Senators Query NAFDAC Over Lopsided Recruitment, Urge Urgent Federal Character Compliance

By Iyojo Ameh

The Senate Committee on Federal Character has raised alarm over alleged lopsided recruitment at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), accusing the agency of failing to address long-standing imbalances in staff distribution across states despite promises of reform.

At a recent public hearing, the committee questioned NAFDAC’s Director-General and Human Resources leadership over disproportionate staffing figures that heavily favour certain states while marginalising others, particularly the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and parts of the South-South and South-East regions.

Committee Chairman deliberating with colleague

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, noted that “even though the Federal Character principle cannot be corrected overnight,” the current staffing pattern does not show any deliberate attempt to redress historic injustices. “What we see here is that states like Anambra have as many as 130 staff, while states like Rivers and the FCT are left behind,” he said. “We appreciate your effort, but it doesn’t appear that enough is being done.”

NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, who appeared before the committee, admitted the agency has not recruited in 2024 due to lack of federal approval, despite having budgetary allocation for it. “We are so short-staffed that one person does the work of three or four. We have the money in the budget, but no approval yet,” she said, while noting that recruitment, when allowed, would be “fair” and based on a chart from the Federal Character Commission.

NAFDAC DG before Senate Committee on Federal Character

Responding to concerns about the disproportionate distribution, the DG said she has always considered fairness in recruitment. “If the cutoff is 60, and a candidate from an underrepresented state scores 58, I take them because I know the bigger picture,” she explained, referencing her experience as a professor in the U.S., where underrepresented minorities were given opportunities to catch up.

However, her comments did not sit well with lawmakers. Senator Patrick Ndubweze cited NAFDAC’s employment data from 2021 and 2024, showing that while some states like Adamawa moved from 54 to 60, FCT dropped further from 18 to 17. “This does not reflect any deliberate attempt to solve the imbalance,” he said. “You’re giving to those who already have and ignoring those who have none.”

The Committee demanded physical documentation, including resignation letters and employment records from 2021 to 2025, to verify NAFDAC’s claims that resignations and retirements account for fluctuations in staff numbers.

Another senator pointedly told the DG and her HR head, who joined NAFDAC in 1995 and became Head of Human Resources in 2023, “You were part of the problem. You watched this lopsidedness grow and didn’t do enough.”

The Lawmakers also raised concerns about professional bias in NAFDAC’s hiring. The DG argued that as a scientific agency, NAFDAC’s roles are specialised, and sometimes the required professionals (pharmacists, food scientists, veterinarians) are not readily available in certain states during recruitment windows. But senators pushed back, insisting that such claims are insufficient in a country with high unemployment and a large pool of science graduates.

“If we are open and transparent, we will find the professionals. Saying a state has no pharmacists is not acceptable. If they don’t, then they have lawyers. Federal Character must be respected.”

Members of the Committee warned that going forward, the Senate will ensure strict compliance with constitutional provisions, and failure to reflect fairness in staffing could attract sanctions or halted recruitments.

“Agencies hire their kinsmen and cronies. When they leave office, another comes and does the same. That’s why some states have six staff while others have over 200. That’s dangerous for national unity,” a member said.

The Senate Committee resolved to write the Presidency to fast-track NAFDAC’s 2024 recruitment approval, but with a strong caveat that all new hires must reflect the principle of Federal Character.

“We are not pleading. Compliance is mandatory, not optional,” the lawmaker stressed.