The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a stark warning that Nigeria risks sliding into a public health disaster unless urgent, collective action is taken to curb the growing threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning at the 2025 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) commemoration in Lagos, where she said the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture is weakening the country’s ability to treat even common infections.
Represented by her Special Assistant, Dr. Gbenga Fajemirokun, Prof. Adeyeye described AMR as “one of the most urgent and silent public health threats of our time,” stressing that the health of humans, animals and the environment is inseparably linked.
Speaking on this year’s WAAW theme, Prof. Adeyeye said the campaign is a powerful reminder that the fight against AMR does not end in hospitals or pharmacies.
“It begins on our farms, in our veterinary clinics, and across our food production systems. The choices we make today will determine Nigeria’s health security for generations,” she said.
She warned that in human health, AMR leads to treatment failures, prolonged illness, higher mortality risks, and complications during medical procedures. In agriculture, the routine and unregulated use of antimicrobials in livestock, aquaculture and crop production is fueling the spread of resistant pathogens.
“Resistance anywhere is a threat everywhere,” she declared.
Strengthening Regulations, Surveillance, and Stewardship
Highlighting NAFDAC’s One Health strategy, the DG outlined four priority areas guiding the agency’s AMR response:
Stronger regulation and surveillance
Antibiotic stewardship in communities and hospitals
Rational use of antimicrobials in animal care
Engagement with agricultural value chains and robust public enlightenment
Prof. Adeyeye said the Agency is intensifying oversight of human and veterinary antimicrobials, curbing substandard veterinary drugs, enforcing quality standards, and strengthening pharmacovigilance systems.
She emphasized that antimicrobials for animals must be used strictly under veterinary supervision—never for growth promotion or as a substitute for proper farm practices.
“We are working with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and veterinarians to promote safer alternatives like vaccines, biosecurity and improved farm management,” she added.
The NAFDAC boss urged healthcare professionals and veterinarians to use antimicrobials judiciously and only under evidence-based guidance.
She called on farmers to adopt responsible husbandry, hygiene and vaccination practices, while advising pharmacists to dispense antimicrobials only with valid prescriptions.
To Nigerians, she appealed:
“Avoid self-medication, seek professional care, and demand responsibly produced food. The story of AMR must be told clearly, urgently and repeatedly.”
Prof. Adeyeye painted a hopeful picture of a Nigeria where infections remain treatable and the food chain remains safe but warned that the future must be earned through coordinated national action.
“The fight against AMR will be won or lost based on our collective efforts across the human–animal–environment interface. Let this year’s WAAW mark a renewed commitment to unity and sustained action.”
Also speaking, Director of NAFDAC’s Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate, Mrs. Temitayo Stephanie Adeoye, described AMR as a growing threat to modern medicine and food security.
She warned that overuse of antimicrobials and environmental contamination with drug residues have accelerated the emergence of resistant pathogens.
“If not urgently addressed, Nigeria risks returning to a time when minor infections could once again become fatal,” she cautioned.
Adeoye said NAFDAC, through VMAP and other directorates, is strengthening surveillance, enforcing responsible antimicrobial use, and ensuring circulation of only safe, quality medicines.
She added that the Directorate is collaborating with partners under the One Health platform to enhance reporting, laboratory capacities and data harmonization for impactful AMR interventions.
