The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State Branch, has raised the alarm over the prolonged delay in the passage of the state’s Drug Management Bill, saying the setback is holding back potential support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the proposed agency.
PSN Chairman, Pharm (Col) Victor Segun Ajanaku (rtd), said the bill, which seeks to establish a Drug Management Agency for Oyo State, passed its second reading in the state House of Assembly in February 2025 but has yet to be transmitted to the governor for assent.
Ajanaku spoke in Ibadan during a press briefing ahead of the 2026 World Pharmacists Day celebration and Awards Night, saying that the delay is denying Oyo drug-safety and cost benefits.
He appealed to the House of Assembly to conclude the legislative process, saying the PSN had made representations to relevant quarters but lacked the political power to compel the passage of the bill.
“We have done all we could to trace where the problem is. The problem is with the state House of Assembly, for them to sign, to transmit this bill to the governor for signature,” he said.
Ajanaku said the proposed agency would streamline pharmaceutical administration, improve drug traceability, reduce the circulation of fake medicines and potentially lower drug costs through direct procurement from certified manufacturers.
Ajanaku said the proposed agency would help reduce the circulation of fake drugs by ensuring that medicines were procured from certified and registered manufacturers.
“It is going to reduce fake drugs because the agency patronises only certified and registered manufacturers. And then you will be able to trace the source of your drugs,” he said.
He also said WHO and UNICEF had indicated readiness to provide vehicles and other equipment for the agency, including refrigerators and freezers, as well as contribute towards the cost of its building, subject to the enactment of legislation backing the agency.
“All what they had to do was just to get this bill signed. Because UNICEF and WHO said they will not put in anything unless there is a law backing the agency,” he said.
The PSN Chairman said Oyo remained the only state in the South-West yet to implement the drug management agency arrangement.
He added that relevant stakeholders, including patent and proprietary medicine vendors, had been engaged and were aware of the proposed legislation.
Ajanaku described the relationship between the PSN and the state Ministry of Health as cordial, saying the Commissioner for Health had been involved in discussions concerning the proposed agency.
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