NAFDAC DG bursts into laughter after journalist asks when she will resign over fake products, then gives blunt answer

• NAFDAC DG Mojisola Adeyeye laughed after a journalist asked when she would resign over fake products.

• Adeyeye defended her record and rejected calls for her removal.

• NAFDAC received 225 complaints about suspected counterfeit products in August.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, burst into laughter after a journalist asked when she would resign amid growing calls for her removal over the circulation of fake and substandard products in Nigeria.

The question came during a media briefing in Lagos on Monday, September 7, where Adeyeye was speaking about the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s efforts to tackle counterfeit and unsafe products.

The moment spread like wildfire while Nigerians criticised her reaction to the confrontation about her inefficiency.

She defended her record at NAFDAC and questioned why her critics were calling for her resignation despite what she described as significant improvements at the agency.

The NAFDAC boss said she returned to Nigeria after spending decades in the United States because she wanted to serve the country.

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Adeyeye said she spent about 34 years in the US, including 30 years as a professor, before retiring and returning to Nigeria.

She said she was motivated by a desire to improve Nigeria’s image and insisted that she did not return to enrich herself.

“I came here to serve,” she said, adding that she was “ashamed” of her country and wanted to help remove some of that shame.

Adeyeye also pointed to the challenges she inherited when she became NAFDAC’s director-general in 2017, including about ₦3.2 billion in liabilities and serious problems with the agency’s laboratory equipment and information technology infrastructure.

She said the agency subsequently improved its regulatory standing and reached maturity level three in 2022.

“So that question, ‘When are you going to resign?’ I hope you got the answer?” Adeyeye replied.

Her comments came as NAFDAC faces renewed scrutiny over fake products in Nigerian markets.

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The agency said it received 225 complaints about suspected counterfeit products in August alone. It also reported that 7,210 fake, substandard and other non-compliant products were removed during nationwide surveillance between May and July 2026.

NAFDAC has also said it has destroyed or seized more than ₦1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard products since 2023.

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While critics argue that the continued presence of fake products shows that more needs to be done, Adeyeye maintains that her record at NAFDAC speaks for itself.

For now, despite the resignation calls, the NAFDAC DG appears to have no plans to leave her position.