PCN Inducts 116 OAU Graduates into Pharmacy Profession

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has inducted 116 pharmacy graduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) into the pharmacy profession.

The event held recently at the campus in Ile-Ife, Osun State was the major highlight of the activities marking the 60th anniversary of the university’s faculty of pharmacy.

In his welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Prof. Francis Oladimeji said that the new pharmacists were the 2021 and 2022 graduating sets of the Faculty. 

He said 31 of them were graduating with distinction while the remaining 85 had passed degrees.

“They have been thoroughly baked to veer into any human endeavours for success and survival,” he said.

Oladimeji congratulated the inductees for their resilience and determination to survive at all odds.

He urged parents and guardians to continue their oversight responsibilities of guiding the young professionals through the school of life.    

In his speech, the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Pharm. Ibrahim Ahmed described the oath-taking and induction as one of the key requirements prescribed by the PCN Establishment Act which has to be fulfilled before registration as a pharmacist. 

He said: “As you take the oath today and become inducted members of the pharmacy profession, I urge you to maintain high ethical standards and leadership skills as prescribed by the PCN.

He encouraged them to endeavour to be worthy professionals to attain excellence in providing quality pharmaceutical services to sustain health care delivery in Nigeria.

“As pharmacists, you are expected to get yourself acquainted with the code of professional ethics which prescribes your professional and moral responsibilities to the patients, to your pharmacist colleagues, other health care professionals, your employer wherever he may be as well as the general public among others.

“Strict compliance to the code of ethics is indispensable for the practice of pharmacy profession anywhere in the world,” he outlined.

After being successfully registered as a pharmacist, Ahmed said they would have the opportunity to positively compete favourably with their colleagues whom they aspire to be like in their areas of practice. 

“It may be of great interest to you that there is no limitation to where each of you can get to in life,” he added.

“Pharmacy is a noble profession. It provides you, as new graduands, the prospects of practising in different fields of the profession.

“This cuts across the industry, the community, hospital pharmacy practice, administration, research, academia and even in other fields of human endeavour such as ICT, journalism and governance, meaning that you have a lot of opportunities ahead of you.”

However, Ahmed told them they require due diligence and appropriate guidance and mentoring to excel in those areas. 

“Ensure that you identify a mentor that will guide you through the area of your interest,” he implored the inductees.

He further dissuaded them from indulging in unwholesome practices, saying the Council frowns at professional misconduct in its entirety.

“Refrain from any act of misconduct as this will be treated with all seriousness it deserves. 

“The PCN Act has provided for the establishment of an investigative panel as well as the disciplinary tribunal as a mechanism for handling issues of professional misconduct,” he warned. 

Earlier in a keynote address, Pharm. (Mrs) Folashade Lawal, a renowned community pharmacist and fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy admonished the new pharmacists to stand tall and be ready to discover, develop and deliver new potentials.

“Develop and embrace the right values. The more you make discoveries the more you can develop the discoveries. 

“My dear inductees, the world needs you. God wants you to stand tall and the decision to stand tall rests on you,” she said.