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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Traditional rulers, policymakers, health icons and pharmaceutical industry leaders have called on the Federal Government to urgently support Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, warning that the country’s heavy dependence on imported medicines poses a serious threat to national health security and economic sovereignty. The call was made at the 2026 Economic Outlook and CEOs Forum of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), held at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja. The high-level gathering urged the government to fast track its target of achieving at least 70 per cent local drug production by 2030.
Speaking as keynote speaker, the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, described Nigeria’s current pharmaceutical supply structure as dangerously fragile. He revealed that about 70 per cent of medicines used in the country were imported, with 82 per cent of those imports coming from a single country – India. According to him, such concentration represents a major national security risk and underscores the need for urgent political and economic action to build strong local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
The Chairman of the forum, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, reinforced the warning, stressing that overdependence on external sources for essential medicines exposes the country to economic shocks and weakens its resilience. He cautioned that no nation can claim true sovereignty while relying heavily on foreign suppliers for life-saving drugs.
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The forum, with the theme, “Re-imagining Nigeria’s Health Security: Local Production, Economic Sovereignty & Strategic Partnership,” was positioned as a strategic reset for Nigeria’s pharmaceutical landscape, focusing on ethical leadership, investment and long-term industrial planning.
Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Ameh Eghomwanre, described the event as a solutions-driven platform designed to bridge policy gaps and unlock investment. He noted that the pharmaceutical industry is ready to invest, expand capacity and create jobs, but requires policy clarity, regulatory consistency and reliable access to foreign exchange.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, who served as chief host, praised the leadership of the NAIP National Chairman, Bankole Ezebuilo,. He said the current NAIP administration had built on past foundations with renewed energy and vision capable of repositioning the association as a key driver of Nigeria’s health industrialisation. Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, former Minister of Health and widely regarded as the “Father of Pharmacy in Nigeria,” lamented that the pharmacy profession was “punching below its weight” in national development. He urged pharmacists to project greater influence and assert their strategic relevance in shaping health and industrial policy.
Legislative backing for the pharmaceutical reform agenda was signalled by the presence of Hon. Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, Member of the House of Representatives and Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on NAFDAC. He was joined by the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Pharm. Ahmed Babashehu; the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye (FPSN); and members of the PSN College of Past Presidents.
