– As he bags WAPCP honorary Fellowship
(By Yusuff Moshood)
In recognition of his contributions towards the growth of pharmacy practice in Niger State, the state’s helmsman, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (The Chief Servant of Niger State), has been awarded an honorary Fellowship of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP).
The award was conferred at the college’s 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM)/Scientific Symposium and 56th Council Meeting, held in Accra, Ghana, last month.
Speaking at the event, Governor Aliyu praised pharmacists for their commitment to professionalism and high ethical standards. He noted that the pharmacist is arguably the most important to the field of Medicine as he produces medicine and dispenses it, adding that even though doctors diagnose and prescribe, pharmacists are the real experts on drugs because they are familiar with the contents.
While pledging his administration’s commitment to the development of the health sector and pharmacy practice in particular, he expressed satisfaction with the harmonious relationship his administration currently has with pharmacists and other health workers.This, he said, is crucial to the attainment of his administration’s vision of making the state one of the three most developed in the country by 2020.
The governor also stated that, as part of strategies to achieve its vision, his administration urges teamwork, team spirit, as well as professionalism in the health sector, adding that this was one of the reasons his government granted full recognition to graduates of WAPCP as consulting cadre in the state’s civil service.
He further pledged that he would continue to be an advocate of WAPCP as the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and as member of Nigerian Governors Forum.
The Niger State Chief Servant also appealed to all professions and trade unions to exercise restraint in times of dispute, urging them to use appropriate legal means to address friction between them and governments at all levels, bearing in mind the sensitive nature of the health sector to the welfare of the citizens.
While stating that government and professional associates at all levels need to maintain good relationship to ensure that issues affecting professional practice are appropriately discussed and resolved on continuous basis, he added that it was criminally irresponsible to allow the health sector to be paralysed in pursuit of selfish interests.
