Declare Drugs Insecurity in Country, Pharmacists Urge FG

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has urged the federal government to declare pharmaceutical insecurity in the country, citing rising drug diversion, illicit trafficking and counterfeit medicines as serious threats to healthcare services. PSN President, Ayuba Ibrahim Tanko, highlighted the importance of the government's direct involvement in the pharmaceutical supply chain and logistics, warning that the current arrangement leaves the management of medicines too susceptible to private interests and free distribution.

Tanko emphasized that drugs are critical to public health and national security, and their regulation should be under direct government supervision. He stressed that the Constitution places drugs and poisons on the Exclusive Legislative List, underscoring the need for permanent public regulatory control. The House of Representatives' rejection of a bill to move drugs and poisons to the Concurrent List further reinforced this position.

The current model of handing over the supply chain of all public facilities to a private company, according to Tanko, undermines inter-agency collaboration and compromises the cooperation between government bodies and regulatory agencies. He proposed the establishment of a Federal Drug Management Agency with transparent, accountable and legally protected framework for medicine procurement, distribution and management, as well as the integration of community pharmacists into the national security architecture.