVERY NIGERIAN.
This is not merely a call for institutional reform. It is a call for a healthier Nigeria and a stronger future for our people.
Oluseye Olofin
A Renewed Hope A Fresh Breath
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