By Merit Ibe
Doyens of the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry and other professionals have showered encomiums on the outgoing registrar and chief executive of the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria (PCN), Dr N.A.E. Mohammed, for his achievements in the eight years he led the council.
The leaders of organised pharmacy spoke glowingly about Mohammed at a ceremony in Lagos to mark the end of his tenure and the public presentation of his biography, titled “The Transformative Leader: Pharmacy Technocrat Passionate About Excellence,” authored by Enyeribe Ejiogu, news editor of the Sunday Sun newspaper.
In his remarks, former health minister, Prince Juli Adelusi-Adeluyi, who presided at the event, described Mohammed as “a technocrat extraordinaire” noting that, from time to time, a leader had always emerged to transform a nation, an institute or professional, vocational or business group.
“So, in his term, Mohammed, whose moniker is Double Prophet, beat 35 applicants to emerge the registrar of the council at a time when pharmacy had suffered from decades of regulation neglect, breaches of laws and ethics, lack of coordinated regulation and control as well as the absence of true commitment to the ideals and essence of professional practice,” Adelusi-Adeluyi said.
He added that Mohammed became the registrar with a mantra to reposition the council for effective and comprehensive service delivery. He pursued that goal and successfully transformed the regulatory practices and processes of the PCN.
Author of the biography, Ejiogu, who also spoke at the event, charged the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to seize the moment and crusade for the establishment of a special fund to exclusively provide solid financial base for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the country, stressing that other major countries do so as a strategic national economic security initiative.
While commending Fidson Healthcare Plc and Emzor Pharmaceuticals for their quest to produce APIs, he stated that the media would actively promote the growth of API production in Nigeria by mobilising the people to invest in the fund, which should be structured as a capital market-driven, securitised and tradable investment.
Speaking further, Ejiogu stressed that the earnest desire of all pharmacists in the country was to see President Muhammadu Buhari assent to the extensive and fundamental reforms embedded in the PCN bill, which has been passed by the National Assembly.
In their various comments commending Mohammed for demonstrating capacity in his service, doyens of the pharmacy profession praised him for his forthrightness, humility and dedication, noting that he managed the affairs of the council to the benefit of the country and pharmacy practitioners all through his eight-year tenure. They urged his successor to build on the solid foundation Mohammed had laid.
Chairman of Access Bank and renowned pharmacist, Dr. Dere Awosika, said: “It is so easy to celebrate a gentleman like Mohammed because every work that I have seen him do he has done very well. He is full of ideas and has made great strides in executing the mandate of PCN.”
Olumide Akintayo, former president of PSN, said Mohammed was very fruitful and productive in all the capacities he found himself in organised pharmacy, adding, “I am impressed in the way he handled his mandate as registrar.”
On his part, managing director of Alpha Pharmacy and Stores Limited, Sir Ikechukwu Onyechi, said, “Mohammed’s coming to the PCN was divine; it has been good for pharmacy, other stakeholders and the country.”
Reacting to the encomiums poured on him, Mohammed said: “The grace of God has made me strategic in taking actions. The philosophy there is that working with people you have to understand their weakness and strength leverage on their strength so that you can move the system forward. You don’t dwell continually in the weakness of people.”
He spoke further: “When I got to PCN, there were contentions, divisions both on ethnic, religious and tribal grounds, but I stepped in and united the various groups. That is part of the success story today. Now that I’m retiring, I will re-strategise. I am available for the country to use. I will do my scorecard presentation at Abuja.”
Other pharmacists, who spoke, decried the state of the pharmaceutical industry, saying it was struggling and without forex to import raw materials.
“The cost of pharmaceutical products is rising and healthcare is going out of the reach of the ordinary man. The industry is not facing the best of times,’ a pharmacist, who wished not to be named in print retorted.
Among the other key leaders of the pharmacy profession who showered encomiums on Mohammed were past presidents of the PSN, namely, Dr U.N.O Uwaga and Sir Anthony Akhimien; current Chairman of the PCN Governing Council, Prof Ahmed.Tijjani Mora; Publisher of Pharmanews, Sir (Pharm) Ifeanyi Atueyi; and the In-coming Registrar of PCN, Pharm. Babashehu Ahmed.