Ogun Gov  Extols Late Prof Salako’s Contribution to Healthcare

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, has  described the late Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, Professor Lateef Salako, as a blessing to the nation’s healthcare system because of his indelible footprints on the sand of time.

Abiodun made this remark at the memorial lecture of the late Salako on the theme: “The Science of Pharmacology in Health Care: The Nigerian Scene.”

He acknowledged that Salako, who passed on in 2017, was a physician of international repute. “His quest for knowledge, love for mankind and desire to be a thorough professional took him around the world, thus making a positive impact on humanity.”

According to the governor, the memorial is a viable platform not only to celebrate Salako’s fulfilled life but also his contributions to humanity and the course of mankind.

He emphasised: “The theme could not have been more appropriate. This is because ever before our country needs more research into drugs or medication action and its agenda effect on the human body system.”

Earlier in his keynote address, the Guest Speaker and Pro-Chancellor of the Kogi State University, Professor Ibrahim Abdul-Aguye, called for the establishment of more clinical trial centres across Nigeria to help detect local toxins and ease referral.

Abdul-Aguye said that although there is a wide yawning gap in the number of residents willing to take up pharmacology in Nigeria and the West African Postgraduate Medical Colleges in comparison to those willing to enroll in other specialties in internal medicine.

“The infrastructure needed for both training and practice is grossly inadequate. Drugs and medicines whose plasma levels need to be routinely measured for efficient therapeutic outcomes are not handled properly,” he decried.

The pro-chancellor, however, recommended that the government and other stakeholders including the Nigerian Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (NSCPT) “Re-introduce a 12 to 15-month professional Master’s Degree in Clinical Pharmacology, establish national clinical trial centres, and establish a national toxicology centre.”

Abdul-Aguye, therefore, called on the government and all stakeholders to team up and restore pharmacology in the country for better healthcare.