Posted on: Wed 24-06-2020

LETTER OF APPRECIATION TO ALL NIGERIAN PHARMACISTS: 

It is with gratitude to the will of Almighty God that I write this letter of appreciation to all Nigerian Pharmacists for their congratulatory messages to me since the inauguration of the Governing Council of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) by His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. ably represented by the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire in the Federal Ministry of Health on Monday, 15th June, 2020.1 also appreciate the over 250 pharmacists who logged-in and watched the historic event via Zoom. I sincerely believe that all pharmacists as well as other relevant stakeholders in Nigeria are still full of gratitude to the Honourable Minister for actualizing the approval and directives of His Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the reconstitution and inauguration of the Governing Council respectively. The PCN has been without a Governing Council since 2015. With a Governing Council now in place, the implementation of the routine activities in the Registry by the management under the leadership of the Registrar and CEO is expected to be much easier. 

The seventy two (72) of us as members of the Governing Council would be working in harmony to ensure that the regulation and control of pharmacy education and practice in Nigeria is implemented in tune with the LFN CAP 17 of 2004 establishing the PCN and in line with best global practices in similar Agencies worldwide. I have been associated with the members of the three (3) main blocks of the Governing Council and would ensure that there is synergy among the entire membership in the best interest of the pharmacy profession and other allied stockholders that are equally regulated by the PCN. My expectations with my colleagues from the three (3) main blocks would be from the perspective of our past collaborations either in the regulation when I was a member of the defunct Pharmacists Board of Nigeria (PBN) and the present PCN, or in the academics or the practice of the various specialties of the pharmacy profession. For the avoidance of doubt, I will briefly discuss each of the three (3) blocks as follows:

(1) The Directors of Pharmaceutical Services in the States Ministries of Health and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT): 

This is the largest of the three groups made up of DPSs from the 36 States and the FCT and making up 5t4% of the membership of the Governing Council of the PCN. I was Chief Pharmacist and later Director of Pharmaceutical Services in the MoH Headquarters in Kaduna from 1989 to 1993 and had served as a member of the now defunct PBN from 1989 to 1992 and among the first set of members of the Governing Council of the PCN initially established through Decree 91 of 1992 (now LPN NO 17 of 2004) from 1992 to 1993 when I ceased being the DPS having been appointed the Pioneer Project Manager at the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the AfD13/ADF Assisted Multi-State Kaduna Health Rehabilitation Project.

I appreciate the fellowship and mutual respect that ensued between myself and fellow DPSs. After my appointment as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the PCN became public in April of 2019, and in the heat of the tension that necessitated the deferment of the inauguration, the entire DPSs supported my appointment as the Chairman of the PCN by His Excellency President Muhammadu GCFR. I was humbled by such unsolicited massive support without dissent by anyone. We shall certainly work together as we are in the Ministries where I was as DPS as stated earlier. 

(2) The Deans of Faculties of Pharmacy in Nigerian Universities Offering Courses in Pharmacy:

This is the second largest group among the three being made up of twenty two (22) Deans or 30,5% of the membership of Governing Council. As an academic myself who had Lectured and still lecturing in a Federal Government University (Ahmadu Bello University (ABU, Zaria) (1986 to date) as part time lecturer Estate Government University (Kaduna State University (KASU. Kaduna) as foundation Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pioneer Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management (2012 to 2016) and at the first Private University in Nigeria (Igbinedion University Okada (IUO), Okada, Edo State) (2016 to dale) as the first professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice. To some of the Deans especially those that graduated from ABU. Zaria, I had the honour and privilege of being their lecturer, or fellow academic colleague and with IUO, Okada as colleague.

(3) The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN):

This is the third of the three (3) groups made up nine (9) members or 12:5% of the membership. 

My involvement with the PSN dates back to the my days in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ABU. Zaria when. as One of the PANS Exco (ABu Branch)attended the Golden Jubilee celebration of the PSN in the then newly opened Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos in November, 1977. That opened my eyes and served the Society in the following capacities 

1. Contested and won the post of Vice Chairman. PSN (Kaduna State Branch) in 1987; (1987-1989) (2 years); 
2. Was returned as the Chairman of the PSN (Kaduna State Branch) Unopposed and in absentia in 1989 (1989-1990); 
3. Contested and Won the post of EX-Officio Member during the PSN Annual National Conference in Ibadan in 1993;
4. Contested and Won the post of Ex-Officio Member during the PSN Annual National Conference in Port Harcourt in 1994: 
5. Conferred with the Merit Award of the Kaduna State Chapter of PSN in 2004; 
6. Conferred with the fellowship of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in November, 2007 at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos by the then Chief of Defense Staff General AbdussalamiAbubakar, 
7. Served as the Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) For 'Coal City 99', the Annual National Conference of the PSN in Enugu in 1999; 
8. Recommended and appointed among the eight (8) PSN representatives in the reconstituted PCN Governing Council in December, 1999 and served for three (3) years till December, 2002;
9. Recommended and appointed among the eight (8) PSN representatives in the reconstituted PCN Governing Council in August 2003 and lasted for only six (6) weeks before taking up the employment as Registrar and CEO of the PCN from 1st October, 2003; 
10. Served as the Chairman of the Planning and Organising committee for the First Special Pharmacists Summit of the PFN in Kaduna in 2002.

It is therefore evident that none of us is meeting the other for the first lime, and because of this. I can only implore you to match your integrity and seasoned disposition with the expectation of this call to serve on the Governing Council of the PCN. I have no doubt in my mind that if we can work as a team, we should be able to attain great success. We must perform and take the pharmacy profession and allied stakeholders that are also regulated and Controlled by the PCN to higher levels. We have scheduled a post inaugural regular meeting of the Governing Council of the PCN on 9th July, 2020 in the PCN Registry and Head office, Idu, Abuja and hopefully by then the ban on interstate travels is lifted and all the members would see themselves face to face, otherwise the meeting would be virtual. We must hit the ground running as there is no time to waste. 

It therefore follows that my contributions to PSN in particular and Pharmacy profession in general is legendary in spite of whatever anyone or group says. I am not unaware of the myriad of problems and challenges facing Pharmacists in their various areas of practice which need to be addressed. Our colleagues in the Industry, Hospital and Community are merely surviving and not flourishing.

With the reconstitution of our Council, we must all take the opportunity to salvage our profession which is almost slipping away from our hands. This is what should occupy the mind of every Pharmacist that has the interest of the profession in his head. 

The Registrar as the Chief Executive Officer and the Registry forty four (44) State and Zonal offices of the Registry of the without Governing Council for five (5) years and are excited that at last His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR has reconstituted one since last year and inaugurated on 15th June 2020 by the Honourable Minister.

Let us join hands and cooperate with one another, forget he past and work hard so that we can take Pharmacy Profession to higher levels. 

Finally, I once again thank you all Nigerian Pharmacists for your understanding, show of support as well your prayers. I hereby solicit for more of such prayers, cooperation and Support to enable us deliver on this National assignment.

Thank you all and God bless. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Signed:

Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, 

B.Sc (Pharmacy); MBA; FPCPharm; PhD; FPSN; FICEN, FNIM; mni. 

(Wakllin Maganin Zazzau)

The Chairman, PCN Governing Council, 

Friday, 19th June 2020, Abuja. 

---

---