The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State Branch, has condemned the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) for what it describes as “hostile and monarchical” attempts to undermine the implementation of the Consultant Pharmacist Cadre, which was approved by the Federal Government.
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In a press statement signed by its Chairman, Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, the PSN described the NMA Lagos’s recent communique as “a declaration of war,” warning that the era of medical elitism in the nation’s health system is over.
“The NMA Lagos is the vintage epitome of monarchical antiquity in which many Nigerian physicians still dwell in 2025. Its uncouth statements are unduly aggressive and hostile and amount to a declaration of war which it will get in doses that will consume it,” the statement read.
The response follows a controversial memo from the NMA Lagos, rejecting the appointment of Consultant Pharmacists in federal health institutions in the state and calling for an immediate reversal of such appointments. The NMA further threatened industrial action if its demands were not met and directed its leadership to petition the Federal Ministry of Health.
However, the PSN insisted that the Consultant Pharmacist Cadre is legally backed by a series of circulars and approvals from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), dating back to 2011, with reaffirmations in 2020, 2021, and 2023.
“We wonder where the NMA derives the authority to issue warnings to Chief Medical Directors who are bound by federal circulars and Public Service Rules,” Oyekunle said.
Citing international practices in countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, and even Ghana and Sierra Leone, the PSN emphasized that the Consultant Pharmacist designation is globally recognized and enhances patient safety through medication management and interdisciplinary care.
“It is inconceivable that the NMA believes only physicians should specialize and be rewarded,” the PSN stated. “That delusional messianic complex that physicians have inflicted on the system must give way to justice being truth in action.”
The PSN further accused the Lagos State Ministry of Health of manipulating policy to marginalize pharmacists, including altering official nomenclature from “Consultant” to “Specialist,” and proposing only medical personnel as heads of the state’s proposed Drug Management Agency, in contradiction to the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Act.
“These unchecked aberrations orchestrated by the NMA in Lagos State are damaging the health sector,” the statement read.
“If government ever allows itself to be bamboozled by NMA theatrics, we will match them with a full coalition of other health professionals,” Oyekunle warned.
The PSN Lagos reaffirmed its commitment to defending its members’ rights and called for equity, professionalism, and the strict adherence to lawful processes in healthcare administration.