The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, FPSN, FNAPharm, has outlined major policy victories, regulatory breakthroughs and welfare gains recorded under his administration, declaring that the Society has entered “a season of gentle but progressive strides.”
He made the remarks on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at the opening ceremony of the 98th Annual National Conference of the PSN—DABO 2025 in Bayero University, Kano.
Welcoming pharmacists, scientists, regulators, industry leaders and international delegates to the ancient city, the PSN President said it was with “humility and thanksgiving to God” that he hosted his first national conference since assuming office. He praised the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Council for their role in actualizing what he called “a historic gathering.”
A significant portion of his address focused on one of the most contentious professional disputes of the decade — the attempt to legitimize the Pharmacy Technologist cadre in Nigeria’s hospital system.
Pharm. Ibrahim explained that while the PSN inherited an agenda of progress from past administrations, his presidency prioritized consolidating gains and closing long-standing professional battles, especially where global best practice was at stake.
He recalled that for years, attempts were made through “legislative and regulatory backdoors” to introduce a Pharmacy Technologist workforce into the hospital career structure, despite such cadre having no place in global pharmacy practice.
He further revealed: “Archival records from the Federal Ministry of Health showed clearly that the Pharm. Technologist was an unwarranted cadre in Nigerian hospitals. The Ministry had taken this position as far back as the era of late Prof. E. Essien.”
The President disclosed that after several escalations, the Ministry of Education through the facilitation of its former Minister of State, Dr. Tanko Sununu brokered a joint MoU between the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to halt the training of Pharmacy Technologists in Nigerian polytechnics.
This decision, he said, was reaffirmed in August 2025, when both bodies restructured the MoU and issued a circular officially forbidding the training of Pharm Technologists, while recognizing only Pharmacy Technicians, which is the global standard.
The President also announced another major professional victory—this time in the battle over regulation of veterinary drugs.
For years, some veterinarians had attempted to assume regulatory control over veterinary medicinal products, even sponsoring a bill to the National Assembly seeking legislative endorsement.
Pharm. Ibrahim stated that the PSN and PCN jointly resisted the attempt: “On October 29, 2025, the Federal High Court in Calabar affirmed the powers of the PCN to regulate and control the sales, dispensing and custody of veterinary drugs in Nigeria.”
He noted that this judgment was another huge win in a long chain of legal disputes that the PSN and PCN have had to fight to protect the integrity of the profession. Speaking on welfare issues, the PSN President disclosed that under his watch, the Society—working through JOHESU/AHPA—had recorded meaningful progress in negotiations with the Federal Government.
Some highlights include:
· Substantial payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears for workers on CONHESS
· IPPIS approval for Pharm.D holders and Consultant Pharmacists
· 4% call-duty allowance for Pharm.D holders
· Centralized internship placement for pharmacists
· Extension of retirement age: 65 years for Pharmacists and 70 years for Consultant Pharmacists—same as physicians
He emphasized how hard-won the retirement age approval was: “It was a battle that raged for over 12 hours across four meetings in three months before the Ministry eventually recommended that Consultant Pharmacists retire at 70 years.”
He also acknowledged PSN’s legal and union allies who defended pharmacy’s right to consultant status during high-level tripartite meetings involving government, NMA, NANNM and JOHESU.
Turning to the conference theme, “Pharmacy Forward: Building a Future-Ready Workforce for Performance, Collaboration and Transformation,” the PSN President said that Nigeria’s health system requires a versatile and holistically trained workforce capable of leading at undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional levels.
He declared that the profession must finalize a timeline for adopting Pharm.D as the minimum entry qualification, given that Nigeria has had NUC approval since 2015. “Our Universities must produce only Pharm.D graduates from the agreed timelines,” he insisted.
He also proposed:
· A cross-mobility system that allows Fellowship holders to fast-track Ph.D. programmes in their specialty areas
· A reciprocal pathway for Ph.D. holders to enter the Fellowship track from Part II
· Renewed advocacy for a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy
These, he said, would create a formidable pool of expert academics and Consultant Pharmacists, harmonized on proper remuneration structures.
Pharm. Ibrahim urged participants to not only attend scientific sessions but also embrace the social and professional value of the conference: “Allow this conference to pass through you. Beyond lectures, attend the special meetings, social nights, gala sessions and excursions. Only then can you say you had the complete DABO 2025 experience.”
He thanked the guests and delegates from across Nigeria and beyond, expressing hope that they would leave Kano with “sweet memories” of the historic gathering.
