The First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, has called on professionals in the pharmaceutical industries to invest more and build on existing legacies in order to revitalise local industries for greater innovation. She added that this would go a long way in strengthening pharmaceutical research, regulation, and local production.
Mrs Abiodun made the call on Wednesday, while speaking at the 2025 Pharmacy Week organised by the Ogun State branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
The first lady, speaking on the theme, “Harnessing Pharmaceutical Innovations for Equitable Health Care in A Rapidly Evolving Economy”, asserted that the increased budgetary allocations to the health sector in this year’s federal and state budgets were evidence that the healthcare system is climbing higher on the nation’s priority list.
She commended the society for its consistency, high ethical standards, and dedication to professional excellence, but cautioned that domestic institutions, pharmacists, and government now bear a greater burden of filling the void left by the gradual withdrawal of vital funding and support from international partners.
She said, “We must begin to build resilience through domestic resource mobilisation and strategic public-private partnerships.
“We must begin to strengthen institutions like the proposed Ogun State Pharma Resource Hub, to ensure that we have the local infrastructure needed to produce, store, and distribute medicines effectively.”
The chairman of the occasion, Samson Osewa, in his address, revealed that in order to fully utilise pharmaceutical innovation, they must work together with the public sector, commercial industry, academic institutions, and civil society organisations.
According to him, providing everyone with access to quality healthcare is not merely a goal but also a duty and commitment to each person who deserves it.
In his welcome speech, Adewale Adenugba, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ogun State Branch, emphasised the society’s dedication to promoting effective policies, professional ethics, capacity building, and innovations for the health and well-being of its members.
