… Demand presidential panel, tighter regulation, local manufacturing boost
By Chioma Obinna

Mixed reactions on Sunday trailed the Federal Government’s reduction of import tariffs on drugs and pharmaceutical products under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, FPM, with industry leaders welcoming the move but warning that without deep structural reforms, the impact on drug prices and access may be limited.
The Federal Government had in a document dated April 1, 2026, and signed by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, approved sweeping tariff adjustments across 127 product lines, including antimalarial medicaments now pegged at 20 per cent, as part of efforts to stimulate growth and ease the cost of critical imports.
While pharmacists say the policy could improve access to essential medicines, they insist that weak regulation, counterfeit drugs, and poor support for local manufacturing remain major obstacles.
In an interview with Vanguard, the
President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Pharm. Ayuba-Tanko Ibrahim, described the tariff cut as a positive step but cautioned that the gains would depend on complementary policy actions.
“A drop in duties on drugs and pharmaceutical products is quite laudable. In normal circumstances, this should signpost a drop in prices of these products and promote accessibility to drugs and healthcare, albeit legitimately,” Ibrahim said
“The PSN appreciates and commends the commitment of the Federal Government in the ensuing scenario,” he added.
However, he warned that more needs to be done to sanitise the sector.
“It is noteworthy that the Federal Government must do a little more in terms of regulation and control of drug matters in Nigeria. Government must see a need for urgent intervention with a template akin to an all-purpose special vehicle that can help fix fundamental issues pertaining to local manufacture and drug prices,” he said.
Ibrahim further highlighted the persistent challenge of fake and counterfeit medicines.
“We must redress the issue of fake and counterfeit drugs, especially because of the unending cycle of a preponderance of unregistered pharmaceutical premises. There is also a need to support local content in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, APIs, and vaccines availability to increase the contribution of the pharmaceutical sector to national GDP,” he stated.
He also called for the implementation of long-delayed policies.
“Once again, we must ensure that the Federal Ministry of Health-approved National Drug Distribution Guidelines, NDDG, sees the light of day. For this and more, we have in the past urged the Federal Government to set up a Presidential Committee on the Pharma Sector which will be driven by a seasoned registered pharmacist.
“Lawfully and experientially, only the technical skills of a pharmacist can fix this mandate,” Ibrahim stressed.
In his reaction in a chat with Vanguard, former PSN President, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, said the tariff cut aligned with the National Drug Policy 2021 but questioned why similar interventions in the past failed to yield expected results.
“We must salute the sagacious conduct of the Federal Government for another well-intended move to improve accessibility to affordable drugs in line with the National Drug Policy 2021.
“This development throws up a kaleidoscope of colours, but the critical and fundamental question is why we are not getting results from the paradigm shifts the government attempts to bring to bear in the pharma sector,” Akintayo added.
According to him, the problem lies in poor implementation driven by the wrong expertise.
“There is one major reason, which borders on the perennial utilisation of wrong drivers to move a purely creative endeavour like the pharma sector. Recall the attempt of the Federal Government to reduce drug prices through an Executive Order about two years ago. We warned that the move would be dead on arrival if salient professional parameters were not built ab initio into the concept.
“The results are there for all to appraise today,” he said.
Akintayo called for a return to foundational reforms.
“We must start from basics, including redressing regulatory fees in our sector, while also allowing the Trade and Commerce Ministry to handle certain fundamental approvals wrongly appropriated by some MDAs, probably on the basis of naivety,” he noted.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action.
“To fully tackle drug cost issues, President Tinubu must employ principled stubbornness laced with civility to establish the long clamoured Presidential Committee on the Pharma Sector. This measure will drive conviction, fairness, and firmness in the national interest,” he stated.
Akintayo outlined key areas the proposed committee should address.
“A Presidential intervention will drive legislative action to legitimise the Federal Government-sanctioned NDDG, define the scope for local drug manufacturing, and determine what Nigeria should import.
“It should also ensure immediate amendment of the existing fake drug Act to provide stronger deterrence for offenders, and develop statutory templates for pharmaceutical education reforms, including a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacists to build a pool of experts across industrial, hospital, clinical, and community practice,” he added.
Also in an interview with Vanguard, Similarly, National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, called for a change in government strategy, insisting that technical issues in the sector require professional leadership.
“For the umpteenth time, we strongly solicit a change of strategy in government’s resolve to reduce drug costs,” Ezeh said.
“This is both a technical and professional matter best left in the hands of a Presidential Committee on an ad hoc basis with defined terms of reference within a given timeline,” he added.
Ezeh emphasised the role of pharmacists in policy coordination.
“This might work out if the Federal Government consults the PSN to recommend fit and proper persons for such a national assignment. You will agree that similar efforts not coordinated directly by registered pharmacists have failed repeatedly in our experience,” he said.
Also reacting to in a chat with vanguard, Chief Executive Officer of Engraved Pharmacy, Pharm. Jonah Okotie, said the tariff adjustments show marginal gains in some areas but little change in critical drug segments.
“Compared to 2023, nothing has changed for antimalarial products. It’s still the same 20 per cent tariff for imported products,” Okotie said.
He, however, noted modest relief in medical devices.
“On breathing apparatuses and gas masks, there is a reduction from five per cent to zero per cent, which is an improvement and is expected to see the prices on these devices come down,” he stated.
According to him, while the gains may appear limited, they are still significant.
“Though it looks small, it is a very welcome development,” Okotie added.
He stressed that the broader objective of boosting local pharmaceutical production remains largely unmet.
“Both the 2023 FPM and the 2026 FPM are supposed to promote and enhance local production capabilities, but more needs to be done to make this a reality,” he said.
It could be recalled that under the 2026 FPM, the Federal Government reviewed import duties across key sectors, including food, automobiles, industrial inputs, and pharmaceuticals, to balance revenue generation with economic stimulation.
The policy replaces the 2023 regime and introduces new excise duties and a green tax surcharge expected to take effect from July 1, 2026, while granting a 90-day grace period for importers who opened Form ‘M’ before April 1
Government said the reforms are designed to support local industries, reduce the cost of critical imports, and improve access to essential goods, including medicines.