No fewer than 40 Pharmacy students were recently inducted into the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) by the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, at a ceremony held at the school’s lecture theatre.

The glamorous occasion, which took place on 3 July, 2014, had several students, parents, pharmacists, pharmacy professors and members of the PCN in attendance.

Welcoming the audience to the institution’s 27th induction ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Emilolorun Ayelari, stressed that the past 30 years had seen the Pharmacy faculty develop into an enviable academy, due to its significant contribution to meeting the manpower needs of the nation’s pharmaceutical sector.

Prof. Adewole noted that the commitment of the faculty to excellence contributed toits recent establishment of the Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP) through the MacArthur Grant for Excellence.

On her part, Prof. Chinedum Peace Babalola, the first female dean of the faculty,congratulated the graduands and theirwell-wishers present at the ceremony.

She declared that the faculty had produced great professionals and currently houses great minds who have won laurels, grants and recognitions, locally and internationally.

While observing that the faculty was the only one teaching herbal medicine in Nigeria, Babalola urged other Pharmacy faculties to embrace the initiative.

Also applauding the graduands, PCN registrar, Pharm. Elijah Mohammed, charged them to discharge their duties professionally, as well as provide innovative services that would distinguish them.

Muhammed however lamented that it was quite unfortunate that brain drain had led to shortage of pharmacists in the nation’s pharmaceutical sector. He reassured the graduands that his administration would reposition Pharmacy registry for effective service delivery and institutionalisation of good pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

The highpoint of the event was the award of the much coveted PCN prize for the best graduating student, which was won by Abiola Adenike.

(By Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi)

There is nothing as successful as an idea whose time has come. Over the last one score and ten years, leaders of the pharmacy profession in Nigeria have brainstormed on strategies to achieve a turn-around towards making the profession a more fulfilling and meaningful enterprise, not only for pharmacists but also the communities in which they serve. The conclusion has become obvious. Only pharmacists can save Pharmacy, especially in a situation where Pharmacy, like every other profession is severely challenged.

We are in a knowledge-driven economy. In order for Pharmacy to participate meaningfully in the current national economic arrangement, there is an urgent need to provide a platform for creating a new paradigm to elevate the relevance of the practice of the profession at all levels, particularly in the areas of improved patient care and international best practice. That platform is the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy.  This idea was also encouraged by the existence and role of similar academies in the developing and developed world.

The Academy brings together successful senior pharmacy professionals who have distinguished themselves in the corporate world, academia and public service. Every effort has been made by the organisers to ensure that the foundation Fellows of the Academy are drawn from the widest possible spread professionally, occupationally and geographically. The product may not be perfect, but it is a qualitative beginning, by any standard. It can only get better.

Pharmacy practice in Nigeria is fortunate to have an abundance of bright minds whose education and experience can be jointly and severally shared, while they are still physically with us. The Academy will, inter alia, provide expert opinion and thought leadership in the education and practice of Pharmacy. It will provide a platform to influence national and state policies which will enable the fulfilment of the vision, mission, rights and obligations of Pharmacy.

The Academy will network with similar academies within and outside Nigeria. It will also partner with relevant regulatory bodies and associations to ensure high ethical standards in the practice of the profession and in the war against fake, adulterated and substandard products in the health sector.

The Academy will equally champion the cause of interdisciplinarity, by working steadfastly to promote harmony and team spirit among all members of the health team and other relevant professions, so that every patient enjoys wholesome and beneficial health care. It will champion the cause of transformational change and innovation by encouraging industry, Research and Development and seizing the several technology advancement opportunities open to Pharmacare.

The Academy will, most importantly, concentrate on mentoring the younger generation to confidently build on the foundation being laid today and to facilitate sustainability in the areas of capacity and character building, self-confidence, solid professional reputation and efficient delivery of pharmaceutical service.

It is a new day for Pharmacy, a new day for the health sector and, indeed, a new day for our nation, Nigeria. So help us God!

Address delivered by Prince Julius A. Adelusi-Adeluyi, OFR, mni, president,Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm.), at the inauguration ceremony of NAPharm. on Thursday, 26 June, 2014, at the Sheraton Hotels & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos.

Mrs. Mildred Bagshaw, marketing manager (personal care) PZ Cussons family care, is a specialist in cosmeceutical trends. In this edition of Beauty and Cosmetics, Bagshaw spoke with Temitope Obayendo on some pertinent issues affecting the cosmetics industry. She revealed reasons behind skin irritations in babies and adults, and also gave tips on getting maximum benefits from cosmetics products. Excerpts:

PZ Cussons family care is one of the household brands in beauty and cosmetics. How has it been since inception till now?

            PZ Cussons has always been known for the manufacture and marketing of household products. We started as a trading organization over 114 years ago; however, our hearts have always been into the manufacturing of household and family care products. We have a wide range of products that cut across different categories that are relevant for the care and protection of every family. For instance, we are particularly well known for our Personal Wash and Fabric Care products such as Premier, Joy and Imperial Leather in Personal Wash and Zip and Canoe in Fabric Care.

We also have products in the Dish Wash category with Morning Fresh and in Beauty and Cosmetics, we have our signature beauty brand: Venus, which has been around for over 50 years as well as a thriving Baby Care brand with Cussons Baby; and not forgetting Robb, our number one brand in the Medicaments category. A host of other brands are available in our portfolio, such as Stella Pomade, Jet cream, Danduala and a few others.

Our primary mission is to ensure that the African woman has all she needs to keep her family looking and feeling good always, thereby making their lives better at every given opportunity.

What made PZ Cussons go into production and marketing of family care products?

Our aim is to make life better for consumers by providing the products every home requires in meeting their personal and homecare needs; to keep them healthy and clean at all times.

Could you explain the relationship between the usage of your products and the health of the consumers?

PZ Cussons prides itself in the development of products that are designed to meet specific consumer needs. We work with robust consumer insights before going into the production of any product. We also behave ethically in respect to our consumers’ safety by ensuring that we meet and exceed legal requirements.

Babies are naturally born with smooth skin but, in most cases, when mothers start applying lotions and pomades on them, they develop rashes. Can you mention the substances responsible for this?

There are many reasons why a child may develop rashes and a few more why they develop them after they use lotions and pomades on their skin. In most cases, rashes are evidences of incompatibilities between baby skin, baby environment and skin care applications. When creams that are made for temperate climates are used in tropical climates, users (whether they are babies or adults) tend to feel uncomfortable, sweat and develop skin rashes from their use.

Usually it’s because of the textural and protective contents of the creams which are heavier on the skin and more suited to the colder regions of the world than they are to the warmer climates like West Africa. For babies to be more comfortable, sweat less and be rash-free, they have to use skin care products developed for the particular climate in which they are applying them.

These days, parents apply all sorts of chemicals -relaxer, nail polish, toning creams etc -on children just to make them fashionable. What are the adverse effects of these chemicals on children’s health?

Chemicals, like every other substance which enhance lives, are only safe at prescribed levels. Beyond these levels, issues of concern may indeed arise from their uses. Therefore, most cosmetics raw materials are subjected to various stages of safety and toxicological screening before being approved for release. It is after this serious and severe vetting stage that ingredients can be used in skin and hair care products.

In general, the manufacture, supply and marketing of cosmetics products is regulated. The skin care products we place on the market are researched and tested to the strictest level to ensure that they are safe and do work and deliver on the claims to the consumer. This ensures that our products enhance and protect the consumer rather than subject them to adverse effects.

However, if a product that is clearly mark for adults is used for a child, then, it could have an adverse effect. Thus, I will advise that parents should always ensure they use products particularly made for children, for children; while adults should keep to their own products.

Now that the rains are here, are there some cosmetics products you would suggest for cold weather?

I think the major results from the cold weather are cold, cough, and catarrh. PZ Cussons Robb offers relief from pains and symptoms of cough and cold. The Robb brand has different products that will help soothe people during this rainy season. These include Robb Original Ointment, for relief from symptoms of cold and nasal congestion; and Robb inhaler, to soothe nasal congestion.

The beauty and cosmetics industry is filled with counterfeits products. How do you ensure the genuineness of your products in circulation?

Counterfeiting is something the regulatory agencies, genuine manufacturers and consumer bodies need to work together to fix. It requires putting the right regulations, monitoring and enforcement, as well as consumer education to make this change happen. What was done to the pharmaceutical sector to revamp it should also be done across the length and breadths of all consumer goods to ensure only genuine, quality products are available to the Nigerian consumer. This way, the economy benefits, as healthy people will only drive increased productivity and consequently, the economy.

At PZ, we do try to ensure the genuineness of our products by having tamper-proof evidences and seals in place to protect the products and, in turn, our consumers. We also do quality control checks within the marketplace to spot incidences of rogue products.

 What is your advice to victims of harsh cosmetics?

I think we need to be clear on what we mean by harsh cosmetics. Your question implies an unpleasant resultant effect of cosmetic products on the skin and we need to foremost understand the driver of this. Some harshness could be due to non-compliance with the usage guidelines, while others could be due to the sensitivity of the individual’s skin to certain actives in the product and, in some other cases, it could be due to the presence of carcinogenic substances, the effect of which would happen over time and will impact all who use the product.

On areas of advice, firstly, consumers need to understand their skin types and the kind of products that are appropriate for them. Secondly, consumers need to read instructions on usage and product guidelines that come with the product when using for the first time. Most, if not all products, come with instructions on how to use them for maximum impact. Consumers should learn to read through these instructions and adhere to the usage guidelines; otherwise the result from not doing that could be most unpleasant. An awareness of the nature and effect of actives contained in these products will go a long way in avoiding some of these effects.

The 33rd annual national conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) was held in Ilorin, Kwara State, from 2 to 6 June, 2014. Our reporter, Oladejo Adebayo who was at the event, sought the opinions of some participants regarding the event. Their views are presented below:

One of the best so far

This is one of the best conferences I have attended in my life because it was quite educative and several professionals in the field of Pharmacy, including the likes of Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, Prof. Femi Oyewo, Pharm. Bukky George and the rest, were present. There were also many pharmaceutical companies around to showcase their products; and to cap it all, the presence of security personnel was quite commendable.

I am not disputing the fact that the conference can still be improved upon for subsequent editions, but I am happy with what I saw on ground this year because every aspect of the conference was well taken care of – security was tight, there were lots of spaces for pharmaceutical companies, the environment was tidy and the road network to the conference venue was superb; what else should one expect?

The only minor issue I have is that I would have preferred the conference to hold at a venue that is well covered. I believe this will better ensure that drugs on display are not exposed to direct sunlight. Though the spaces allocated to some of the companies were covered, there were still some who could not stay inside the covered areas for some reasons. It would have been better if the whole conference venue was covered. Aside from that, I will say kudos to ACPN!

Kudos to ACPN, but…

This is the first time I will be attending an ACPN conference and, if you ask me to assess the event based on what I think one of this magnitude should look like, I will give it a 100 per cent vote. Apart from the fact that the conference was well-planned, it also gave me the opportunity to meet and learn from some of my senior colleagues, whom I had been longing to see, especially the likes of Pharm. Bukky George, Prof. Femi Oyewo and the rest. The conference has increased the confidence I have in community pharmacy and, by virtue of that, I am proud to be a community pharmacist.

I like the way the conference was organised and I am impressed with the keynote address and some of the goodwill messages delivered by my senior colleagues. I have learnt that community pharmacy is beyond buying and selling of drugs.

However, I think the organisers should work more on the issue of time-management. A situation where a programme is scheduled for 10am but doesn’t start until 11am or thereabout is not good enough because it will definitely affect other programmes for that day. Also, the rate at which people move in and out of the hall should be reduced, so as to reduce distractions.

Apart from those two challenges, I give kudos to ACPN for putting up the well-packaged programme.

ACPN should emulate PSN

I was at the conference last yearin Calabar, so I can confidently say this year’s conference was superb, in terms of organisation and logistics.Things could have been betterthough, compared with what happens at PSN conferences. I thinkACPN should learn from the parent body on how best to handle registration of delegates because this is one of the important areas that determine the success or otherwise of every conference. There were lots of lapses in the way the registration was done and the registration area was also a bit crowded.

However, despite the registration issues, there were noticeable improvements in the way the exhibition stands were allocated and demarcated, which was an improvement on what we had last year. There was a recommendation at the last conference that drugs should not be left in the open, under direct sunlight, and we noticed that there was improvement this year; however, the change came with its own challenge because the noise coming from the exhibitors’ cornerwas a major disturbance and distraction for people in the conference hall. So, the organisersmust find a way to completely separate the exhibition area from the conference hall in subsequent conferences. Overall, it was a good conference.

Good, but conference venue is no marketplace

I had a wonderful experience. I never thought ACPN conference could be so interesting and educative. Now I can boastfully say that I have a broader view of what is expected of me and what other opportunities I can explore,as a community pharmacist, courtesy of this year’s conference. The speech of Pharm. Bukky George, whom I have always seen as a mentor, was really an eye-opener for me.The speech of Pharm. Shina Opanubi was also a very good one, while the keynote address was well researched and highly educative.

However, I think the ACPN should ensure that subsequent conferences are organised in such a way that people are discouraged from coming with the sole aim of buying drugs but, rather, to learn how to improve in their profession. Buying and selling activities should be more restricted, so that more people will participate in conference discussions, rather than busy looking for what to buy.

I have noticed that more people attend the conference with the primary aim of increasing their stocks and this is not good enough. In all, it was a well-planned conference.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who would realize a strong and well-poised life.” – JAMES ALLEN

You require high levels of self-discipline if you truly desire to develop all your inner resources and fulfill your true potential. Throughout the ages, in all religions and philosophies, the highest human good or idea has been peace of mind. Your ability to achieve your own peace of mind is the true measure of your success and the key determinant of your happiness.

To develop spiritually, and to become a fully functioning person, you must regularly apply self-discipline and self-control to your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Spiritual development, inner peace, and the experience of joy all require self-mastering and self-control.

Learning to “detach”

To succeed in the “outer world,” you must discipline yourself to focus and concentrate, work hard at your job, take continuous action toward your goals, and become better and more capable, as you move onward and upward in life.

To succeed in the “inner world,” however, requires almost the opposite abilities. To achieve inner peace, you must discipline yourself to let go of everything that can disrupt your sense of inner peace and contentment.

The main cause of human suffering and unhappiness is “attachment.” People become attached to ideas, opinions, and material things, and then they are reluctant to let go of them. Sometimes people become so preoccupied with these external factors that it affects their mental and physical health – even keeping them awake at night.

When you practise detachment, separating yourself emotionally from things or outcomes, the negative emotions involved stop as well, like unplugging a light from the socket.

Priority of happiness

Most people have a deep down need to be right. However, when you stop caring if you are right or wrong, all the emotions surrounding this need for rightness disappear. Dr. Gerald Jampolsky asked the great question: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?” Some people become passionate about their political or religious beliefs, all of which have been learnt from someone else in some way. But when you put those beliefs aside for a while, they lose their ability to stir your emotions or to inflame your anger.

I have friends and meet people with ideas and opinions that range all over the political and religious spectrums. In most cases, we get along well together because we simply put aside the discussion of opinions on which we differ. We consciously and deliberately discipline ourselves to detach from these ideas, and we focus instead on subjects that we agree on and in which we share common interests.

Quit the blame game

The chief cause of negative emotions and the primary destroyer of inner peace is blame. As I mentioned earlier in the book, it is not possible to have a negative emotion without having someone or something to blame in some way or for something.

Blame requires one or both of two factors to exist. The first is identification. This occurs when you take something personally: You identify with it. As soon as you decide to feel that someone has done or said something negative that affects your personal interests in some way, you immediately become angry and blame that person.

Even if someone who is hurrying to work, completely preoccupied, and who may have just had a fight with his or her spouse accidentally cuts you off in traffic, you can immediately become angry at that person, a complete stranger, because you took his driving behaviour personally.

But when you discipline yourself to detach and stop taking things personally, the negative emotional charge connected with the person or incident stops almost immediately. For example, when someone cuts you off in traffic, you can detach from the situation emotionally by saying to yourself, “Oh well, he’s probably in a hurry to get to work. Maybe he’s late.”

Culled from THE POWER OF SELF-DISCIPLINE by BRIAN TRACY

A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild. But whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so many a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.

Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstances, the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a man’s circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought element within himself that, for the time being, they are indispensable to his development.

Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there. And in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true of those who feel “out of harmony” with their surroundings as of those who are contented with them.

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn that he many grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances.

Man is buffeted by circumstances, so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realises that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being, out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.

That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows, who has for any length of time practised self-control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So true is this that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes.

The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears.It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.

Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

The outer world of circumstances shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which make for the ultimate good of the individual. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and bliss.

Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts, by which he allows himself to be dominated (pursuing the will-o’-the-wisps of impure imaginings or steadfastly walking the highway of strong and high endeavour), a man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfilment in the outer conditions of his life. The laws of growth and adjustment everywhere obtain.

A man does not come to the alms-house or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself, the shaper and author of environment. Even at birth the soul comes to its own, and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage, it attracts those combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength and weakness.

Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean. The “divinity that shapes our ends” is ourselves; it is our very self. Man is manacled only by himself; thought and action are the jailers of Fate – they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom – they liberate, being noble. Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonise with his thoughts and actions.

In the light of this truth, what, then, is the meaning of “fighting against circumstances”? It means that a man is continually revolting against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a conscious vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it stubbornly retards the efforts of its possessor, and thus calls aloud for remedy.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who would realise a strong and well-poised life?

Culled from MIND IS THE MASTER by JAMES ALLEN

                                DUBAI, UAE.  19– 23 July, 2014

This workshop, designed for executives in the health care sector, would focus on helping participants develop the requisite management capacity and attitude required to provide leadership in a changing health care sector. Delivered in the beautiful city of Dubai and in partnership with a large international hospital, this would be a great time of reflection, learning and networking.

Date:            Saturday 19 – Wednesday 23 July, 2014

                     (Saturday and Wednesday are arrival and departure days respectively)

Time:            9.00a.m – 5.00p.m (daily)

Venue:         Aster DM Health Care, 33rd Floor,

                     Tower D – Aspect Towers, Executive Towers at Bay

                     Avenue, Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 Target Participants

Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical Laboratory Scientists and other clinical, administrative, management and technical personnel in the public and private health care system.

 Course Contents:

• Essentials of Health Care Financing
  • Public-Private Partnerships in Health Care Delivery
  • Fundamentals of Health Care Entrepreneurship
  • Essentials of Clinical Leadership
  • Quality Management in a Multi-Facility Care Delivery System
    • Case Studies/Syndicate Sessions

 Learning Objectives:

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand global health care financing models, challenges and opportunities for Innovation in Africa.
• Comprehend best practices and current management approaches and strategies for achieving effective public-private partnerships.
• Acquire the necessary skill set and attitude required to drive sustainable and innovative health care service delivery systems in both public and private settings.
• Lead effectively, communicate clearly and deliver optimal health care service outcomes.
• Acquire proficient management skills for delivering total quality management in large and medium health care service settings.

Registration Fee

• $1,500 (or Naira equivalent) per participant on or before 20thJune, 2014.
• $1,600 (or Naira equivalent) per participant after 20thJune, 2014.

 Group discounts: 3 – 5 participants: 10%,    6 participants and above: 15%

Registration fee covers: Tour, workshop materials, tea/coffee break, lunch, certificates, and visa processing ONLY.

Participants are to take care of their travel expenses, dinner, and accommodation.

 Activity Focus

 The workshop would be highly interactive as it would be driven centrally by our custom Activity Focus Learning Modules that would set the pace for syndicate sessions.

Each group would work on case studies that simulate innovation – driven interventions in the Nigerian health care system. Assisted by our resource team, each group would seek to develop evidence – based pragmatic proposals for specific health projects.

Tourist and Business Potential

Dubai has emerged as a leading regional commercial hub with state-of-the art infrastructure and a world-class business environment. It has now become the logical place to do business in the Middle East, providing investors with a unique and comprehensive value added platform.

It also hosts a number of tourist attractions and has since become one of the world’s leading tourist location.  Dubai therefore offers an opportunity for a renewed global business perspective, networking and a superb tourist spot.

 Summary

The International Workshop on Health Care Financing and Innovation is designed to equip leading health care executives in Nigeria with the requisite attitude and skill-set for their new roles in developing our health care system in a private sector – led global economy. Designed in partnership with a global hospital chain – Aster DM HealthCare, which has world-class expertise, the workshop would equip and motivate participants for greater growth and development.

Hotel Accommodation

Participants will be accommodated in a hotel close to the workshop venue at a reduced rate of $80 –$100 per night.

Cancellation

For cancellation of registration fee, 70% of the fee will be refunded, if cancelled at least seven (7) days to the workshop and the information communicated to us by sms or email, using: info@pharmanewsonline.com

There will be no refund if cancelled thereafter.

Method of Payment

Participants should pay registration fee into Pharmanews Ltd account in Zenith Bank Plc (A/c No.

1010701673) or Access Bank Plc (A/c No.0035976695) and send their full names and bank deposit slip

numbers by sms or email to Pharmanews Ltd. Payments in dollars should be made to Pharmanews Domiciliary Accounts: GTB A/c No. 0005082226

  Payment Online

Payments can also be made through our payment portal on GTBank SME market hub facility. To make payment online, visit: https://pharmanews.smemarkethub.com

Please note that payment in naira can only be accepted in Nigeria. In Dubai, the dollar equivalent will be paid.

 Financial Transactions in Dubai

Your financial transactions in Dubai will be done in the local currency, UAE Dirham. The current rate is 3.7 Dirham to 1 US$.

Arrival and Departure

Participants are expected to arrive Saturday 19thand depart Wednesday 23rd.

City Tour

For the tour, temperature will be at an average of 35° Celsius. We advise casual wear with shoes suitable for walking. Cameras will be useful for pictures.

Travel Information

 By Air

Intending participants are advised to make reservation for flight ticket to Dubai through these online booking sites: www.wakanow.com or www.opodo.co.uk. Available airlines on the booking sites are Emirates, Kenyan Air, Etihad, Ethiopian Airways, and Qatar Airways, among others.

Visa

After registration, participants will be contacted on the procedures for visa procurement. The visa fees are covered in the registration fee.

For further information, please contact:

Cyril Mbata                                –   +234 706 812 9728

Nelson Okwonna                         –   +234 803 956 9184

Elizabeth Amuneke                    –   +234 805 723 5128

   Click here to download the International workshop flyer

 Register for the Dubai International Workshop today!

Click Here to  register

To pay online  using our online payment portal 

Pharm. (Prof.) Charles Okechukwu Esimone, has been appointed deputy vice chancellor (DVC) – Academic, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka.

The new DVC, a professor of biopharmaceutics and pharmaceutical sciences of the university, holds B.Pharm., M.Pharm., and PhD degrees from the University of Nigeria (1995, 1998 and 2002 respectively).

Prof. Esimone, the pioneer dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, NAU, who became a professor at the age of 37, emerging as the youngest professor in the university and first professor of pharmacy, is also the first professor of pharmaceutical microbiology in south-eastern Nigeria.

He has well over 180 publications to his name. He has pioneered research in the use of recombinant viral vectors as surrogates for high throughput antiviral screening studies and on the use of indigenous medicinal plants as immunomodulators, vaccine adjuvants and anti-infectives. His vector-based antiviral screening technique developed between 2003 and 2005 in Germany has significantly revolutionalised high-throughput screening for anti-HIV compounds worldwide.

Esimone is a recipient of several awards, which include the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to Germany (2003-2005), Visiting Scientist to the University of Pittsburgh, USA (2007-2008), the ANDI Bright Contest Award for the Best African Innovative Researcher, South Africa (2009), Young Scientist (representing Nigeria) at the “Summer Davos” Annual Meeting of New Champions, Tianjin, China (2010) and the CV Raman Senior Fellowship, India (2013).

He is a member of the Governing Council of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Nnamd iAzikiwe University and the Nanomedicine Society of Nigeria; he is, indeed, the pioneer national president of the Nanomedicine Society of Nigeria.

Prof. Esimone, who has successfully supervised over 35 postgraduate students, is a recipient of various national and international grants and a reviewer to several national and international journals. He is a member of several professional bodies including the Global Young Academy and the American Society for Cell biology. He is happily married.

(By Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis) 

 In this interview with Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis, Pharm. Akinrinola Fasipe, current director of pharmaceutical services in Osun State Hospitals Management Board (OSHMB), bared his mind on some boggling issues in the health sector, including why hospital officials erroneously think pharmacists misappropriate drugs. Excerpts:

 Tell us a bit about yourself

After my early education at St Claire’s Primary School, Osogbo, I proceeded to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo State (1975-1980). On completion, I was fortunate enough to gain admission same year into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for my degree (1980-1986). I had my internship at Jericho Nursing Home, Ibadan; and later, my National Youth Service programme at the 82 Army Division, Enugu.

Is it right then to say you cut your teeth at Enugu?

(Laughs) Not really. I have always been in hospital pharmacy. I entered the service in 1988 post-NYSC and my first duty station was at Adeoyo Maternity Hospital in Ibadan. Back then, the old Oyo State also included what we now know today as Osun State.

As a DPS in Osun Health Board, how is your state handling the issue of drug procurement & distribution to prevent influx of counterfeit medicines?

First, let me say that the Ministry of Health is in charge of drug procurement on behalf of hospitals management board based on perceived need (our dialogue with them). Unlike in other ministries, the drugs are bought centrally. This is one way government ensures fake drugs don’t find their way into the hospital as suppliers would be held responsible if their drugs are found wanting. No supplier, of course, wants to be blacklisted for supplying fake and sub-standard products. Besides, suppliers are always made to sign an agreement that their consignments will be taken back if they are found wanting.

How is Osun State ensuring that private hospital proprietors keep to laid down principles by offering qualitative service?

In the Nigerian environment, we are always having this problem of quackery trying to infiltrate every business. The same can be said about private hospitals. However, government has set up a department to monitor and check out such activity. It is called the Department of Tertiary and Non-Government Organisations. It is that department that goes out on inspection and monitors the activities of these hospitals. Besides, they are expected to register with the ministry of health to oversee the function of those private hospitals. Any hospital that is not registered or engages in unwholesome or unprofessional activities is shut down by the government.One thing I can say is that the department is indeed up and doing.

As the DPS, how do you handle the accusation that some pharmacists in hospital practice hoard and pilfer drugs in their care?

The allegation is baseless. I did mention earlier that the state government, realising the importance of sound health to the populace and realising that many of our people would not be able to maintain their health because of cost implications, has graciously put in place a free health policy which includes dispensing drugs totally free, irrespective of gender. But as we know, everything that is free is always open to abuse. Just because government said the drugs are free, some people see it as their share of the national cake. But the department has put in place measures and systems to ensure that drugs put in care of pharmacists are not pilfered and stealing reduced to the barest minimum. Also the amount of drugs dispensed to each patient is collated and, at the end of the month, submitted to the relevant authority for scrutiny. And where there are discrepancies, the HMB (Hospitals Management Board) and the ministry of health are expected to take steps to investigate it.

What other challenges are facing hospital pharmacists today?

There is a paradigm shift now from product-focus to patient-focus. In that wise, we are talking of taking on more clinical duties by the pharmacist. This includes going on ward round, monitoring adverse drug effect, public health talk to patients and drug information activities. Then you need to counsel patients on proper use of drugs to get maximum benefit.

Secondly, proper documentation of drugs must be taken into consideration. Let me say the first major challenge we have in hospital practice is lack of adequate personnel to carry out the aforementioned duties. Though the government is trying, we cannot deny that. This is exemplified by the fact that 10 more pharmacists were employed in 2012 to cover up the lapses. Apart from that, there is need for adequate infrastructure for these activities to take place. For instance, there is need for privacy to counsel patient. As at this point, I must also add that government has voted a huge sum of money to renovate our hospitals. But just like Oliver Twist, we believe they can do more.

The government needs to motivate staff through adequate and proper remuneration. For instance, we have lots of staff leaving for greener pasture.

 How would you rate government’s effort?

            The government is trying as I said. But it can also strive to continue with the renovation works on ground. Equipment is another area to look in. There is also need for training and retraining. For instance, the advanced world is talking about e-dispensing and e-medicine. But we are yet to get there.

(By Adebayo Oladejo)

           Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Shagamu, Ogun State, Prof. (Mrs) Mbang Nyong Femi-Oyewo, has stated that the professional roles of pharmacists have evolved in recent years from mere drug dispensing and distribution to more patient-oriented, point-of-care services, involving pharmaceutical care models, medication therapy management, and effective patient education to achieve good therapeutic outcomes.

The university don, who made the statement while delivering her keynote address at the 33rd annual national conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), in Ilorin, Kwara State, further stated that good pharmacy practice (GPP) and point-of-care services are essential for best practices in community pharmacy.

According to her, good pharmacy practice (GPP), as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), “is the practice of Pharmacy that responds to the needs of the people who use the pharmacist’s services to provide optimal, evidence-based care.”

She reiterated that the mission of pharmacy practice is to contribute to health improvement and to help patients with health problems, adding that pharmacists should be acknowledged as healthcare professionals whom patients can consult for health-related problems.

“Problems that require additional diagnostic skill or treatments not available from a pharmacist can be referred to an appropriate healthcare professional or site-of-care.”

Continuing, she said, “The traditional role of pharmacists is changing and pharmacists should now be identified as ‘public health advocates’…As healthcare professionals, pharmacists play an important role in improving access to health care and in closing the gap between the potential benefit of medicines and the actual value realised and should be part of any comprehensive health system.”

Prof. Femi-Oyewo also tasked pharmacists on the need to pay attention to the various aspects of the process of medicines use, each of which is important to achieving good outcomes from treatment. The process, according to her, begins with ensuring the integrity of the medicine supply chain, including detecting spurious/falsely-labeled/falsified/counterfeit medicines, proper storage and preparation of medicines; proper prescribing of medicines; providing instructions for use; ensuring that medicine–medicine/medicine–food interactions are prevented; and also preventing adverse reactions and other contraindications.

She emphasized that, in facilitating good pharmacy practice, it is essential to have an established national framework of quality standards and guidelines. This, she said, had been prepared and published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), under the National Good Pharmacy Practice Guidelines, 2012.

“Every pharmacist, especially the community pharmacist, must have a copy, as it is essential for good pharmacy practice. The guidelines is very comprehensive, as it includes facilities, personnel, quality policy and service strategy training, complaints and recalls, documentation system, procurement, inventory management, storage prescription handling and dispensing, patient information and counselling, medication records and patients follow-up, self-care and health promotion, development of professional role, pharmaco-vigilance and audit (including checklist for quality audit),” she urged.

– Re-launches Novadex brand of paracetamol

(By Adebayo Oladejo)

SKG Pharma Limited recently organised a special conference to appreciate and reward its trade partners for their loyalty in the year 2013.

The conference which was held at the De-renaissance Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, also witnessed the re-launch of the repackaged Novadex brand of Paracetamol by SKG Pharma.

While speaking at the event, Managing Director of SKG Pharma, Pharm. Okey Akpa, reiterated that the conference was a “family meeting” which would enable the company and its partners to share ideas that would lead to enhanced relationship.

“The motive behind the trade partner conference is to appreciate our trade partners who are truly our very vital link to reach the final consumers and also to hear some quality feedback from them about the factors that are affecting the business and to share the business plan for the New Year with them as partners,” Akpa said.

Speaking on the newly packaged Novadex Paracetamol, the SKG boss explained that though the brand had been a heritage brand having been in the market since 1986 and remained one of the best paracetamol brands, the company thought of repositioning the product as it was doing for others.

“When you look at Novadex, we have given it a new look and it’s a lot more consumer friendly – the blisters are a lot better, the tablets are highly improved and easy to swallow, the pharmacokinetic properties is fast dissolving and so it’s quick active. Above all, what will interest you is that, in its class, it’s the best in term of profit gap. That means in the amount we are selling it and its market cost, we are a lot better than the key competitors,” he disclosed.

In his own contribution, National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Pharm. (Alh) Olufemi Ismail Adebayo who was also the guest of honour at the event, congratulated SKG on its successes over the years in producing high quality pharmaceuticals.            On the newly unveiled Novadex Paracetamol, the ACPN helmsman said, “There is no gainsaying that the product is tested and trusted while the packaging is superb.”

The high point of the event was the presentation of awards and gifts to deserving distributors in various categories. In the national category for the Best Distributor Award, Eternity Pharmacy and Simba Pharmacies came third and second respectively, while Jonaco Pharmacy, Onitsha, won the Best National Distributor Award.

The distributors who were obviously delighted by the company’s initiative took turns to testify to the quality of SKG products, as well as its relationship with distributors and customers.

Commending SKG Pharma, visibly elated Mr. Chizoba Okeke of Jonaco Pharmacy could not hide his joy at the honour bestowed on him by the company’s management.

“I feel very happy and as I am talking to you. I still don’t believe I came first; so it’s a thing of joy to me and I appreciate God for the success. Actually I never expected it but I have been working towards it for a long time now. So I will say it’s a thing of joy that it has finally happened. My prayer for the company is that God will continue to help them to take the right decision at the right time and I am hopeful that God will help me to repeat same feat next year”, Okeke enthused.

Also expressing her satisfaction with the outcome of the conference, Mrs. Pat Iloba, SKG Pharma’sgeneral manager (Sales and Customer Care) described the conference as extremely successful and highly rewarding to both the company and the distributors. She also thanked the distributors for their efforts and commitment to the company’s drive towards delivery of quality pharmaceuticals to Nigerians.

(Middle) Mr.Chizoba Okeke of Jonaco Pharmacy, Onitsha, Winner of the National Best Distributor Award pose with his trophy. On his immediate right is Mrs. Pat Iloba, GM Sales & Customer Care and on his immediate left are Pharmacist Olufemi Ismail Adebayo, national chairman, ACPN and Pharm OkeyAkpa, managing director, SKG Pharma.

Imagine that you have been walking along an isolated road for two days with no food or water and the sun is blazing down on you.  Suddenly, you notice a well in the distance. Even though you are tired, you run with anticipation because you know that your thirst will be quenched. When you reach the well, however, you see a rope dangling over the opening, but no bucket. Deep down inside the well is what you need to satisfy your thirst and sustain your life, but you have no access to it.

This is a picture of humanity cut off from its life-giving source.  The leadership spirit exists deep down inside the makeup of every person because we are made in the image of our Creator and have an inherent dominion spirit. Yet we cannot fully manifest this gift in our lives because we do not have the resources to access it.  We have lost the Spirit of the Creator, and we have lost our awareness of the leadership spirit, as well as the mind-set that enables us to exercise it effectively. Humanity’s lack of connection with the leadership spirit has led to a loss of true leadership in the world.

Let us look more closely at our dilemma through two related illustrations. First, water is potentially a source of power. When it is harnessed, it can be used to run machinery, such as in a water mill. For this to happen, however, (1) you have to have access to the water, and (2) you have to have the machinery in place. If you are unable to harness the water or you donot have the proper machinery set up, then the mill cannot fulfil its purpose. It is the same with the spirit of leadership.

The loss of the spirit of leadership is also like buying a new computer that has all the hardware to enable you to run programmes and carry out their functions but then not having any power source to run the computer.

Suppose, then, that you discover a power source and plug it in. The computer is powered on and ready to go, but you still need software for it to be of practical use to you.  You have the knowledge of what the computer has been designed to do, and all the components of the hardware are ready for use.  The potential is there, the ability is there, everything the manufacturer put into it is there, but it is almost as if you do not own a computer because you canot do anything with it.

These two examples illustrate the two-pronged nature of our problem.  First, even though our potential as leaders is still within us, we have lost our connection with our Source of purpose and power. Second, even if the connection were to be reinstated, unless we obtain the right “machinery” or “software” – that is, unless we discover how a leader is meant to think and operate (the spirit of leadership) – we still won’t be able to fulfil our potential. Simply put, the leadership spirit is the inherent hardware, and the spirit of leadership is the software necessary for the hardware to function.

In the Bahamas where I live, we are located in an area called the “hurricane zone.” From time to time, we are subjected to the uncontrollable force of nature, as the phenomena of the elements conspire to remind us of our vulnerability. During the hurricane season of 2004, when the monster hurricanes named Gene and Francis followed each other on a path right across our archipelago, I remember how helpless I felt. My wife and I made all our preparations and then sat waiting for the long-announced arrival of the category 4 and 5 storms. During one of the storms, the winds bore down on us like a living monster and shook the battened-down windows.

Suddenly, the electricity went out, and we were left sitting in darkness.I reached for the flashlight and surveyed the room. Then I took a walk through the darkened house and checked everything to make sure the shutters were holding. As I examined the rooms with the flashlight, I noticed the many items we had accumulated that had become so important to us, but that now were completely useless: the large-screen television, VCR, CD players, air conditioners, computers, printers, and other high-tech “toys” we had purchased.

I stood there in the dark for a moment and thought about all the power, potential, benefits, pleasure, and untapped functions trapped in each of these items that were completely useless and unbeneficial to me at that moment. They existed, but they could not contribute to my present situation and life. They were filled to capacity with possibility, but they could not deliver. Why? Because they were cut off from their source – theirpower-supply.

I then saw a true picture of mankind: a powerful creature full of divine potential, talents, gifts, abilities, untapped capacity, creativity, ingenuity, and productivity, who himself had been cut off from his power supply.  Now, he walks the earth, living far below his intended privilege and capacity, victimised by his ignorance of both his Source and himself.

The loss of our source of purpose and power has led to a myriad of negative outcomes because of the confusion that inevitably resulted. The following questions have been asked by countless generations since Adam declared independence from his Source:

* Who am I?

* Where am I from?

* Why am I here?

* What am I capable of doing?

* Where am I going?

These five questions summarise the essence of the human struggle and are what I, over the years, have called the questions of the human heart. They control everything that each human being does and are the motivation for all human behaviour.  All our social, economic, spiritual, and relational activities spring from the pursuit of answers to these questions. Until they are answered satisfactorily, there can be no personal fulfilment, and life will have no meaning.

These questions address the five most important discoveries in the human experience: identity, heritage, purpose, potential, and destiny. They are the heart of the leadership struggle, and when answered, they give birth to true leadership.

Culled from THE SPIRIT LEADERSHIP by DR. MYLES MUNROE

Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Great opportunities come to all but many do not know they have met them. The only preparation to take advantage of them is simple fidelity to what each day brings. – A. E. Dunning

Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them. Everyone must be challenged. A day dawns, quite like other days; in it a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us. – Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. – Bill Cosby

 The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. – Steve Jobs

The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible. – Joel Brown

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. – Carl Bard

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. –  Robert Louis Stevenson

 In this enlightening chat with Temitope Obayendo, Pharm. Alfred Imonite Kio, the superintendent pharmacist of Duwin Pharmaceutical & Chemical Company Ltd., Lagos,  reveals, among other valuable beauty tips, how constant use of sunscreen products and herbal cream formulations can delay the ageing process in humans. Excerpts:

What motivated Duwin Pharmaceutical to go into cosmetics production and circulation?

The connection of Duwin with cosmetic products is through her sister company named Edkeen Industries Ltd., which is into the manufacturing of Movate brand of cosmetic products, where I served as the general manager.

Edkeen went into cosmetics production to meet the needs of consumers for customised and better formulated products that impart beauty, nourishment and protection to the skin and hair of the users. The company is also capitalising on the positive reputation of the brand name Movate has acquired in ethical pharmaceuticals.

The world is rapidly going herbal in health-related matters. Are there some natural molecules that can enhance body beauty aside from artificial cream?

Well-formulated cosmetic products, when used by the consumer, ensureprotection of the skin, cleanliness, personal hygiene and nourishment to the body; thereby promoting the health of the individual.

Formulation of herbal creams in cosmetic products add useful enhancement to the beauty of the body. Examples are aloe vera gel, jojoba, shea butter, neem oil and even fruit acids like glycolic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid and tartaric acid. These natural molecules have different enhancement properties to the body of individuals. These properties are cleansing, lightening, moisturising, protecting, and so on.

As a stakeholder in the beauty and cosmetics industry, how effective is the anti-ageing and sunscreen claims of some creams?

Sunscreen products, from the name, are basically intended to prevent harshness of sunlight on the skin of individuals. It is well known that harsh sunlight can lead to sunburn, darkening of the skin, skin cancer and dermatitis. These symptoms are more common in the North, where the sun is harsher.

Use of sunscreen prevents these symptoms. Continuous use of sunscreen products prevents development of wrinkles and sagging skin and this property is referred to as anti-aging. Sunscreen agents, when used with skin lightening products, enhance lightening effect because of the sunscreen property.

It was once reported that deodorants have adverse effects on users. Is this true?

Deodorants are used to prevent body odour. They are mostly formulated with perfumes and anti-perspirants. Anti-perspirants have aluminum salts in their formulation. When applied to the skin, mostly the armpit, the aluminum moiety reacts with the electrolytes to form a gel. This gel blocks the sweat pores, thereby reducing perspiration or sweating. But aluminum salts are implicated in allergic reactions in some people and contact dermatitis in others.

So, which would you advise for use: perfumes or deodorants?

It is advisable to use perfumes or deodorants without aluminum salts.

What is your advice to dealers in the industry, as regards circulation of counterfeit products?

Counterfeit products, from the name, are never the same as the original products. There could be defects in formulation, production procedure, purity of raw materials, etc. Their use could be dangerous to the health of the consumers. For instance, use of substandard relaxers can burn or damage one’s hair and even burn the underlying skin. The general advice is that dealers should avoid counterfeit products. 

(By Pharm. Nelson Okwonna)

Science is the systematic study of natural phenomena; it often is intended to be for the purpose of improving the lot of humanity.

In the pharmaceutical Industry, science is that which we engage in to find better products and processes for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases.

It is a given that science should be done in a manner that assures sufficient profitability for all stakeholders in the venture. The aim of profitability is to encourage future engagement in the pursuit of such interesting matters.

On another plane, science is owned in a way by the individuals that have exerted or are responsible for the exertion of mental, physical and technological resources, in the quest of developing relevant solutions. We have established Intellectual Property laws and systems to ensure that these individuals are sufficiently rewarded for their ownership.

The philosophy of science is, therefore, a theoretical evaluation of the principles by which individuals engage in these beautiful process; it deals with how we  decide on what to study, how to study and how to ensure that the products emanating from our quest are actually useful to humanity and in such manner that humanity will appreciate our efforts.

This last bit on “appreciation” may not be apparent to everyone; however, it is at the heart of modern day science. Also, the need for utility (or usefulness) of the products of research efforts may not be apparent to everyone either. Notwithstanding, to the individual or entity responsible for the cost of engaging in scientific enterprise, a certain degree of reward is expected – not necessarily monetary, but a reward nonetheless.

On a macro level, science and the organisation of science have greatly changed our world and have created the world economies. The productivity of every nation is directly proportional to the effectiveness and efficiency of its science and the management of same. Sensible governments therefore take their sciences seriously; they know that much more than volume, management and effectiveness are essential. Hence, on a macro level, the philosophy of science would deal with the attitude required to lead science and development efforts.

In a recent debate at the British House of Commons, Prime Minister, David Cameron, was quizzed by the leader of the opposition party on the preparedness of his cabinet to mitigate the effects of the planned takeover of AstraZeneca by Pfizer on British jobs and science. In a heated response, Mr. Cameron stressed the country’s past and continued policy of engaging the drug makers to ensure that British science, technology and jobs are adequately protected. Both leaders understood the critical relationship between the ownership of their science and the economic fate of their nation.

On a micro level, the philosophy of science seeks to evaluate the mannerisms of the individual engaged in scientific processes – their vision of reality and its dynamism, as well as their procedure for making inferences from observed phenomena.

This article however seeks to look more at the macro level – on the leadership of science.

The management of innovation

The pharmaceutical industry is changing on a global scale. We are seeing and will definitely see more mergers and acquisitions, as global brands seek to increase the profitability of their firms. This may not lead to an improvement in health but is essentially more for the benefits of shareholders. These changes are caused by the declining results from research and development investments (an issue that a study of the philosophy of science evaluates at a micro level), leading to fewer blockbusters; and as patents expire, it is not surprising that companies are shifting grounds.

Also, with the increasing shift towards generics prescribing in the wake of broader national health insurance coverage and declining government expenditures on health, there are more reasons for concern. For us in developing economies, the point to note is that, as global brands consolidate, the next thing from a business point of view will be for them to build structures that will help harness the best of the market that exists here. We already have significant Asian presence; but we will see more in the near future. There is great need, therefore, if we could borrow from Prime Minister Cameron’s concerns, to engage every party that seeks to do business in Nigeria in such a manner that will help us in the long run.

The dynamics of a global economy portend that developing countries like Nigeria with little or insufficient manufacturing capacity and poor physical infrastructure will have a non-competitive business economy, except their governments could adopt policies that will considerably insulate their economies from global shockwaves. This will require a lot of skilful manoeuvring and bargaining and for the leaders of their sciences to focus their efforts on maximising their few competitive advantages.

For Nigeria, the growing market size, GDP and availability of potential raw materials comprise our major competitive factors. The essential feature of the leadership of science for us is to provide the motivation for science. In other words, it is only by protecting our market and delineating the most profitable paths for our research endeavours and promoting sufficient engagement can we be said to be really poised to providing sustainable research and development (R&D) leadership.

In this light, the effort to sanitise our drug distributorship network is not a matter of personal preference; it is a necessity for survival, without which any little decrease in the GDP of our nation will simply make our indigenous firms to disappear. This disappearance has happened before and it is for the simple reason that most of our local manufacturing facilities were not competitive and operated in an unprotected environment. Protective government policy, therefore, is not a gift but a necessity for survival.

Beyond survival

To lead science in a global economy, we will need to look beyond survival, as protective government policies may not be relied upon for a lifetime. We should desire to fly, as it is only in such flight that our future will be most secure.

To achieve flight in this age, there is the need to look to our science to help us devise structures that provide a certain level of synergistic efficiency. By this, I refer to technological clusters that allow for the availability of the principal elements for entrepreneurship within a particular geographical setting.

Like most big cities, the city of Lagos, for example, provides an illustration of what clusters offer. The sheer volume of human beings, certain level of infrastructure, and regulatory and financial organisations provide the pool, comprising the market, finance, human and technological resources required for productivity to happen, and at a relatively cheaper rate.

R&D/manufacturing clusters seek to create similar efficiencies for certain industries. For them to happen effectively, sufficient science is required to delineate the modus operandi; management will and muscle must be exerted and government commitment must not only be heard but also seen. Hence, there willbe the need to achieve a meeting of minds; in other words, leadership must happen and for sufficient duration.

The challenge with the nature of leadership required is that the sheer magnitude of skills required to achieve the thoughts enumerated here are hardly domiciled in any particular individual, and even when they are, there are obvious limits on the rate and efficiency of deployment; hence it is not a leader that must emerge but, rather, leading teams.

For the pharmaceutical Industry, these teams would need to combine market skills with research skills and sufficient influence with the government, not to mention that some folks must come along with bags full of money!

Another important challenge is that for individuals with the skill and dexterity required to lead science in our age, their competences are already enough to achieve survival and a bit more. If this article is effective, it will be that it has helped someone decide for somewhere beyond survival.

If we think about it on a micro level, survival was never the goal of science; Adam did not have to worry himself contemplating why ripe bananas turn yellow before he could eat them. However, we will always thank God for those Adams who ask those important; “beyond-survival” questions.

Have you ever wondered why there are such marked physical differences in the various classes of humanity? In some persons we see diseased and distorted figures, and in others we see fine and perfect personifications of radiant health? It depends so much on their thinking and eating.

Most people are only hanging on to life; they are not able to work magic. But you, as a magician, must know just how to be radiantly fit and mentally alert. As a magician, you must know how best to keep fit, and how to extend your life and live a long, long time. All the magic in the world that you may work for yourself is of little value unless you are radiantly fit and able to live a long time to enjoy it.  If you are beginning to make wonderful demonstrations (and you should be doing so by now), then you need glorious health to enjoy the fruits of your success.

By eating the right foods you will be able to say, “Gone are the aches and pains, the feelings of fatigue, the deadly lassitude that kills.” You will no longer turn over in bed in the morning to sleep a while longer. You will be up with the lark, singing, glad to be alive.

You will not be touchy and irritable any more. You will never know what it is to be exhausted. This is the perfect existence. Life for you will be grand.  “The wind’s on the health, brother; who would wish to die?” That’s how you will feel when you are well.  Your swimming pool, your Rolls-Royce, your yacht, your palatial home, your dreams that have come true through the magic in your mind, what use are they if you are sick and tired? How can you enjoy your new-found treasures, if you are old and weak?

Youth! Eternal youth! That’s what you want. Bronzed and beautiful and everlasting. Are you losing your youth? How are you losing it? And why? Left too long, youth can never be recovered. If you are not as young as you used to be when life was fun, if you are fully conscious that you are getting older, and begin to feel as one does during the last dance of a ball, tired but keen, then decide right now to do something about it.

You can remain young in spirit and fit in body until well over a hundred. Many people do. It is not just a matter of your attitude to life and thinking the right thoughts, but it’s a matter of what you eat. There are foods which help enormously towards giving you the power to work magic. And there are foods which gradually numb the mind, like slow poison, so that you can never, never have that power.

Let magic play a vital and fuller part in your health plan. As a magician, you have the power to bring health and beauty to the highest standard that the world has ever known, and a real tranquility to your mind.

So let us consider food, and what we eat often.

·      Bread

Bread, they say, is the staff of life. What sort of bread? Brown or white? This argument has been going on officially since Nero put the Romans on a diet of bread. Nero and his Court liked it white. Is there any difference between brown bread and white, as regards food value, sufficient that it matters?

I think so. A lady said to me the other day, “My son and daughter have each collected some tadpoles to observe their metamorphosis into frogs. My son put some white bread crumbs in his bowl for them to eat; my daughter put brown bread crumbs into her bowl. The next day, all my son’s tadpoles were dead, but my daughter’s are still thriving.”

You like white bread and you eat quantities of it. White bread is treated to maintain its colour, but the agent used may be slowly doing to you as a white-bread eater what it rapidly did to the more fragile tadpoles.  Don’t you agree? Maybe it is slowly killing that “something” in your mind that works magic.  That precious “something.”  I don’t say it is, but I think there is a strong possibility.

Brown whole-wheat bread is the best, because the wheat germ and the outer coating of the wheat contain most of the vitamins and minerals we need, whereas white-bread bakers remove the essential ingredients before selling to other firms, or as animal feeding. They can make a little money on the side, so to speak.

Do we lose anything from our diet by eating white bread instead of brown whole-wheat? “Of course we do,” says Mr C. Donald Wilson, member of the Soil Association. “The millers take out 30 per cent of the nutrition in wheat.” Like this, even if they put a little bit of it back, essential vitamins are lost from our diet.

When you start adding chemicals to food and adulterating natural food, harm and ill-health are bound to result. Why do the Indians, the Africans, the Hunzas, enjoy such perfect health? Because they eat pure food grown on natural soil. To bring out the magic in your mind, you must give thought to these things.

Culled from BRING OUT THE MAGIC IN YOUR MIND by AL KORAN

(By Adebayo Oladejo)

The recent induction and oath-taking ceremony of 141 Pharmacy graduates of the University of Lagos took a more glamorous and celebratory dimension, as it was announced that a total of eight students who graduated with distinction were all females.

Chairperson of the Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs), Lagos State Chapter, Pharm. Modupe Ologunagba, and other members of the association present at the induction beamed with delight at the disclosure.

While speaking with pressmen, Pharm. Ologunagba said she was even more delighted that over 50 percent of the graduands were females.

“The fact that over 50 percent of the graduands today are ladies is a thing of pride to the association…This is a good development for the pharmacy profession because females are more stable in their careers and if we go back to history, Pharmacy actually started with the women; so it’s like bringing back history to reality.”

She seized the occasion to advise the female graduands not to abandon the practice of Pharmacy, assuring them that ALPs has a very strong platform for them to excel in whatever area of the profession they wished to pursue.

The ALPs boss further revealed to the graduating students that the scarves bearing the name and logo of the association, which were shared to them, was a symbol of their acceptance into the association.

“The scarf is an innovation and we are doing this in order to motivate and mobilise our membership, and now that we have realised that majority of the graduands are females, we want them to start having a sense of belonging from today, so that they can contribute positively to the vision of the association.”

Reacting to the warm gestures of ALPs, one of the female graduands, Fasanmade Abiola Odunayo, who was clearly overjoyed, said she was happy to be part of the ceremony, adding that she was prepared for the challenges ahead because she had been taught a lot of things that she needed to know, in order to cope in the real world.

“I am going to practice Pharmacy and nothing will take me away from Pharmacy,” she enthused.

On her opinion of ALPs, Odunayo said, “I am already a member because they have given us forms to fill and we have done every necessary thing to become part of them and I can’t wait to join them.”

 (Adebayo  Folorunsho-Francis)

 In this interview with Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis, Chairman of Mastoofy Supermarket & Electronics Ltd, Pharm. (Deacon) Adebowale Robert Tade, expresses weighty views on the different areas of pharmacy practice in Nigeria and why he thinks pharmacists in the country are not respected or appreciated enough.Exerpts:

Tell us a little about yourself

For someone who believes in both paternal and maternal sides, I always claim to hail from two states in Nigeria – Ijagbo community in Kwara and Ikogosi in Ekiti.

I was born on 16 February and presently nosing 70 years. I went to Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta (a school whose motto is “nulli secondus” – second to none – and has produced a head of state, top academicians, erudite jurists, business moguls, top company executives for this nation and myself). I graduated from the School of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, where I attended from 1965 to1970.

I have travelled extensively across the globe for general and senior management studies, courses in financial management/accounting studies and strategic planning skills. I had my internship in one of the busiest children hospitals in Africa, Massey Street Hospital, Lagos. After working there for a while, I made up my mind to quit hospital pharmacy because there was no respect for the pharmacy profession in hospital pharmacy practice.

Why did you say that?

I will come to that later. It is not something I want say at the beginning of this interview.

Tell us about your work experience then         

I first worked with Burroughs Wellcome. I was one of those who first launched Septrin, Actifed, Neosporins and some others. I later moved up north and worked with Beecham. At a point, I wasn’t satisfied with the state of things at the company because I was the only sales representative covering the most of the then northern states up to Lake Chad. I was always busy travelling from one end to the other. Eventually I got fed up. One day, I was forced to ask myself what I was doing in the Chad area. I left the company and returned to the south where I got an appointment with Pfizer in 1973 as medical representative.

I got promoted as the ethical product manager in 1975, after some very competitive on-the-job tests and interviews. Thanks to Pharm. Douglas Egbuonu for his forthrightness and the Late Pharm. Dr Fred Adenika for his thoroughness and leadership. Detribalised Nigerians they were.

How did you feel about your promotion?

I can only thank God for His grace because, shortly after that, I moved in quick succession from product manager in 1976 to marketing manager in1978 and head of the pharmaceutical division as division manager in 1981.

By dint of hard work, I worked my way up to becoming Pfizer’s deputy managing director in 1985, the first Nigerian pharmacist to be so appointed and also elected to the Board of Directors of the company. It was a long wait but I enjoyed it anyway to the glory of God. Pfizer businesses registered astronomical growth in income and competitive edge in the short and medium term after my historic elevations.

Again, because of politics in the workplace, coupled with subterranean manoeuvres, I was moved to the then ailing Animal Health division of Pfizer to grow the business under the notion that I was an excellent turnaround management expert. I was named the country manager of Pfizer’s Animal Health Business, which included Livestock Feeds Plc.and veterinary pharmaceutical business. Pfizer divested its businesses in Nigeria later between1996 and 1997 and I became the chairman and managing director of Livestock Feeds Plc.

Following the divestment, Pfizer needed a seasoned manager for its 100 per cent-owned Pfizer Specialties Ltd., a company which operates in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. I was recalled by Pfizer New York headquarters and was named country manager, chairman and managing director. I was very active in all the regions. I launched some new Pfizer ethical products, including Viagra and Norvasc, and also posted unprecedented profits in all of the regions. I was at the helm of affairs for seven years and retired thereafter in 2005 in excellent health. Glory to God Almighty.

I thank God that I am still standing, long after my retirement. Now, I have dedicated my full time to doing God’s work and assisting in the running of Mastoofy Limited, a company my wife established after her earlier retirement in 1998.

In retrospect, can you confidently say studying Pharmacy was a good decision?

I will say that it was a good decision. After all, I achieved my set objectives of becoming a pharmacist and made my mark in the industry. I was also fortunate to have led the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world in terms of research and development, high volume sales and relatively high bottom-line figures over years.

What was the profession like in your day compared to today’s practice?

Depending on where you place yourself. In my day, the respect was really not there. But today, it is even worse, which is why I mentioned earlier that it depends on where you place yourself, your personal profile and the angle you are looking at it from. Do you respect yourself? Fine. The public will respect you likewise.

Tell us more about controversies surrounding the practice during your time

(Laughs) This also depends on the arm of pharmacy practice you are referring to. If it is industrial pharmacy, respect was there; it is still there and will still be there. In the industry, people like me competed with other professionals. It is a multi-disciplinary sector. Even as a pharmacist and deputy managing director also in charge of Pfizer Animal Health, I was privileged to head the animal feed section. In spite of my not being a veterinary doctor or an animal health specialist, I had veterinary surgeons who reported to me daily. That was born out of the profound respect they had for me. In me, they saw an innovative management guru, and an informed leader.

As general manager of Pfizer and, later, as chairman/managing director, I had finance directors, veterinarians, medical doctors, human resources directors and manufacturing plant directors who actively reported to me over the years. All of these people are candidates for the top job in the pharmaceutical industry and the best is usually given the top job. So, it is a competitive arena and you just must be proven to be ahead of them in all parameters of business and management of people and financial resources.

I thank God that Pfizer exposed me to relevant postgraduate general management and financial courses, some of which were done at Columbia University and Turfs University in the USA. I also thank God that I was trainable and progressively justified the rationale for my wide exposures to worldwide seminars and interaction.

Does that mean you never had any controversial issue at the industrial pharmacy level?

I cannot really say the challenges I encountered can be called controversy per se. But you have to prove your mettle still, especially when you have diverse people reporting to you all the time.

To me, Pfizer remains the biggest pharmaceutical giant to date. Whoever works in the company must be adequately equipped to do the job well. If, in the process of training, you don’t perform well, they will drop you. Unlike some pharmaceutical companies where you could present unproven reports, in Pfizer, operating results emanating from you must be robust and in line with the company’s short to medium business plan.

For our annual budget, I was in charge and, honestly, an annual budget document was about 200 pages,A4, single space, in narratives and data, all supported by research and encompassing secondary/desk research and primary/in-depth interviews. New products launch plans were rooted in so many surveys, requisite research work, collating etc. All of these ordinarily were veritable documents/thesis which qualified for PhD awards (laughs).  Many of our budget documents, new products lunch plans were references for future managers to develop their skills and excel in our competitive business operations environment.

What about controversies at hospital, academic and community pharmacy levels?

Yes, I agree there were problems in hospital pharmacy. Now we have the directorate of pharmacy which wasn’t there before. But before this could be achieved, it was “battle royale”. Quite some intrigues there.

In the area of academic pharmacy, there were some things missing in the past that have now been addressed. At least, we now have deans heading various pharmacy faculties. This was missing in the past. We thank God for the elders and forerunners who fought gallantly to have them in place. That was another battle.

But when it comes to hospital pharmacy, the kind of intrigues going on there is quite disturbing.

Maybe you can tell us why you had to quit hospital practice

I told you I would come back to that. Well, when it comes to health institutions, especially at the Massey Street Hospital where I worked, we resumed as early as 8.00am, counted tablets at the counter, prepared mixtures, made some emulsions and read/interpreted prescriptions and dispensed as necessary.

I remember I once queried the hospital specialist’s prescription. He was furious but I stood my ground because my training was instructive that he was wrong. Thank God, my superintendent pharmacist had to agree with me, albeit reluctantly.

We rarely prepared emulsions. You see, when I left pharmacy school, I was of the opinion that we would have a small production unit to work from. Definitely not what I encountered! There was no desired respect for us (pharmacists) because our scope of operation was limited. Patients’ counselling on use of medicines, ward-round checks on prescriptions were not allowed or readily tolerated in the system. That was why I made up my mind to quit. I was wasting away at the hospital.

Do you mean the general public don’t accord pharmacist due respect too?

They don’t even have an idea of what we do. Doctors, surprisingly, also pretend not to understand what pharmacists could do, or are trained to do. That is why you hear them at times asking, “What do pharmacists do?”

Do you know that there are times we are compelled to query some of these doctors’ controversial prescriptions? But the public wouldn’t know this. Their concern is just to pick up whatever is prescribed for them. In truth, the average pharmacist is not putting up to 10 per cent of what he/she studied in pharmacy school into practice. In a serious society, the government would have addressed such issues. But here in Nigeria, our government is not encouraging pharmacists at all.

Are you aware that in Europe and in the USA, some drug labels and adverts carry inscriptions that patients should contact pharmacists or doctors for consultations as necessary? The understanding of roles of pharmacists and doctors is clear and well-understood in the civilised countries

What about pharmacists working in private hospitals?

Those ones are worse. The kind of scandals that go on in private hospitals are more serious. How many private hospitals have a standard pharmacy in place, with pharmacists in charge? Only a few. In some cases, what you see are bunch of untrained nurses and illiterate salespersons placed behind a counter to dish out drugs. It is an insult to the profession. It is a serious issue that I think the government should look into.

I don’t want to make it look like the PSN is not doing enough. But I believe most [erring] private hospitals in Nigeria should have been brought to book. Any private hospital without a pharmacist should be sanctioned. Just imagine all the professional charges they collect! In most cases the private hospitals inflate the prices of drugs. The content of hospital bills in private hospitals is lopsided, cost of medicines is about 50 per cent of total hospital bills, and no pharmacist is in the employment of the private hospital. What a shame!

You didn’t say anything about community pharmacists. Are you impressed with them?

(Laughs). If we have to address community pharmacy practice in detail, I will say it is quite enormous. But I will just mention a few. In our days, our headache used to be patent medicine dealers. But today, I have observed that the problems associated with community pharmacy are worse than before.

Tell me, how many pharmacists who retired from hospital, academic or industrial pharmacy practice can wholeheartedly say they are interested in setting up a community pharmacy? Not many. This is because they are aware of the problems with running such practice now. Too many quacks have taken over the profession.

Additionally, community pharmacy is a key service arm of pharmacy practice which many pharmacists desire to be involved in. But community pharmacy has currently been dominated and changed into family business in locations with relatively high economic activities. Other locations available are yet to open up for minimal sustainability. Many are just crawling and slowly growing into sustainable economic levels that could make a pharmacist break even in the practice.

Establishing pharmacies in village-type streets in urban areas will not support the basic living conditions of young pharmacists or even some elderly ones, who were not favoured to open up community pharmacies on lucrative streets and are edged out by a cartel of powerful pharmacists who influenced “regulations” to become everlasting “lords” on commercial roads with high human traffic, even dominating hospital zones.

The truth is that some older and very influential pharmacists have cornered community pharmacy practice without qualms, a selfish and domineering behaviour, forgetting that the whole earth is for the Lord God and we all are mortals who will pass away someday.

What are the challenges facing pharmacy practice in Nigeria and how can they be surmounted?

Several challenges have evolved over the years, and the culture, attitude and environment have constituted the main problems for Pharmacy and every other profession and, indeed, the individual Nigerian.

Until justice and fairness become our watchword, there can never be peace in the professional arena. The challenge of practising any profession morally and ethically would always be a distraction and any gain by one would be viewed as a loss for the other. There are certainly enough laws guiding the profession, but respect for the law is often applied subjectively.

How best do you think the issue of fake drugs and counterfeit medicines can be curbed?

The problem of fake drugs started several years back. When I was the marketing manager of Pfizer, I tried my best to curb it, as majority of Pfizer products were also being counterfeited.

I recall a time when we took some offenders to court, the subject matter is described in legal parlance as ‘passing off’. We had about 35 varieties of counterfeited Pfizer’s TERRAMYCIN in the market ranging from names like Termicin, Tercin, Tamycin and about 30 others. We managed to win some cases, but we lost others.

Personally, I think the government is not doing enough to help us in this regard. There should be punitive laws for culprits. While I will not support death sentences for culprits, I think long term imprisonment will serve to deter several others

How do you mean?

It is simple. Why allowing open drug markets in Nigeria when, actually, in China, if the government catches you doing this, they will kill you immediately? But Nigeria has been treating the issue with kid’s gloves because of vested interests. We need an enabling law. I remember how my life was at risk during the raid we carried out on Onitsha market back then. Open drug markets are now everywhere, in Lagos, Kano and others.

What is your view concerning growing fears among young community pharmacists that the old ones are not accommodating?

This is why I said earlier that community pharmacy has been messed up. My grouse is that patent medicine stores and even pharmacies not owned by pharmacists are sited within the 200-meter gap and without sanctions. This “rule” must be abrogated or systematically reviewed to be devoid of selfishness of elders in the profession.

Also, some elders are lording their appetite for domination over current and upcoming generation of pharmacists. Some elders in the profession should rescind abuse of their previous exalted positions and privileges previously enjoyed which influenced the 200 meters “rule” to their advantage. This unpopular “rule” is not an Act of parliament and the implication is clear. The examples often cited of some countries and elsewhere are in error as there are lots of enabling incentives for young and upcoming pharmacists I those places. The draconian 200-meter gap rule should be significantly reduced to about 20  meters in hospital areas.

My view is that in hospital areas of about one kilometre radius, ideally, pharmacies could cluster as close as 10 meters apart. Competition should be allowed to play itself not domination and perpetuity of family practice, as it is today. In areas distant from hospital catchment, not more than 25 meters should be allowed. To ask pharmacists to open premises in untapped streets and villages, places without access roads, infrastructure and economic viability are non-existent, is outright invitation to militant resistance and litigations against PSN/PCN in no distant future. The time is now for review.

Is the rule not an attempt to make more pharmacists move into rural areas instead of the over-saturated urban areas?

So I was told. But where is the potential in that? Where is the economic activity? Now you expect the pharmacist to make N100 all day, not even N1,000. The proponents of this policy or call it selfish elders are not realistic. It is not a law of parliament but a policy put together by some selfish elders. It is an outright infringement of the fundamental human rights of pharmacists, yes it is. Very unaccommodating, I must say!

 How active were you in PSN-related activities?

I, together with the likes of Pharm. Ogundibo, Pharm. Bob Manuel of Glaxo and some few others pioneered the establishment of the Industrial Pharmacists group, an arm of the PSN in the early ‘80s. From my time as marketing manager to general manager, deputy managing director, to chairman/managing director, I strived to cause Pfizer to support the PSN at local and national levels in meetings, debates, and in resolving topical issues, including policy of engaging pharmacists by companies as pharmaceutical representatives, pricing guidelines to companies, ethical practices by companies etc.

Every year at the PSN annual national conference from 1977 to 1988 and, particularly, in the era of Nigeria’s SAP(Structural Adjustment Programme), as a pharmacist at the helm of affairs in Pfizer, I made sure Pfizer solely sponsored all key PSN conference opening buffet lunch. Pfizer painted the PSN conference programme red with products adverts to inform and educate all on Pfizer research -based products.

Pfizer partnered well with the PSN. It was a win-win deal as Pfizer successfully launched many of its key research -based products at the time. Several other companies are today on the queue to support the PSN with programme adverts and buffet lunch at the annual PSN meetings.

Let me seize this opportunity to commend the literary ingenuity of Elder Pharm. Atueyi for his pioneering efforts on the Pharmanews journal. Pfizer, under my leadership partnered with him through innovative centre-spread adverts, which commenced with FELDENE centre-spread advert from 1980/1981 and beyond. It is now well emulated by other companies. It was Atueyi then and I in action.

From my exposure to Pfizer veterinary pharmaceutical business from 1987 to 1998, I knew that veterinary business, if well managed, is more profitable than human pharmaceutical business but many pharmacists are unaware. Some level of understanding is required by pharmacists to also be involved in veterinary pharmaceutical practice. Therefore, in 1992, I got together the deans of the faculties of Pharmacy in three of our universities, dean of a veterinary institution and the then registrar of the Pharmacists  Council of Nigeria to deliberate, decide and agree on curriculum/courses on veterinary medicine in Pharmacy degree programme. The blueprint from the two-day meeting, which was held at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, seems moribund but I pray it will be revived soon.

I am a Merit Award winner, Courtesy of PSN, Lagos State Branch; a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN);and a Fellow of theWest African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm.).

How do you see the annual PSN national conferences?

The jamboree aspect is about 60 per cent, while the scientific aspect which is educational, sort of continuing education in Pharmacy, is about 30 per cent. The balance of 10 percent is for politics. I enjoy it though. But it is advisable to shift the priorities when we have policy decisions – we should know who is to do what and strive to report back by next conference.

If you were not to be a pharmacist, what other profession would you have opted for?

When I was in secondary school, there was this dog we had with yellow eyelids. One day, the dog misbehaved, became a threat to people and my father shot it. Being a biology enthusiast, I took it upon myself to bury it. I exhumed it after some weeks and skilfully put every skeletal bone in their proper place. As brilliant as I was, I identified all the bones, the vertebral column as I was thought in school (including the skull) correctly. Perhaps I could have become a surgeon or doctor. Against all expectations, I turned out to be a pharmacist. I think it was partly because I saw some pharmacists compounding medicines at the Ilorin General Hospital when I was on the queue to collect a cough medicine. I was really impressed!  I also saw a pharmacist at a time searching for herbs and also sorting out some leaves, combining and grinding them to make some concoctions. You know that pharmacognosy is also a vital part of Pharmacy.

As an elder in the profession, what is your advice to young pharmacists?

They need to be definitive and decide early enough which arm of pharmacy practice they desire to be involved in. They need not beat about the bush. It doesn’t matter whether you are in hospital, industrial, community or academic pharmacy practice– the sky is your limit. They must work hard, adequately equip themselves and, above all, allow the fear of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct them. That’s the key to success.

I think they can also take a cue from Pharmanews.  Atueyi is someone I know is quite principled. He knew what he wanted to do from day one. At one point, he was editor of the PSN journal. He wasn’t well equipped for the job because the PSN wasn’t taking the publication as serious as he and, indeed, some of us desired. But his flair for hardwork and focus saw him succeed. This is why I said people should work toward their goals.