Abbas, Bago, Akume seek support for community pharmacists to make essential drugs affordable
By Esther Onyegbula
The Federal Government and state governments have been urged to provide stronger structural and financial support for community pharmacists to enable them subsidise essential medicines and make healthcare more affordable to millions of Nigerians.
The call was made at the 45th Annual National Scientific Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), held from July 27 to August 1, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The conference, themed, “UNITY 2026: From Local Pharmacy Practice to Global Impact, Managing Complex Healthcare Systems,” brought together senior government officials, legislators, regulators, pharmaceutical experts and community pharmacists from across the country to deliberate on the future of pharmaceutical care and healthcare delivery.
Representing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Chairman, House Committee on Health Institutions, Hon. Amos Magaji, commended the ACPN for its sustained commitment to promoting safe and responsible medicine use in Nigeria.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, who was the Special Guest of Honour, also commended community pharmacists for their contribution to expanding access to quality medicines.
Akume charged them to ensure that pharmaceutical products available to Nigerians remained safe, effective, affordable and of assured quality.
He described community pharmacists as critical frontline healthcare professionals capable of playing a decisive role in addressing medicine affordability and accessibility, particularly for vulnerable Nigerians.
The SGF highlighted recent interventions by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the Executive Order suspending import duties, taxes and Value Added Tax, VAT, on pharmaceutical raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, medical equipment and other essential healthcare inputs.
According to him, the policy was designed to reduce the cost of domestic pharmaceutical production, stimulate local manufacturing and ultimately drive down medicine prices.
However, Akume acknowledged that significant gaps persisted, particularly in rural communities where millions of Nigerians still struggled to access affordable medicines and reliable pharmaceutical services.
He urged community pharmacists to complement government interventions by intensifying the fight against counterfeit and substandard medicines, supporting campaigns against drug abuse and substance misuse, participating in disease surveillance and emergency preparedness, and strengthening Nigeria’s wider public health response.
Akume said greater collaboration between government and community pharmacists was vital to advancing Nigeria’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage, UHC.
Similarly, Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, called for stronger collaboration between state governments and community pharmacists, describing community pharmacies as resilient frontline healthcare centres whose potential must be fully integrated into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
Represented by the Niger State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Muhammad Bagana, Bago said proactive public-private partnerships with community pharmacists could strengthen drug supply chains, reduce retail medicine costs and expand access to essential healthcare services.
He specifically advocated the integration of community pharmacies into state health insurance schemes and primary healthcare networks, arguing that such partnerships could provide a practical pathway to subsidising essential medicines and easing the financial burden on vulnerable families.
The governor maintained that strengthening community pharmacy practice would also accelerate Nigeria’s efforts to achieve sustainable Universal Health Coverage.
The conference attracted prominent stakeholders, including the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the Director for Food and Drugs, Mrs. Olufowobi Adeola-Yusuf; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Pharm. Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro; and Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Muyi Aina, represented by Pharm. Hauwa Tensei.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, and chief host, Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, stressed the importance of professional unity and policy alignment.
He noted that community pharmacists remained among the most accessible healthcare professionals and often served as the first point of contact for millions of Nigerians seeking medical assistance.
ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, described the conference as a defining moment for deeper collaboration between the pharmacy profession and government.
He said pharmacists remained ready to work with government and other stakeholders in the national interest, urging policymakers to recognise the profession as a strategic partner in healthcare governance and national development.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, PCN, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, disclosed that the council was strengthening professional regulation, including efforts to advance online pharmacy regulation.
He added that the council facilitated specialised Mandatory Continuing Professional Development training during the conference in areas including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, professional ethics and substance abuse prevention.
Representing the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Dr. Rametu Momodu urged pharmacists to deploy technology more aggressively to strengthen medicine safety and surveillance.
She encouraged community pharmacists to utilise platforms including the NAFDAC Greenbook, Med Safety App and Scan2Verify technology, noting that every community pharmacy could serve as a vital surveillance post in Nigeria’s medicine-safety system.
Delivering the keynote address titled, “Raising Community Pharmacy Practice in Nigeria to Global Standard: Navigating the Complex Nigerian Political System,” the Managing Director of Evans Therapeutics, Pharm. Wale Oyenuga, called for greater political engagement by pharmacists to influence policies capable of driving sustainable growth in the pharmaceutical sector.
Beyond the conference hall, the ACPN, in its communiqué, drew attention to some of the most pressing challenges confronting Nigeria’s healthcare system, including structural weaknesses, persistent drug abuse and the alarming brain drain within the pharmaceutical profession.
The association disclosed that more than 9,500 pharmacists had left Nigeria in recent years, warning that the continued loss of skilled professionals posed a serious threat to patient safety and effective healthcare delivery.
To bridge medicine and healthcare access gaps, the ACPN identified community pharmacies as largely untapped platforms capable of delivering first-contact healthcare services such as hypertension and diabetes screening, malaria care, antenatal services, family planning and smoking-cessation interventions.
The association argued that greater utilisation of the facilities would help decongest overstretched tertiary hospitals while taking essential healthcare services closer to the people.
On regulatory and legislative reforms, the ACPN commended the Senate Committee on Health for rejecting the proposed NHFRA Bill following opposition from stakeholders.
It also cautioned against proposed amendments affecting NAFDAC and 14 professional regulatory councils.
The association called on the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to extend strict regulatory enforcement to private hospital pharmacies operating outside existing laws.
Describing drug abuse as a national social emergency, the ACPN advocated stiffer penalties for illicit drug dispensers, increased taxation on alcohol and tobacco, establishment of modern rehabilitation centres across the six geopolitical zones, as well as improved funding and capacity for the NDLEA, PCN, NAFDAC and the Nigeria Police Force.
The conference further submitted three major structural proposals to the Federal Government aimed at strengthening medicine security, protecting public funds and rebuilding Nigeria’s pharmaceutical infrastructure.
Among the proposals was an amendment to the Fake Drug Act to introduce tougher sanctions, including a mandatory 20-year prison sentence for first-time offenders and life imprisonment with complete asset forfeiture for repeat dealers in counterfeit medicines.
The association also proposed the establishment of a National Drug Management Agency to institutionalise the Drug Revolving Fund and coordinate centralised pool procurement.
According to the ACPN, the proposed agency should directly manage the 10 per cent allocation for essential medicines under the Basic National Health Provision Fund, eliminating unnecessary intermediaries and reducing the risk of leakages in public funds.
The association further called for the establishment of a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy to train specialist pharmacists locally, reduce dependence on expensive foreign training, conserve foreign exchange and strengthen Nigeria’s clinical pharmacy workforce.
The conference culminated in the election of a new National Executive Council for the 2026/2027 administration, with Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma emerging as National Chairman.
Other elected officers are Pharm. Adegboyega Oguntoye, National Vice Chairman; Pharm. Obiageri Ethel Ikwu, National Secretary; Pharm. Chioma Chike-Nwankwo, National Assistant Secretary; Pharm. Roland Tomiwa Rotimi, National Treasurer; Pharm. Giwa Babajide Hammed, National Financial Secretary; Pharm. Luke Atang Bokynyam, National Internal Auditor; Pharm. Samira Abubakar Umar, National Editor-in-Chief; and Pharm. Akpan Tony Anderson, National Publicity Secretary.
Pharm. Adewale Aderemi Oladigbolu emerged as Immediate Past National Chairman.
In his inaugural remarks, Igwekamma pledged to lead a transformative administration focused on strengthening the association and advancing the role of community pharmacists in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He urged the Federal Government to act swiftly on the resolutions reached at the conference, stressing that decisive implementation would help revitalise the health sector, strengthen medicine security and bring affordable, world-class healthcare closer to Nigerians.
The conference also attracted senior figures and veterans of the pharmacy profession, including the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharm. Ayuba Ibrahim Tanko, FPSN; Chairman, Board of Trustees of ACPN and past PSN President, Pharm. Dr. Chief U. N. O. Uwaga, FPSN; and past PSN Presidents Pharm. Yaro Budah, FPSN; Pharm. Azubuike B. Okwor, FPSN; Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, FPSN; and Pharm. Prof. Cyril Usifoh, FPSN.
Past National Chairmen of ACPN in attendance included Pharm. Deji Osinoiki, FPSN; Pharm. Williams Etubiebi, Esq.; Pharm. Dr. Ejiro Foyibo, FPSN; Pharm. Olufemi Adebayo, FPSN; and Pharm. Dr. Samuel Adekola.
With the conference resolutions now before government, the community pharmacists have urged policymakers to move beyond recognition of their frontline role by providing the financial, regulatory and institutional support required to make community pharmacies stronger pillars of affordable healthcare delivery across Nigeria.