The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has expressed deep concern over what it described as a growing wave of illegal drug distribution activities within federal hospitals, urging the Federal Government to take decisive action against those responsible.
The body alleged that some pharmaceutical companies and their superintendent pharmacists were flouting existing laws by running unregistered pharmacy outlets inside Federal Health Institutions (FHIs), sometimes with the approval or quiet support of hospital management and regulatory agencies.
Calling for urgent government intervention, ACPN appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare to investigate the matter, warning that the situation was undermining patient safety, professional ethics, and public trust in the health system.
In a statement issued on Friday, the National Chairman of ACPN, Pharm. Ezeh Igwekamma, faulted the Federal Ministry of Health for permitting private pharmacy operators to take control of hospital drug distribution under what he called “questionable Public–Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements and a breach of public trust.”
He said models like the Medipool experiment had opened loopholes that weakened the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) scheme—an initiative established under Decree 43 of 1989 (now Cap 252 LFN 2004)—which was designed to ensure the steady availability of essential medicines through sustainable funding mechanisms.
According to Igwekamma, the DRF system, when managed directly by pharmacists, has proven highly effective, citing the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, as an example where the pharmacy department successfully built a ₦200 million facility in 2014 without jeopardising the fund’s integrity.
He lamented that such pharmacist-driven successes were being eroded by irregular PPP arrangements in institutions like the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) Kano, National Hospital Abuja, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, and several Federal Medical Centres across the country.
Citing the Public Procurement Act 2007, the association accused some hospitals and their private collaborators of bypassing transparent tendering procedures, while also violating provisions of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Act 2022, which forbids private pharmacy operations within public health facilities and mandates full registration under the supervision of a licensed superintendent pharmacist.
Igwekamma alleged that over 20 pharmacy premises currently running under PPP arrangements were unregistered, adding that one company in Lagos had effectively taken over the pharmacy unit of a major teaching hospital while “invoking the names of senior officials to justify its activities.”
The association issued a stern warning to superintendent pharmacists whose licences are being used in such operations to regularise their status before the end of 2025 or face disciplinary action. It added that further penalties could follow under the Consumer Protection and Trade Malpractices Act.
Reaffirming ACPN’s stand on ethical conduct, promotion of local drug manufacturing, and protection of DRF funds, Igwekamma maintained that transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to Good Pharmacy Practice were fundamental to achieving national drug security.
“We must restore legality and professionalism to Nigeria’s drug distribution system. The health of our people depends on it,” he said.
