By Jude Atupulazi
The New Executive Members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Anambra State Chapter, have been charged to embrace peace and unity by working together to change the face of pharmaceutical practice in the state.
The charge was made by the Commissioner for Housing, Anambra State, Hon Pauly Onyeka, while receiving the new executive of PSN on a courtesy visit at his Jerome Udoji Office Complex in Awka, recently.
He expressed dismay over the way things were going in the association and accused the members of being guilty of the low age of the profession.
He mentioned some of the issues affecting the association to include lack of love, selfishness, greed, recklessness, rush for quick money and external influence by the national officers in Abuja, on creating of Coordinating Wholesale Centre which failed to sanitize the industry in the state.
‘It is always good that where ever you are, you have to create a name for yourself and the future, because whether you like it or not, there must be things they will associate to you, either negative or positive. l therefore, expect to hear about the challenges of the association and not activities which is infinitesimal among problems affecting the association,’ he said.
Onyeka noted that the last election of the association was a tug of war, adding that it was badly conducted and that nobody informed him but he was only invited for the inauguration.
He used the occasion to call on the members of the association to join politics in order to be on vantage position to change the face of the PSN in the state.
Earlier in his remarks, the chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Anambra State Chapter, Pharm Emeka Okpana, said their mission was to present the new executives before the commissioner and thank him for his support and assistance to the association.
In his contribution, the Secretary of Board of Fellows (BOF) in the association, Pharm Uche Apakama, acknowledged the efforts of the commissioner in the immediate past administration which signified his relevance and capacity to the state.
He therefore called for the assistance of the commissioner in the upcoming summit of the association next year.
Pharm Apakama explained that the summit had economic impact on the state and would showcase the governor’s achievements to be seen by the participants who, he said, would be around for two weeks and wondered the clog that had been holding the creation of the Coordinating wholesaler’s Centre at Oba for central drug distribution in Anambra.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Association of Community Pharmaceutical of Nigeria, Pharm Henry Iloh, pleaded with the commissioner, to take their request to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who is expected to attend the National Pharmaceutical Conference next year in the state.
At the event, it is expected that the commissioner will be inducted as a fellow of the association.
In a vote of thanks, the secretary of the association, Pharm Onyeka Obodoguo, thanked the commissioner for what he described as his fatherly advice and support and promised to implement those suggestions raised in the meeting, he noted that the day marked the beginning of new things to happen in the association.