By Joyce Eke
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State branch, on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to immediately inaugurate the Governing Council of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), warning that the continued delay has hampered critical regulatory functions in the pharmacy sector.
Chairman of the PSN Lagos State branch, Pharm. Olaitan Ogunlade, made the call while addressing pharmacists at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Pharmacy Week at Detutu Events Centre, Ogudu GRA, Lagos.
Ogunlade said the PSN was particularly concerned that the PCN had been operating without a fully inaugurated Governing Council, despite the existence of the PCN Act 2022.
“We have been very patient even when we never solicited the amendment of the PCN Act 2022. In the last three years, full and lawful accreditation of training facilities, disciplinary measures and vital practice matters have suffered,” he said.
He urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to constitute and inaugurate the council in line with the existing law, noting that effective regulation was essential to protecting public health and maintaining professional standards.
“The PSN (Lagos State), on behalf of pharmacists, calls on the FMOH to immediately inaugurate the PCN in alignment with the existing PCN Act, like the government has done with some sister regulatory councils in health in recent days,” Ogunlade said.
He added that while pharmacists were not opposed to future amendments of professional regulatory laws where necessary, such amendments should not be used to delay the functioning of the existing regulatory framework.
“If there would be amendment of professional regulatory laws, we shall join others to cross that bridge in the foreseeable future, even as PCN exercises full width of its regulatory powers in public interest,” he stated.
Ogunlade explained that the PCN had broad statutory responsibilities covering pharmacy education, training, practice, pharmaceutical premises and professional discipline.
According to him, the council’s mandate includes accreditation of training institutions, inspection of pharmaceutical premises across the pharmaceutical value chain, enforcement of standards, development of professional codes of ethics and disciplinary action against erring practitioners.
He stressed that the composition of the PCN Governing Council must reflect the technical and professional expertise required to regulate such a sensitive sector.
“The mandate of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria covers the regulation and control of pharmacy education, training, practice and business in all aspects and ramifications,” he said.
The PSN Lagos chairman argued that council membership should draw extensively from experienced pharmacists, academia, directors of pharmaceutical services and other relevant professionals, alongside representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the PCN Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, NAFDAC and pharmacy technicians.
He maintained that effective regulation of medicines required professional expertise, given the sensitivity of pharmaceutical products and their potential impact on public health.
Ogunlade also raised concern over the proliferation of unregistered pharmaceutical premises in the country, linking the situation partly to the historical decentralisation of licensing of patent and proprietary medicine vendors.
He said the country was estimated to have more than three million unregistered pharmaceutical premises, compared with fewer than 50,000 registered premises across manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and patent and proprietary medicine vendors.
He warned that weak regulatory oversight could expose Nigerians to practices that fall short of Good Pharmacy Practice standards.
“An involvement of the so-called community stakeholding, which is even overwhelmingly higher than that of professionals who have the expertise and legitimacy to modulate professional responsibilities, exposes and makes Nigerians both susceptible and vulnerable to values that comprise Good Pharmacy Practice,” he said.
On the 2026 Pharmacy Week, Ogunlade said the Lagos branch had introduced reforms aimed at making the programme more professionally enriching while retaining its traditional social and networking components.
He said the planning committee had retained strong participation from the branch’s technical and interest groups while incorporating Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) activities and expanding opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to participate.
He said the reforms were designed to provide pharmacists with opportunities for professional development, networking, relaxation and social interaction.
“It is our belief that every member of our branch will derive optimal value as we share the ideals and blessings of the 2026 Pharmacy Week,” he said.
Ogunlade also urged pharmacists in Lagos to participate in the 99th Annual National Conference of the PSN scheduled to hold in Awka, Anambra State, describing it as an important platform for professional engagement and development.
He thanked members of the Lagos branch for their participation and pledged that the quality of the branch’s programmes would continue to improve in subsequent years.
