Protesting staff’s request beyond NAFDAC – Consultant

The Resident Media Consultant for the National Agency for Foods and Drug Administration and Control, Dr Sayo Akintola, has explained that the demands of the protesting staff members of NAFDAC were not within the purview of the agency.

He told The PUNCH recently it was only the Head of the Service of the Federation that could handle the demands of protesting NAFDAC staff members.

The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress representing NAFDAC employees, declared an indefinite strike due to unresolved promotion controversies and welfare concerns on October 7.

The PUNCH reports that the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, NAFDAC branch, has vowed to continue its ongoing strike action till their demands are met.

In a recent interview in Kaduna, the chairman of the chapter, Adetoboye Ayodeji, said it was left for the agency’s management to call the union for negotiation to see actionable evidence that things would be done appropriately.

Meanwhile, giving an update on the strike, Akintola said, “We try to explain to the public that some of their demands of the workers are not within the purview of the management. These are things that are within the power of the Head of the Service of the Federation, issues of promotion, because that is one of the key demands of the union.”

He mentioned that the matter had been communicated to the office of the Head of Service through the Ministry of Health, assuring the protesting staff members that the government would do something concerning the promotion very soon.

According to Akintola, the management only conducts promotion exams, but the number of people to be promoted is dependent on the number of available vacancies.

“If we are not the ones paying salary, it won’t be logical for us to say we want to promote everybody or we promote people over and above the budget of the Federal Government.

“So, that is the logic there and that is why we said they should exercise a little patience and let the government resolve it. I am sure the government is looking towards that and there are other demands that both the management and the association have concluded,” Akintola stated.

Speaking on the implications of the strike, the National Public Relations Officer of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria, Mr Taiwo Fatobilola, admitted that the strike is affecting the operations.

“It is definitely affecting operations at the port, especially for consignments that have to do with medications or chemicals. Because if a consignment that relates to medicine comes in and NAFDAC doesn’t clear it, Customs won’t release it. So you see it will be causing delays since they have not been on duty,” he noted.

A clearing agency, Mr Olatoye Otubade, stated that it had disrupted operations across the sector, particularly for those handling shipments of regulated items, such as drugs, cosmetics, and chemicals.

“It has significantly affected most of the clearing groups. There are certain procedures that specific items need to go through with NAFDAC. They are a crucial part of the maritime and clearing logistics sector in this economy,” Otunbade stated.

He noted that for goods under NAFDAC’s purview, inspections and examinations must be completed before clearance, emphasising that due to the strike, those processes had been halted, leaving many containers stranded at terminals and accumulating charges.

“Containers sitting at the terminal are incurring charges—daily shipping costs, terminal fees, and other expenses. It’s frustrating because these charges continue to accrue, and no one is waiving them, even though the delays are beyond our control.

“This, in turn, affects manufacturers and the overall economy. The situation is really putting pressure on us,” he added.

Another agent, Ejiogu Ikenna, said, “The situation is really affecting clearance, especially for medicaments of things that have to do with NAFDAC. They should please resolve their issues; the strike is a huge loss for us.”