•Pharmacy
Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector is confronting two converging crises that industry leaders believe now demand immediate national attention.
While thousands of trained pharmacists continue to leave the country, widespread substance abuse is exposing persistent weaknesses in medicine regulation, drug distribution and healthcare governance, reports Daily Independent.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has warned that unless urgent reforms are undertaken, the country risks further weakening a sector central to public health, medicine safety and healthcare delivery.
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony of the association’s 45th Annual National Scientific Conference in Abuja, National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, urged governments at all levels to confront longstanding structural deficiencies affecting pharmacy practice and national drug control.
His address focused on two closely linked issues shaping Nigeria’s health sector: strengthening pharmacy practice for national development and confronting rising substance abuse, both of which he said underscore the need for stronger pharmaceutical governance.
Igwekamma described pharmacy as a profession that has historically occupied a central place in healthcare, but warned that its fortunes have declined significantly in Nigeria despite its critical contribution to patient care.
He cited Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria records showing that about 9,000 pharmacists left the country during the four-and-a-half years preceding December 2026, signalling a sustained loss of skilled professionals from the healthcare system.
The trend, he added, persisted during the first half of 2026, with more than 850 pharmacists obtaining letters of good standing from the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria before relocating to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and parts of Asia.
According to ACPN, the continuing brain drain reflects longstanding structural challenges, including inadequate remuneration, weaknesses in Nigeria’s medicine distribution framework and the failure to fully implement the National Drug Distribution Guidelines introduced in 2015.
He argued that delayed implementation has created uncertainty surrounding public procurement of medicines, weakened pharmaceutical regulation and further diminished confidence in the profession.
Igwekamma also identified deficiencies in workforce planning, stressing that Nigeria requires a stronger pipeline of highly skilled pharmacists to support modern healthcare delivery, safeguard patient safety and contribute more effectively to national development.
He maintained that pharmacy practice should continue to promote patient safety through constructive engagement between government and healthcare professionals, supported by comprehensive legislative reforms capable of modernising pharmaceutical practice nationwide.
Among ACPN’s key proposals is an amendment of the Fake Drug Act, which the association argued currently provides insufficient penalties to deter counterfeit medicine dealers and other criminal operators.
According to the association, weak sanctions discourage legitimate pharmaceutical investment while allowing illegal activities to flourish, undermining ethical practice and public confidence in medicine regulation.
The ACPN therefore proposed a 20-year prison sentence for firsttime offenders and life imprisonment, alongside forfeiture of all identified assets, for repeat offenders convicted of counterfeit drug offences.
It argued that tougher sanctions would strengthen ethical standards across the pharmaceutical industry while encouraging greater investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing and healthcare services.
The association also called for legislation establishing a federal Drug Management Agency to institutionalise the Drug Revolving Fund and strengthen public procurement of medicines across Nigeria.
Igwekamma recalled that the Drug Revolving Fund originated under the Essential Drug List Decree of 1989 and proved effective whenever implemented according to established guidelines before institutional weaknesses gradually undermined its impact.
He noted that the National Council on Health resolved in December 2024 that all public procurement of medicines should be undertaken through the Drug Revolving Fund, requiring clearer legislative backing.
According to him, establishing a dedicated Drug Management Agency would remove ambiguities surrounding medicine procurement, streamline nationwide distribution through a centralised system and strengthen regulatory oversight.
The ACPN also renewed its call for a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy, warning that Nigeria continues to face shortages of specialist pharmacists in hospital, clinical, manufacturing, community, public health and pharmaceutical administration.
Igwekamma argued that expanding specialist training within Nigeria would strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce dependence on external institutions and address the country’s growing demand for highly specialised pharmaceutical expertise.
He observed that postgraduate specialist training is currently coordinated through the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, while several participating countries have already established their own national institutions.
Nigeria, he noted, continues to shoulder more than 95 per cent of the financial subsidy required to sustain the regional college, reinforcing the association’s call for a national postgraduate institution.
Describing the situation as requiring urgent government attention, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria urged the Federal Government to establish a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy and a Presidential Committee on the Pharmaceutical Sector to coordinate legislative reforms and address broader industry challenges.
Beyond professional reforms, the association warned that Nigeria’s worsening drug abuse problem has become one of the country’s gravest public health threats, demanding coordinated government action and sustained collaboration with healthcare stakeholders.
Citing the 2018 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime national survey, ACPN noted that the 2017 findings revealed extensive abuse of psychoactive substances across Nigeria, highlighting the growing scale of addiction nationwide.
The survey identified cannabis as the most abused substance, followed by opioids, codeine-containing cough syrups, sedatives, tranquillisers, ecstasy, solvents, inhalants, prescription stimulants and cocaine.
According to the association, the combined estimates indicated that more than 21 million Nigerians were abusing various psychoactive substances, reflecting a crisis affecting families, communities and healthcare institutions across the country.
The ACPN attributed the persistence of substance abuse to multiple factors, including dysfunctional family environments, youth unemployment, poverty, peer influence, inadequate public awareness and ignorance of the harmful consequences of drug misuse.
It also identified weak prescription control in parts of the private healthcare sector and renewed its call for a comprehensive national prescription policy to strengthen the regulation of controlled medicines.
The association argued that weaknesses in Nigeria’s drug distribution system continue to allow controlled psychoactive medicines to reach unauthorised sellers, undermining efforts to curb substance abuse.
It further expressed concern over social media’s growing influence, saying online platforms increasingly expose young people to emerging drug abuse trends and encourage experimentation among vulnerable audiences.
Traditional beliefs promoting early consumption of alcohol and cigarettes also contribute to addiction, while inadequate rehabilitation facilities continue to limit treatment opportunities for people living with substance use disorders.
The ACPN also highlighted porous national borders, weak enforcement of drug laws, diversion of legitimate pharmaceutical products into illicit channels and corruption at ports of entry as factors sustaining the trafficking of psychoactive substances.
According to the association, these persistent weaknesses continue to frustrate national efforts to control illegal medicines and dismantle networks engaged in illicit drug distribution.
To reverse the trend, ACPN urged government to strengthen enforcement against drug traffickers and unlicensed dispensers while ensuring stricter implementation of policies targeting illicit drug cultivation, trafficking and distribution.
The association also advocated increased taxation of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, alongside sustained restrictions on illicit substances and greater investment in rehabilitation facilities across the country.
Igwekamma maintained that successfully rehabilitated individuals often become effective counsellors, helping vulnerable young people avoid substance abuse while supporting recovering addicts to prevent relapse.
The ACPN further called for improved funding, operational tools and institutional support for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the Nigeria Police Force and the judiciary.
The association maintained that strengthening these institutions would improve enforcement, while officers found engaging in drug abuse should face strict disciplinary measures to reinforce accountability and restore public confidence.
It also encouraged stronger collaboration between government, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria and other professional bodies to intensify nationwide advocacy against substance abuse and strengthen pharmaceutical governance.
It said partnerships involving the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria and related bodies would strengthen public education against substance abuse.
Igwekamma concluded that sustained cooperation between government and professional organisations remains essential for advancing pharmaceutical practice and improving medicine safety.
He expressed optimism that closer institutional collaboration would strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system while addressing persistent weaknesses affecting pharmaceutical regulation and drug control.
For the ACPN, the challenges confronting pharmacy practice and substance abuse are no longer separate policy issues.
They represent interconnected pressures demanding coordinated legislative action, stronger institutions and sustained government commitment to protect public health and strengthen Nigeria’s pharmaceutical future.
