Joyce Ekeh
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has inaugurated the Pharmacists Reserve Volunteer Programme, enlisting 600 qualified pharmacists into voluntary regulatory service.
Speaking while presiding over the ceremony, the Director-General, of NAFDAC Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, described the Programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s regulatory future, designed to extend NAFDAC’s reach into markets, community pharmacies, and primary health centres nationwide.
Volunteers were drawn from all 36 States and the FCT, selected through a transparent, merit-based process ensuring representation across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The Programme will build a standing national reserve of trained, deployable pharmacists, mobilisable during product recalls, falsified medicine outbreaks, or health emergencies.
Volunteers will be engaged in pharmacovigilance, compliance monitoring, quality assurance, drug abuse sensitisation, and enforcement within their home states, progressing through four phases: Onboarding, Virtual Training, Field Engagement, and Ongoing Management.
In return, volunteers receive hands-on regulatory experience, professional certification, and formal letters of service. Prof. Adeyeye charged them to serve with integrity, placing public safety above all else.
