UNILORIN Inducts 29 New Pharmacists 

pharmacy

As PCN warns against Register-and-Go Syndrome

Consolidating on the gains of the last five years, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has once again inducted 29 fresh graduates into the pharmacy profession.

The 4^th induction and oath-taking ceremony which held on 30 August 2019 attracted eminent pharmacists, members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Kwara chapter), Fellows of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), medical officials from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), academic staff of the school, parents and several pharmacists in academia.

In his opening address, Dr Olushola Aremu, acting dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences explained that since inception in 2010, UNILORIN’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has witnessed tremendous growth both in terms of physical infrastructure, quality teaching and non-teaching staff.

“Our admission quota has also increased from 10 students in the 2010/2011 academic session to 60 in the 2018/2019 academic session,” he noted.

Speaking further, the acting dean disclosed that curricula for post graduate programme in four departments in the faculty have been approved by the UNILORIN senate.

They included Master of Science Programmes in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration as well as Pharmacology and Taxicology.

“Let me use this occasion to thank the vice- chancellor and members of his team for the continuous support of pharmacy programme in UNILORIN,” he expressed.

According to Aremu, the unflinching support being extended to the faculty was what propelled the immediate past president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to confer an honorary membership of the society on him (with Award of Excellence) at the annual conference in Ibadan (Oluyole 2018).

In a related development, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, vice-chancellor, UNILORIN has urged the new pharmacists not to let the school down by being good ambassadors of the institution.

Abdulkareem bemoaned the manner in which quacks have been allowed to infiltrate the pharmaceutical sector and admonished the new pharmacists to uphold the tenets of the profession by shunning all vices.

“UNILORIN is the guiding light of excellence among Nigerian universities. You need to make good use of your mandatory one-year service (NYSC) and continuously update your training in line with current trend,” he charged.

The vice-chancellor also applauded the deans (present and past especially Prof Philip Olurinola), heads of departments and academic staff of the faculty for playing their role well.

Warning the graduands against professional misconduct, Pharm N.A.E Mohammed, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (represented by Dr Anthony Idoko) stressed that perpetrators of such ignoble act would be referred to the PCN disciplinary tribunal which has the status of Federal High Court in Nigeria.

“If you are found guilty, sentences such as removal of such pharmacist(s) name(s) from the pharmaceutical register for a given period could be passed.

“This is why you are expected to keep off from the Register-and-Go syndrome which has tarnished the image of pharmacists and has brought the profession to ridicule,” he cautioned.

Shortly after the 29 pharmacy graduates took their oath, Yusuf Abdulganiy, the overall best graduating student was called up to pick his prizes. Among other things, the young brain clinched four categories of awards namely PCN Registrar’s Prize, PSN (Kwara Chapter) Prize, Late Prof. Abdulkarim Agunu Memorial Prize and WAPCP Fellows’ (Kwara / Kogi Branches) Prize.

Other prize winners included Aishat Alaran and Oluwatomi Odunola who both won the Lubcon Award for Best Graduate in Pharmacy Management and Okpaleke Foundation Award for Best Graduating Student in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice respectively.

Other dignitaries in attendance were Pharm. Gbenga Falabi, keynote speaker; Pharm. Susan Ayetoro, zonal coordinator, WAPCP Fellows; Dr L. O. Odeigah, deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (C-MAC Clincal), Dr Mohammed Amali, sub dean of the faculty; Hakeem Sonde, bursar, UNILORIN and Pharm. Bakau Alli, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Kwara Chapter).