Defective appointment procedures: PSN threatens boycott of PCN activities

…delists Registrar, 2 others over unethical misconduct

By Sola Ogundipe
THE dust is yet to settle over concerns raised by pharmacists under the aegis of the Phamaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) over what is described as “defective appointment procedures” in sensitive regulatory agencies including the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Pointers to this development emanated weekend  following a directive by the PSN putting all its members on notice of a possible boycott of  activities of the PCN, pending a resolution of the issues at stake.

Prof. Osotimehin, Health Minister

A statement signed by Pharm. Anthony Akhimien and Pharm. Gbenga Olubowale  – National President and National Secretary  of the PSN respectively,  stated: “Council renewed its resolve to ensure that the PSN representatives earlier forwarded to the Honourable Minister of Health, in February, 2008, for appointment to PCN in pursuant of the salient provisions of section 3(1 )f of decree 91 of 1992 are so appointed.

“Council subsequently directed all States Chairmen to put their members and Superintendent Pharmacists on notice for a possible boycott of all activities of PCN.”

Commenting on what it described as “unethical misconduct of members” the statement, issued at the end of an emergency National Council meeting in Lagos,  noted that after critically evaluating the circumstances of unprecedented and glaring acts calculated to embarrass, ridicule and discomfit the PSN by the Registrar (names witheld), Council therefore approved the suspension of the Registrar as a member of the PSN.

Council also  approved  the delisting of the Registrar as a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and placed him prominently on the PSN roll of dishonour.  By this development, the delisted Registrar can longer participate in any PSN National and State functions nor represent pharmacists within and outside Nigeria.

The statement observed that  Council also approved  suspension of two other members of the Society (names witheld) and delisting of one of them as a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN) while directing they be placed on the PSN Roll of dishonour.

It noted that the affected pharmacists “their disrespectful and confrontational posture  truncated the bid of the PSN to dialogue with them on professional matters. Ten other pharmacists whose cases were reviewed received warning letters.