By Uzo Ugwunze—
Pharmacy technicians in Nigeria have called for stronger collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to close professional borders, combat quackery, and eliminate fake drugs across the country.
The National President of the Reformed Forum of Pharmacy Technicians in Nigeria (RFPTN), Pharm. Tech. Shagba Humphrey T., made the call while delivering an address at the ongoing 99th PSN Annual National Conference, IJELÉ ’26, in Awka, Anambra State. He described the occasion as the first-ever official appearance and address by pharmacy technicians at a PSN conference.
Shagba commended the PSN President, Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba, for his visionary and inclusive leadership, noting that the partnership between both bodies has grown through sustained engagement.
However, he decried the decades-long career stagnation facing pharmacy technicians, who often spend 30 to 35 years in service and retire with the same National Diploma they started with—unlike other health cadres who enjoy clear academic pathways from National Diploma (ND) to Higher National Diploma (HND), Postgraduate Diploma (PGD), and Master’s degrees. He urged the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) to establish structured academic progression to restore professional dignity.
Shagba lamented that pharmacy practice in Nigeria has become dangerously porous, with practitioners from various backgrounds operating Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and community outlets, while certified pharmacy technicians remain restricted. He emphasised that all pharmaceutical service points should be manned exclusively by pharmacists and certified technicians.
Among their demands, the RFPTN called for setting the pharmacy technician qualification as the minimum legal baseline for dispensing medicines, integrating certified technicians into PCN enforcement teams, and deploying them to Primary Health Care centres under task-shifting policies.
In his welcome address, PSN President Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba underscored the conference theme, *”One Health, One Pharmacy: Bridging Knowledge, Practice and Policy for National Impact,”* reaffirming the profession’s commitment to responsive, evidence-based healthcare and full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.
