“I Risk My Life, Yet You Demand My Exit!”—Defiant NAFDAC Boss Fire Back At Resignation Calls Over Fake Drug Influx
LAGOS, Nigeria — In an emotionally charged showdown with the press, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has fiercely rejected mounting pressure to resign. Facing fierce public outcry over the relentless circulation of counterfeit and lethal products across Nigeria, Adeyeye fired back at her critics, blasting what she described as a toxic aversion to genuine public service among some Nigerians.
The high-stakes press conference in Lagos quickly turned into a defense of her legacy and a stark expose on the deadly underbelly of regulatory warfare in Nigeria.
A Sacrifice Met with Scorn
Adeyeye did not hold back, expressing deep frustration that her decades-long sacrifice is being overshadowed by public impatience. She reminded the public that she abandoned a prestigious 34-year academic career in the United States to return home and rebuild a broken agency.
“We have rendered Nigeria useless because of ‘what can I get’ and ‘what is in it for my pocket?'” Adeyeye stated, contrasting her selflessness with critics who she claims only view public office as an avenue for personal enrichment.
Inherited Ruin to Global Glory
Defending her tenure, the DG painted a picture of an agency she rescued from the brink of collapse:
The Debt Burden: She revealed that she inherited a staggering ₦3.2 billion debt and a completely broken laboratory infrastructure. Within a year, her administration aggressively cleared ₦3.1 billion of that liability.
Global Milestone: She pointed to NAFDAC’s historic attainment of Maturity Level 3 status from the World Health Organization (WHO), a milestone that elevated Nigerian regulatory standards to the global stage.
Death Threats and Trillion-Naira Seizures
In a chilling revelation about the personal cost of her job, Adeyeye disclosed that fighting Nigeria’s fake drug cartels has made her a permanent target. She currently lives under 24/7 armed police protection due to constant death threats, revealing that the warfare extended to her staff, including a recent incident where an employee’s son was kidnapped.
Despite the terror tactics, Adeyeye pointed to unprecedented enforcement victories, including the mammoth ₦1 trillion seizure of 87 truckloads of counterfeit, expired, and banned medical items swept from notorious open drug markets in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos.
A Nation Divided
While NAFDAC celebrates these massive multi-billion naira raids, the mood on the streets remains deeply hostile. On social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, everyday Nigerians express terrifying encounters with counterfeit consumer goods and substandard medication. For many citizens, global certifications and truckload seizures mean very little when lethal fakes still slip into local pharmacies, keeping the pressure on Adeyeye’s seat at boiling point.
