The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) recently highlighted a significant migration of pharmaceutical professionals, reporting that 9,850 individuals have left the country within the last five years in search of foreign employment. During the 45th Annual National Scientific Conference in Abuja, National Chairman Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh warned that this exodus poses a severe threat to the national healthcare framework.
According to data from the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, 9,000 professionals departed between 2021 and late 2026, with an additional 850 leaving in the first half of 2026 alone. Popular destinations for these departing pharmacists include the UK, Australia, Canada, and various Asian markets. Ezeh attributed this trend to inadequate compensation, lack of career development opportunities, and failing infrastructure in drug distribution.
Addressing the proliferation of counterfeit medications, the association proposed aggressive legislative changes. Specifically, they recommended life imprisonment and full asset forfeiture for repeat offenders involved in fake drug distribution. The ACPN also urged the federal government to establish a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy to reduce reliance on regional bodies and to standardize the Drug Revolving Fund to improve medicine procurement.
Furthermore, the organization emphasized the escalating national crisis of substance abuse. With over 21 million Nigerians reported to be misusing psychoactive substances, the ACPN identified factors such as unemployment, porous borders, and weak oversight as key contributors. The group called for enhanced funding for regulatory bodies like NAFDAC and the NDLEA, along with stricter legal consequences for public servants caught participating in the illegal drug trade.
