The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a stark warning about the rapid escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Nigeria, describing it as a growing global emergency that demands immediate coordinated action.
The Silent Health Crisis
Speaking at the 2025 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) in Lagos, NAFDAC Director General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye revealed alarming statistics about the AMR threat. In 2021 alone, antimicrobial resistance caused approximately 4.7 million deaths worldwide from infections linked to drug resistance, with more than 1.14 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial resistance.
Represented by Special Assistant Dr. Gbenga Fajemirokun, Adeyeye emphasized that misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medicines are severely compromising Nigeria's ability to effectively treat common infections. She stressed the interconnected nature of human, animal, and environmental health, urging all stakeholders to recognize AMR as one of the most urgent yet silent threats to public health.
One Health Strategy Implementation
NAFDAC is implementing a comprehensive One Health-driven AMR strategy built around four key priorities:
- Strengthening regulation and surveillance systems
- Improving antimicrobial stewardship in communities and hospitals
- Promoting rational use in animal care and agriculture
- Expanding engagement across the agricultural value chain
The agency is intensifying oversight of both human and veterinary antimicrobial products, cracking down on substandard and falsified drugs, enforcing quality standards, and enhancing post-marketing surveillance. Adeyeye specifically warned that antimicrobials for animals must be used strictly under veterinary supervision and never for growth promotion or as substitutes for proper farm management practices.
Cross-Sector Collaboration Needed
The theme for this year's awareness week, "Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future," underscores the need for responsible practices across all sectors. Adeyeye explained that in human health, AMR leads to prolonged illness, treatment failures, and increased mortality rates. In agriculture, indiscriminate use of antimicrobials for routine disease prevention creates ideal conditions for resistant pathogens to develop and spread to humans through food, water, and direct animal contact.
NAFDAC has established partnerships with farmers, feed producers, and industry stakeholders to promote alternatives to routine antimicrobial use, including vaccination programs, biosecurity measures, and improved farm management techniques. The agency is also regulating medicated feeds to prevent non-therapeutic use.
Mrs. Temitayo Adeoye, Director of NAFDAC's Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate, added that AMR threatens the foundations of modern medicine and national food security. She attributed the rising resistance to widespread misuse of antimicrobials in both humans and animals, as well as the release of drug residues into the environment.
In a related development, NAFDAC emphasized the need to strengthen AMR surveillance through a collaborative workshop organized by the Danida Alumni Network Nigeria in partnership with Danish authorities. Sidikat Kamal, NAFDAC Chief Regulatory Officer and DAN-NG National Coordinator, highlighted that low awareness among Nigerian farmers about antimicrobial resistance remains a significant challenge that requires local solutions.
Adeyeye concluded with a urgent call to action, warning that Nigeria's ability to maintain effective treatment options "will be won or lost based on collective efforts across the human-animal-environment interface." She urged healthcare professionals to follow evidence-based prescribing guidelines, pharmacists to dispense antimicrobials only with valid prescriptions, and the general public to avoid self-medication and demand responsibly produced food.
