Onedo, Lawal, Onyechi, Others Win Pfizer, Biogenerics Awards

pharmacy

In recognition of their excellent contributions to the pharmacy profession in Nigeria, especially in hospital and community practice settings, the likes of Pharm. (Mrs) Titilayo Abidemi Onedo of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos; Pharm. (Mrs) Folashade Lawal, managing director, Victory Drugs Limited; Pharm. Ike Onyechi, managing director, Alpha Pharmacy Limited; Pharm.(Mrs) Mercy Gbenimachor; Pharm.(Mrs) Chinenye Onodugo, and Pharm. Wilfred Ugwuanyi, have been conferred with the 2020 edition of the prestigious Pfizer Excellence Award.

The award ceremony was part of activities at the closing banquet of the 93rd PSN Conference, held at De Distinguished Event Centre, Osogbo, Osun State, from 9 to 13 November 2020.

Placed into two categories, recipients of the award included Pharm. (Mrs) Titilayo Abidemi Onedo; Pharm.(Mrs) Mercy Gbenimachor, and Pharm. (Mrs) Chinenye Onodugo, for hospital practice; while Pharm. Ike Onyechi, Pharm. (Mrs) Folashade Lawal, and Pharm. Wilfred Ugwuanyi received in the community practice category.

One of the award recipients, Onedo, who is the chairperson of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) Lagos State Chapter, fortunately received double honour at the award ceremony as she also emerged winner of the coveted Biogenerics Integrity Award 2020, specially created for pharmacists practising in public-owned institutions. The award comes with a cash prize of one million naira and a plaque.

An elated Onedo expressed her profound gratitude to everyone who made the double awards a reality for her.

She said:  “I feel highly honoured to be a recipient of two big awards at the same time. You know most people get the awards at different times. I am sincerely grateful to the awarding companies, Pfizer and Biogenerics for the honour conferred on me. I promise not to disappoint them, as the awards will motivate me to do more for the profession and mankind at large.

“I also want to seize this opportunity to appreciate the management of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, for providing the enabling environment. I thank my colleagues in the hospital for the excellent team work and support which contributed in no small measure to making the awards a reality. 

“I particularly want to appreciate Mrs Hafsah Ameen-Ikoyi, Mrs Yewande Olorunsola, Mrs Dupe Alli and Dr Margaret Obono, for prevailing on me to apply for the awards even when I did not want to. It feels good when people around you appreciate the little service you render.

“I will want to say a big thank you to the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria for providing the platform for these awards. I am deeply grateful to the association and I pray the pharmacy profession continue to move from glory to glory. Long live Pharmacy. Long live PSN, long live Nigeria”, she remarked.

Pharm. (Mrs) Lawal also appreciated PSN and Pfizer for the recognition, while pledging that Victory Drugs Pharmacy would not relent in delivering excellent services. She also encouraged young pharmacists to aspire to receive the award.

She said:” All glory to the Almighty God, without whom we are nothing and can do nothing. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the PSN and Pfizer for this Award of Excellence in Community Pharmacy Practice.

“I appreciate all who have contributed in one way or the other to who I am today, from my parents to my lecturers, family, colleagues, friends, clients and of course, the entire Victory Drugs Pharmacy family. Victory Drugs, by God’s grace, will never relent at delivering excellence and I hope this award inspires upcoming pharmacists to strive for professionalism, dignity and integrity in their practice of our noble life-saving profession”, she stated.