As a means of ending the year in a celebration mode, the Lagos State branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) held its last General Meeting for the year 2018 and End of Year Party in a colourful way, with lots of winning and dining, on 12 December, 2018, at the Pharmacy House, Ogudu, Lagos.
The memorable occasion, graced by a great number of members, who filled the hall to capacity, had the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a special guest of honour in attendance.
Appreciating the members for their support and dedication to the association all year round, the Chairman, Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran urged them on the need to practice by the ethics of the profession, which will always keep them on the right track.
She stated : “My word for the members is that they should be determined to practice ethically, work according to the law, so that they won’t be harassed and will be able to impact the populace, that we are serving and it shall be well with all of us”.
Adeniran further expressed her profound gratitude to the Almighty God, for sparing their lives and for the divine enablement to achieve the goals of the state branch in the outgoing year. Highlighting their major activities for the year, she started mentioning from the annual lunch earlier held in the year with fantastic attendance, the completion of the Pharmacy House, payments of the annual dues, “and that is why you can see the improvement in the structure .The pharmacy House is putting on a new look and I can I assure you that this is just the beginning”.
On his own part, the state branch’s PRO Pharm. Kola Sumonu urged governments to put in place favourable legislations for the benefits of all professional bodies in the coming year. He decried the present situation with policy summersaulting, which shows inefficiency on the part of government.
According to him: “The importation policy at the ports is not encouraging because of the dues and levies you are to pay. The inconsistency of government’s policy is not helping in that area as well. The way forward is for government to focus on the petro-chemical industry here, because some of the raw materials we are importing here can be sorted locally, but because the petro-chemical industry is not developed, it is a big loss to the pharma industry and when things continue in this manner, there may not be an head way”.
Addressing the pharmacists at the occasion, Mr Sanwo-Olu thanked them for the opportunity given to him to appear in their midst, saying he was ready to work the state branch for the development of the profession in the state.
Notable among several promises he made to the Lagos pharmacists was the inclusion of a Pharmacy Faculty in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the absence of which he described as an omission, since the establishment of the institution.
