-Task New Kwara PSN Chairman on Excellence
Eminent Nigerians and pharmacists, including Kwara State Governor, Gov Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN); Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, former president, PSN and others have commended pharmacists for their commitment, consistency and support geared towards delivering quality healthcare to Kwarans, irrespective of their location in the state.
The governor, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Pharm. Adejuwon Otelaja led PSN executives as the 10th executive committee of the Kwara State Chapter of PSN, noted that the role of pharmacists in the society is very crucial, as pharmacists are closest to the grassroots.
According to the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, his administration will continue to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, while pharmacists role in the area of healthcare cannot be overemphasised.
Speaking at the occasion, Ohuabunwa urged the newly elected executives to keep the honour bestowed on them by the Society, by living up to expectations of the PSN, adding that assuming leadership position is a call to serve.
The number one pharmacist in the country, who was represented by the Deputy President (North), Pharm. Munir Elelu, further charged the new crop of leaders to strive for distinction in professional ethics, practice and morality, stressing that it is time to hit the ground running.
Pharm. Akintayo, who also doubled as the chairman of the occasion craved the indulgence of the new chairman to the need to always look inward into the profession to harness potentials of the practitioners for maximum benefit of the society.
In his farewell speech, the immediate past chairman, PSN, Kwara State, Pharm. Bakau Alli said he felt fulfilled for bequeathing a well-grounded and dependable chairman, as well as a wonderful crop of new executive members to the society.
The newly inaugurated chairman, Pharm. Otelaja promised to take the PSN to greater heights and ensure that pharmacists in Kwara State are accorded deserving respect as well as given right attention by government and stakeholders in the private sector
He said: ”It’s a new dawn for the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in Kwara State. I will work with my predecessor and other stakeholders in the industry to move the Society forward. I therefore solicit for your support and commitment to achieve our objectives.”
Speaking further, the elated new chairman said, one of the core projects of his administration is the Rural Pharmacy development initiative which aims to address the current shortage of pharmacies in the rural areas by providing incentives and support to encourage more pharmacists to move into the rural areas, saying he has instituted an Educational Grant Scheme to support pharmacists in their quest for academic and professional development.
During the inauguration ceremony, legal luminary, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali and Managing Director, Tuyil Pharmaceutical Company, Olusin of Ijaraisin, Oba Ajibola Ademola Julius, were decorated as new patrons of the society, while Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was decorated as grand patron of the society.
The immediate past executives of the PSN were also recognised for their contributions towards the development of the state chapter.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, Business School Netherlands, Prof. Lere Baale delivered the keynote address at the first edition of Kwara Pharmacademy with the theme ‘Optimising Opportunities in the Pharmaceutical Landscape in Nigeria Post-Covid’.
The event also witnessed the launching of N100 million endowment fund for capital projects of the state chapter.
Dignitaries that graced the occasion include: Kwara State Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Alabi; State Head of Service, Mrs Susan Modupe Oluwole; Executive Secretary of Kwara State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter; Registrar, PCN, Pharm. N A E Mohammed, represented by Pharm. Emmanuel Bayode; Wife of Rhema Chapel Senior Pastor, Pastor (Mrs) Adegboye; Coordinator, Board of Fellows, Prof. Philips Olurinola; National Chairman, ACPN, Dr Samuel Adekola; Chief Medical Director, UITH, Prof. A.D. Yusuf; PSN chairmen from Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun states and other stakeholders in the health sector.
