By: Manoah Kikekon
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has made a passionate appeal for a sweeping transformation of the pharmacy profession, warning that the mass migration of skilled personnel, weak regulatory enforcement, medicine insecurity, and the worsening national drug abuse crisis pose severe threats to public health and national security.
The association sounded the alarm during its 45th Annual National Scientific Conference, tagged “UNITY 2026,” held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. The high-profile event brought together senior government officials, regulators, legislators, and pharmaceutical industry leaders to chart a course for better healthcare governance and workforce retention.
Delivering his opening address, ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, laid bare the stark realities facing the healthcare sector, pointing specifically to the alarming exodus of professionals. He revealed that approximately 9,000 pharmacists emigrated from Nigeria in the four-and-a-half years leading up to December 2025, driven by poor remuneration frameworks, porous supply chains, and substandard working conditions.
The trend has shown no signs of abating. Igwekamma disclosed that over 850 additional pharmacists obtained letters of good standing from the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) in the first half of 2026 alone, heading toward destinations such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia.
"The fortunes of the profession continue to plummet rather dangerously in recent years," Igwekamma stated, warning that the continuous depletion of intellectual capital threatens patient safety and the viability of Nigeria's pharmaceutical landscape.
The conference drew heavyweights from across the political and regulatory spheres, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; and the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim.
Representing the Federal Government, Senator Akume commended the ACPN for its steadfast commitment to safeguarding public health and urged practitioners to deepen collaborative efforts with state governments to stamp out counterfeit medications.
Meanwhile, PSN President Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim emphasized that community pharmacists remain the most accessible healthcare providers for millions of everyday citizens, arguing that their frontline positioning makes them indispensable to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
To reverse the downward trajectory of the sector, the ACPN proposed a robust legislative and administrative reform agenda. The association is pushing for crucial structural changes, including:
Tougher Penalties for Counterfeiting: Amendments to the Fake Drug Act to mandate harsher consequences, such as 20-year prison terms for first-time offenders and life imprisonment with total asset forfeiture for repeat perpetrators.
Institutionalised Supply Chains: The establishment of a federal Drug Management Agency to properly manage the Drug Revolving Fund system.
Capacity Building Locally: The creation of a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy to curtail capital flight caused by foreign professional training.
Addressing the alarming United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) statistics which indicate that over 21.2 million Nigerians grapple with substance abuse—the association called for tighter border controls, strict prescription monitoring, and the establishment of modern rehabilitation facilities nationwide.