PSN-BOF Commends Atueyi’s Impact on Elder Pharmacists

pharmacy

The new leadership of the Board of Fellows of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN-BOF) has acknowledged Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director, Pharmanews Ltd, for his impressive efforts in coordinating and compiling the list of elder pharmacists, particularly in ensuring that 12 of them attended the recently concluded 97th Annual National Conference of the PSN in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Pharm. Uchenna Apakama, the newly elected chairman of the PSN-BOF, made this remarks in his first official visit on Monday, when he led the new executives of the Board in a courtesy visit to the octogenarian publisher of Pharmanews, at the company’s corporate head office, Mende, Maryland, Lagos. He expressed deep gratitude to Atueyi for his tireless efforts in supporting elder Fellows, particularly those aged 80 years and above.

Apakama praised Atueyi’s inspirational leadership style and diligence, which have been instrumental in their success.

“Recently, you impacted this very grand mission, and it defined elders in the profession,” Apakama said. “Nobody has done that before. Structurally, you planned for it, and you followed it structurally.”

The PSN-BOF boss noted that Atueyi’s dedication to identifying and highlighting the contributions of elder pharmacists has been exemplary. “Every day, you dig at more pharmacists who are in their 80s and above. You tell us where they were born, the village, which school they went to. We can’t imagine ever doing that.”

He also commended Atueyi for his love for the profession and his care for the elders, highlighting how this is a key aspect of being a Fellow of the PSN. “The primary essence of being a Fellow is to care for one another,” Apakama emphasized. “But it’s not mandatory to be a Fellow to become an elder.”

The PSN-BOF chairman also praised Atueyi’s courage in venturing into Journalism after studying Pharmacy and ignoring pessimistic views to excel at his dream. “Many of us thought it was nonsense then, we thought that Journalism is only for people who have failed out of school, who carry pen and paper as journalists. But he, after he went to school, chose to do Journalism. People thought he was just wasting his time. But every day, Pharmanews keep flying.”

He continued, “I know there used to be only the print copy of Pharmanews then, I used to subscribe then, and will be sent six copies in a year. At that point, my library would be as big as this. But thank God for the online edition. So, every day, there’s been a change in Pharmanews. What has not changed is himself. He has not changed as a caring and loving father.”

Atueyi expressed appreciation for the visit, describing it as a memorable one given that it was the first official visit by the new executives. He also commended Apakama on being the first chairman from Anambra State. He went down memory lane to identify Sir Chris Efobi, as the only PSN President that has ever emerged from Anambra State in 1974.

“I charged you to be resolute in making impact during your three-year tenure as chairman,” Atueyi said. “You must seek divine guidance in order to make your  administration successful.”

He also emphasised the importance of prioritising elders’ welfare during Apakama’s tenure, recalling his own efforts since 2015 to champion elder cases within the PSN. “I have identified about 120 pharmacy elders, although I haven’t reached all of them personally,” he said.

Atueyi highlighted the challenges faced by these elder pharmacists, including health, economic, and social problems. He expressed his commitment to continuing his efforts in supporting them and ensuring their welfare.

This self-imposed assignment, he said, “has made it possible for us to know very many of the elders. Our analysis shows we have 21 per cent of Anambra State origin, 18 per cent of Ogun State and 9 per cent of Oyo State origin.”