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Court Summons Education Minister, Others over Scrapping of HND Pharmaceutical Technology
Alex Enumah in Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja, Tuesday, summoned the Minister of Education, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), over the planned discontinuation of the award of Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, summoned the minister and the two other defendants while delivering ruling in an exparte application brought by some aggrieved holders of the HND Pharmacuetical Technology certificate.
The three defendants are to appear before the court on Friday August 16, 2024, and show cause why the request for a restraining order against them should not be granted.
The NBTE had in a circular dated April 7, 2024, resolved to discontinue the award of HND certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology in all institutions under its control.
In the circular, the NBTE indicated that it will henceforth stop granting approval and accreditation of HND in Pharmacy Technician Programme but, will however continue to grant approval and accreditation of National Diploma in Pharmacy Technology.
The circular signed by the Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Prof Idris Bugaje, after a ministerial meeting in the Federal Ministry of Education, said that all students currently studying Pharmaceutical Technology in institutions across the country will be allowed to graduate but that there shall be no fresh admissions as from April 2024.
The circular also indicated that graduates of Pharmacy Technology may have no place in clinical setting according to PCN but can seek employment in other sector.
Displeased, the six plaintiffs through their lawyer, Wumi Adebayo, filed a commenced legal action last month against the NBTE and PCN.
Pending commencement of hearing in the main suit, the plaintiffs filed an exparte application to halt the implementation of the directives of discontinuing the award of HND in Pharmaceutical Technology.
They specifically urged the court to make an order of interim injunction restraining the two defendants from implementing or giving effect to the “circular with reference number C/TEB.792/VOL.I/270 dated April 17, 2024 titled ~ ‘Circular on Discontinuation of HND Pharmaceutical Technology Training in all institutions under the Purview of the National Board for Technical Education (NABTE)’ or further threatening or attempting to cease and/or stop the course/training of Pharmaceutical Technology in all institution under the purview of the 1st Defendant and/or preventing healthcare professional who are Pharmaceutical Technologist from using their certificate to work or gain employment in the Hospitals and healthcare/clinical settings in Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction now pending before this Honourable Court”.
After listening to the argument of the applicants, the court drew their attention to their failure to make the Minister of Education a party in the suit in view of the fact that the decision to discontinue the HND programme was at the instance of the minister.
Justice Lifu thereafter ordered them to go and amend their processes to accommodate necessary parties in view of the national and sensitive nature of the request being made from the court.
He ordered that upon amending their processes, they should serve same on the defendants who must appear in court along with the plaintiffs on August 16, 2024, to show cause why the request should not be granted.
“Considering the national nature of this case, I hereby invoke order 26, Rule 8 of the 2019 Rules of this Court to order the defendants to show cause latest by Friday August 16, 2024, while the reliefs being sought herein should not be granted as prayed in the motion exparte”, the judge held.
While the plaintiffs in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/911/2024 are Abdul Aziz Bello, AbdulRasheed Tanimu, Osaro Odeh, Comrade Olufemi Adebisi, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria and the National Association of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technicians of Nigeria, the two defendants are the NBTE and PCN.
