…Demands declaration of pharmaceutical insecurity as national security threat
…Says diverted tramadol, other controlled medicines fuel terrorism, violent crimes
…Hails NLC, TUC, JOHESU over 19 months’ arrears, CONHESS adjustment
By Chioma Obinna
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare pharmaceutical insecurity a national security threat, warning that the proliferation of unregulated drug markets and diversion of controlled medicines are creating dangerous links between drug trafficking, banditry, terrorism and organised crime.
The Society also called on the Federal Government to replace open drug markets with licensed Coordinated Wholesale Centres, insisting that the procurement, storage, distribution and dispensing of medicines, particularly controlled and psychoactive drugs, must remain under effective government supervision.
PSN President, Pharm. Ayuba Ibrahim Tanko, made the demands in Awka, Anambra State, while delivering his presidential address at the opening of the Society’s 99th Annual National Conference, tagged PSN-IJELE 2026, at the International Convention Centre.
Tanko, who expressed concern over what he described as growing pharmaceutical insecurity, maintained that drugs were not ordinary commercial commodities but products with far-reaching public health, regulatory and national security implications.
“Drugs are a matter of permanent regulatory control and national security,” he declared.
He argued that the Federal Government must not surrender the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain to private commercial interests, stressing that government involvement was indispensable to effective regulation, accountability and national security.
The PSN president’s intervention comes amid growing controversy over the Federal Government’s Medipool initiative, approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2025 as a National Group Purchasing Organisation, GPO.
Although the initiative is designed to achieve lower medicine prices, reduce stock-outs, promote transparent procurement and support local pharmaceutical manufacturers, the PSN expressed reservations about its structure, legal framework and proposed operational arrangements.
Tanko clarified that the Society was not opposed to pooled procurement but insisted that the model must operate within the country’s legal and regulatory framework.
“The GPO idea itself has support. The debate is about structure and legality, not about pooled purchasing as such,” he said.
He questioned the wisdom of handing over the supply chain of public health facilities to a private company, citing possible conflicts with the Public Procurement Act 2007, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, PCN, Act 2022 and the National Health Act 2014.
According to him, the Constitution places drugs and poisons on the Exclusive Legislative List to ensure uniform national regulatory control because of their public health and security implications.
He further argued that a private takeover of the pharmaceutical value chain could weaken collaboration among government institutions and regulatory agencies, particularly the PCN, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
“Government cannot transfer its standing at the cooperation and goodwill that NAFDAC, the NDLEA and the PCN extend to Federal Health Institutions. The same latitude cannot be granted to a private concessionaire,” he warned.
In making the case for stronger government control, Tanko linked the diversion and abuse of controlled medicines, particularly tramadol and pentazocine, to the country’s worsening security challenges.
He cited NDLEA findings identifying the abuse of diverted controlled medicines as a major factor associated with banditry, terrorism and violent extremism, adding that Nigeria has an estimated 14.3 million drug users.
He also referenced the November 2025 arrest of a suspected supplier of tramadol, codeine syrup and other drugs to bandits operating across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
In another instance, he cited the NDLEA’s interception of 1.6 million tramadol pills in July 2026 in a cross-border trafficking operation reportedly bound for Kano.
The PSN president said illicit pharmaceutical trade, money laundering and insecurity were interconnected, warning that weak traceability and unregulated drug markets were creating opportunities for smuggling and the financing of organised criminal activities.
He maintained that strict public custody of medicines, particularly controlled and psychoactive drugs, from procurement to dispensing, was both a healthcare necessity and a security safeguard.
Tanko also raised concerns over the influx of fake and substandard medicines into the country, citing NAFDAC’s reported destruction of counterfeit and substandard products worth approximately N1.5 trillion between June 2025 and June 2026.
He said the agency also secured 64 convictions during the period, while recalling that regulators sealed 3,027 shops, warehouses and stores during enforcement operations at Idumota, Lagos, in February 2025.
The PSN president argued that the magnitude of counterfeit drug trafficking required a more robust government-controlled distribution and monitoring system.
He also questioned the adequacy of provisions in the Medipool arrangement regarding liability for counterfeit products supplied by third parties.
Tanko further raised questions about Medipool’s regulatory credentials, alleging that the company had been registered as a retail pharmacy rather than as a wholesaler or distributor with verifiable experience in large-scale pharmaceutical distribution.
He called on the Federal Ministry of Health to undertake proper regulatory due diligence and confirm compliance with the PCN Act before proceeding with any private-sector engagement.
To address the challenges, the Society outlined seven recommendations, including the declaration of pharmaceutical insecurity as a national security threat and the replacement of open drug markets with licensed Coordinated Wholesale Centres.
It also called for the integration of more than 10,000 community pharmacists into the national security architecture as frontline stakeholders who could provide early warning and report suspicious pharmaceutical activities.
The Society urged the Federal Government to expand the NHIA’s Pharmacy First initiative, as proposed by the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria.
It also proposed a special fund against illicit financial flows in healthcare, to be financed through one per cent of assets seized from drug trafficking, for strengthening regulatory enforcement and rehabilitation programmes.
Another major demand is the fast-tracking of the Federal Drug Revolving Fund and Drug Management Agency Bill, which the PSN said had passed first reading at the House of Representatives in 2025.
The proposed agency, according to the Society, should provide a legally protected central purchasing and supply platform for federal health institutions.
Under the arrangement, Medipool could participate as a pooled price negotiator or framework supplier, provided its engagement was competitive and non-exclusive.
The PSN further insisted that purchasing decisions, quality assurance, storage, dispensing and the handling of controlled medicines should remain under government pharmacists working in collaboration with the PCN, NAFDAC and NDLEA.
It also called for a Presidential Committee on the Pharmaceutical Sector under the direct auspices of President Tinubu, to be chaired by a registered pharmacist recommended by the PSN, with representatives of the PCN, NAFDAC, NIPRD and the Society.
In a separate development, the PSN commended the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, over what it described as significant progress in negotiations with the Federal Government on the long-standing adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS.
Tanko said the engagements held on October 22 and 27, 2026, had produced important commitments towards resolving the prolonged dispute over the adjustment of CONHESS, which he noted had remained outstanding for years after the adjustment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS.
He particularly acknowledged the contributions of two JOHESU representatives, including a pharmacist who served as the union’s spokesperson, during the negotiations.
According to him, the discussions secured an agreement for the payment of 19 months’ arrears of allowances owed to health workers, to be redeemed in three tranches over three months, beginning December 2026.
He also disclosed that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, had undertaken to complete an updated assessment of the financial implications of the CONHESS adjustment within three weeks.
The updated costing is expected to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to grant the necessary approvals for implementation.
Tanko explained that the review had become necessary because changes in staffing levels across Federal Health Institutions might have affected the N49.6 billion projected cost contained in the Federal Government’s 2022 Technical Committee report.
He also commended the TUC for insisting that the Federal Government honour its agreement with organised labour, which led to the suspension of an 84-day strike by health workers earlier in 2026.
The PSN president appealed to the NLC and TUC to ensure that the outstanding CONHESS adjustment was concluded with the necessary NSIWC circular and salary tables before the end of 2026.
He described the development as an important step towards addressing the longstanding disparity in the remuneration of health professionals.
The conference, which has brought together pharmacists from across the country, is expected to feature scientific sessions, town hall meetings, the Society’s Annual General Meeting and other professional engagements.
Tanko expressed gratitude to the Anambra State Governor for hosting the pharmaceutical community and providing a conducive environment for the gathering.
He urged pharmacists to use the conference to explore new opportunities, strengthen professional practice and contribute to the development of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He said the gathering should provide an opportunity for critical discussions on the future of pharmacy practice and the role of pharmacists in addressing the country’s healthcare and pharmaceutical security challenges.
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