Over 70% of the food exported from Nigeria is rejected overseas, according to Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the new NAFDAC office complex at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Adeyeye said that the food’s rejection had cost the exporters and the nation a significant amount of money.
To solve the issue, she demanded cooperation at the ports between NAFDAC and other organizations.
Adeyere praised the police and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for their cooperation with the other two governmental organizations.
She said: “Over 70 percent of the products that leave our ports get rejected. Considering the money spent on getting those products out of the country, it is a double loss for both the exporter and the country.
“Let me emphasise the importance of synergy among the agencies. Without customs, we will not be able to do a lot of what we have been able to do.
“Also, without the police, NAFDAC cannot do much in terms of investigation and enforcement.
“We have over 80 policemen with us in NAFDAC. They help us a lot when we are doing raids or investigations as the case may be.”