The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has described Nigerians as very ignorant people who do not read.

She blamed poor understanding of pesticide instructions and regulatory agencies’ responsibilities for some food safety challenges in the country.

The NAFDAC boss shared her frustrations during an appearance on BusinessDay TV on Monday while explaining the division of responsibilities between NAFDAC and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in regulating food safety and agricultural chemicals.

“First of all, we are ignorant in this country. We are very ignorant. We don’t read. We don’t understand,” she said.

She explained that food safety regulation involves several government agencies operating at different stages of the food production and distribution chain, from the farm to the consumer.

She said that the Agency’s mandate primarily covers processed and semi-processed foods, while the Ministry of Agriculture primarily oversees fresh agricultural produce.

“From farm to fork, there are many organisations and agencies that are involved. From farm to fork,” Adeyeye said.

She clarified that the agency does not directly regulate fresh fruits and other agricultural produce sold in markets.