The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal Government to investigate and sanction companies and individuals allegedly involved in illegal pharmaceutical practices across several Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) in the country.
National Chairman of the Association, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, made the call while addressing newsmen on what he described as the growing disregard for statutory regulations governing the sale and distribution of medicines within public hospitals.
He expressed concern that some pharmaceutical companies and their superintendent pharmacists are allegedly operating unlawfully within federal hospitals, often under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements, sometimes with the tacit approval of hospital managements and regulatory authorities.
According to him, it is “a travesty of justice” that agencies and institutions mandated to enforce the law are, in some cases, enabling the very infractions they are meant to prevent. He accused the Federal Ministry of Health of failing to act while unregistered private pharmacy operators allegedly take over drug distribution services in federal hospitals.
Pharm. Ezeh described earlier PPP experiments such as Medipool as unlawful models that created loopholes in the national drug distribution system, warning that such practices violate the statutory framework established under Decree 43 of 1989 (now Cap 252 LFN 2004), which provides for the Essential Drug List and Drug Revolving Fund (DRF).
He explained that for the DRF to function effectively, pharmacists must oversee all stages of procurement, distribution, and management, in line with DRF operational manuals. The ACPN Chairman lamented that years of alleged mismanagement of DRF resources by some Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) have resulted in frequent stock-outs and erratic drug availability in federal hospitals.
Citing an example of effective pharmaceutical management, Pharm. Ezeh recalled the success of the DRF project at the National Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH), Igbobi, where the Department of Pharmacy reportedly built a ₦200 million pharmacy complex in 2014 under a pharmacist-led system without compromising DRF accounts. He noted that despite repeated warnings from ACPN between 2020 and 2022, irregularities in the PPP system have continued to undermine the DRF model.
The ACPN identified the PPP pharmacy operations currently running in several FHIs—including the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano; National Hospital, Abuja; Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi; Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH); Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) in Makurdi, Umuahia, Jabi and Nguru; Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Edo State; and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) as illegal.
The association further cited breaches of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Act 2022, including:
Section 22(1): Only registered and inspected pharmacies may store, sell or dispense medicines.
Section 27(5): Private pharmacies are prohibited from operating inside public health facilities.
Section 29: Every pharmacy must be under the direct control of a superintendent pharmacist.
Section 54: Running an unregistered pharmacy constitutes a criminal offence.
Pharm. Ezeh also alleged that the affected FHIs are in violation of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which mandates transparent, competitive bidding in all procurement processes. He disclosed that over 20 pharmacy premises currently operating under these PPP arrangements are not duly registered, alleging that one company in Lagos has effectively taken over the pharmacy unit of a major teaching hospital while citing the names of senior government officials for cover.
The ACPN Chairman warned superintendent pharmacists whose licences are being used to validate such questionable operations to regularise their status with their hospital managements before the end of 2025 or face disciplinary action from the association in 2026. He added that the association will recommend wider sanctions from relevant regulatory agencies under the Consumer Protection and Trade Malpractices Act.
Pharm. Ezeh reaffirmed the ACPN’s commitment to supporting government efforts aimed at improving drug security, strengthening the pharmaceutical supply chain, and promoting local drug manufacturing through credit guarantees and transparent procurement systems. He said protecting DRF accounts as legitimate working capital lines and upholding the principles of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) remain key to ensuring sustainable access to essential medicines across all 73 Federal Health Institutions.
He maintained that financing gaps and irregular practices continue to weaken the quality, equity, and accessibility of medicines in public hospitals.
The ACPN therefore appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare to address what it described as “government-induced irregularities” in the pharmaceutical sector.
“We must restore sanity, legality, and professionalism in drug distribution in the public sector,” Pharm. Ezeh insisted. “The health of the Nigerian people depends on it.”