Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, has declared that the agency is not in charge of promotion in the agency.

Adeyeye disclosed this while reacting to the ongoing indefinite strike embarked on by the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-owned Companies, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress, due to unresolved promotion controversies and welfare concerns.

The aggrieved workers said their grievances had not been addressed, prompting the strike. “This decision is a result of NAFDAC management’s failure to address the critical issues outlined in the communiqué within the given time frame,” Secretary of TUC, Dr Ejor Michael, declared in a statement accompanying the strike announcement.

According to the communiqué SSASCGOC/NAFDAC/COMMUNIQUE/VOL.1, issued on October 4, 2024, the workers outlined key unresolved issues.

They include a review of the 2024 promotion examination results, the appointment of directors for public affairs and special duties, training institute placements for North West and North East extractions, reform of promotion examination content, qualification and conversion criteria for promotion examinations, payment of pending burial expenses, life insurance, and repatriation allowances, among others.

Adeyeye in a statement, signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, noted that the reasons advanced by the striking workers against the agency were not true.

“Whether it is a matter of promotion or estacode, the agency has been following the rules and is committed to promoting the workers’ welfare.

“We are not in charge of the number of people to promote, we are only responsible for conducting exams. The office of the Head of Service of the Federation is always responsible for allocating available vacancies that the government can pay for.

“It is not that there is a vacancy and we are not promoting. It is what the government can pay for that they approve as vacancy every year. It is not different from any other agencies,” it stated.

On the issue of estacode, the NAFDAC boss said there was nothing wrong with the agency’s estacode policy.

“That is just playing to the gallery. Our staff have always been paid their due estacode and so, that is not an issue.

“We are not different from any other agencies; the estacode will be paid when the evidence of the trip is presented. We have never owed any staff any travel allowance,” the DG added.