The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has issued a public memorandum to President Bola Tinubu, calling for an immediate end to what it described as the institutionalized marginalization of non-physician health professionals across Nigeria’s education and health sectors.
In an open letter signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, the ACPN accused the Federal Government of repeatedly yielding to what it called the blackmail tactics of physician-dominated associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The pharmacists’ association cited recent events at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where physician-lecturers reportedly downed tools in protest against the appointment process for the institution’s next Vice-Chancellor.
The ACPN alleged that similar pressure tactics were successfully deployed earlier at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), leading to the nullification of a VC appointment by the Federal Ministry of Education under the leadership of Dr. Tunji Alausa, a physician.
According to the ACPN, these moves violate extant regulations of the National Universities Commission (NUC), which require Vice-Chancellors to hold a Ph.D., a qualification many medical doctors allegedly lack in favour of professional fellowships.
The association also raised alarm over disparities in remuneration, citing that physician-lecturers who double as hospital consultants earn nearly twice as much as their non-physician counterparts, while allegedly denying them equal consultant status.
The pharmacists cited widespread mismanagement across Nigeria’s 73 federal health institutions, revealing that many experienced total power outages in the first quarter of 2025 due to unpaid bills to power distribution companies.
The ACPN decried the Federal Government’s continued failure to implement inclusive, effective health policies. It described the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as “visionless,” especially
