President Bola Tinubu has been urged to remove the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, over the alleged failure to curb the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs in Nigeria.
The call was made by activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who also demanded the removal of heads of other regulatory agencies accused of failing to protect Nigerians from unsafe products.
Adeyanju, in a statement released on Tuesday, expressed concern over what he described as the alarming prevalence of fake and substandard medicines and other consumer products across the country.
He said Nigerians were being exposed to potentially dangerous products daily, alleging that some medicines were being sold wholesale in open markets under the hot sun.
According to him, the situation raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the country’s regulatory framework and its ability to protect public health.
“NAFDAC appears incapable of effectively curbing the proliferation of fake and substandard products, while similar concerns extend to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and other regulatory agencies responsible for protecting Nigerians,” Adeyanju said.
He urged Tinubu to act decisively by replacing the leadership of NAFDAC, SON and other regulatory bodies he described as having failed in their responsibilities.
Adeyanju further called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and consumer products.
He also demanded a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s regulatory system, arguing that citizens should not continue to bear the consequences of alleged regulatory failures.
The development comes days after Adeyeye rejected calls for her resignation, insisting that her return to Nigeria after more than three decades in the United States was motivated by a desire to contribute to the country’s development and rebuild NAFDAC’s reputation.
Speaking during an engagement with journalists on September 7, Adeyeye said she spent 34 years in the US, including about 30 years as a professor, before retiring and returning to Nigeria to head the regulatory agency.
She dismissed allegations that she had sought financial gratification from contractors, challenging anyone with evidence to come forward.
“I came here for service. I retired happily. I was ashamed of my country! I came to remove some of the shame. And the world is seeing it! The world is seeing it!” she said.
Adeyeye also defended her record at NAFDAC, citing reforms she said had transformed the agency since she assumed office.
She said NAFDAC inherited about N3.2 billion in liabilities and that between 70 and 80 per cent of its laboratory equipment was not functioning when she took over.
According to her, about N3.1 billion of the liabilities had been paid by November 2018, while efforts were also made to improve the agency’s infrastructure and information technology systems.
The NAFDAC boss further cited the agency’s regulatory progress, saying it moved from maturity level one to level three by March 2022.
She also said NAFDAC became an affiliate member of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum in 2023 and joined the International Council for Harmonisation in 2025.
Defending her continued stay in office, Adeyeye said the agency’s international standing had improved significantly under her leadership.
“Countries now respect us. Regulatory agencies respect us,” she said, adding that her initial years in office were focused on rebuilding NAFDAC’s image.