The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has sealed 397 premises in Oyo State during enforcement operations aimed at ensuring compliance with prescribed pharmaceutical standards.
The sealed premises included 60 pharmacies, 81 patent medicine stores, and 256 illegal outlets, while five compliance directives were issued.
Head of Department, Enforcement, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Dr Suleiman Chiroma, made this known on Thursday during a press conference on the enforcement exercise held at the PCN Zonal office in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to him, the enforcement exercise, which began on Monday, seeks to verify that facilities and personnel within the medicine distribution system comply with all legislative and regulatory requirements, adding that the exercise had uncovered several premises unlawfully storing and dispensing medicines beyond their legal scope.
“This constitutes a breach with immediate public safety implications, including but not limited to potential poisoning, drug abuse and addiction epidemics, and compromise of the integrity of the national drug distribution system,” Chiroma said.
Dr Chiroma disclosed that the enforcement exercise covered the Ona-Ara, Oluyole, Ibadan North, Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda, Ido, Ogbomoso South, Iseyin, Afijio, Ogbomoso North, Oyo West, and Oyo East local government areas
“Over the four-day operation, the team inspected a total of 590 premises, comprising 164 pharmacies, 170 patent medicine stores, and 256 illegal outlets.
“The enforcement exercise covered the Ona-Ara, Oluyole, Ibadan North, Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda, Ido, Ogbomoso South, Iseyin, Afijio, Ogbomoso North, Oyo West and Oyo East local government areas,” he said.
“In line with her enabling law, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has been conducting enforcement operations in Oyo State since Monday, to ensure compliance with prescribed pharmaceutical standards.
“Consequently, 397 premises were sealed, including 60 pharmacies, 81 patent medicine stores, and 256 illegal outlets. In addition, 5 compliance directives were issued,” he added.
The Head of Enforcement stated that PCN has the legal responsibility to enforce the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.
“The NDDG requires that all medicines be distributed only through approved channels, from the point of manufacture or importation down to the end user. This framework ensures proper storage and handling at every step, safeguarding the quality, strength, and effectiveness of medicines throughout the supply chain.
“The PCN is mandated to regulate and control pharmacy education, training, and practice in all its aspects and ramifications, including Pharmacy Technicians and Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors,” Chiroma said.
According to him, the enforcement initiative is progressively removing non-professional actors from the pharmaceutical supply chain and addressing inadequate storage infrastructure.
“This intervention is central to eradicating substandard and falsified medicinal products and underscores the Council’s unwavering commitment to public safety.
“42 percent of the total premises visited are illegal, which also account for 64 per cent of all premises sealed. This shows a high prevalence of illegal premises in Oyo State, and this calls for stringent measures to curb such a menace that will affect public health negatively.
“Further analysis of the exercise reveals that only 36% of pharmacies visited are in good standing, which is also not encouraging. Many pharmacies did not complete registration after payment of the statutory fees.
“The affected premises were sealed for non-compliance with statutory provisions of the PCN Act,” Chiroma said.
He added that documented violations include: Failure to produce valid licences or evidence of registration upon lawful demand; engaging in unauthorised clinical practice and over-stocking beyond the approved list for PPMVs; operating illegal premises; sales of medicinal products from prohibited metal or wooden containers; and wilful obstruction of duly authorised pharmaceutical inspectors from discharging their duties.
“These breaches can lead to serious threats to public health and safety, hence PCN will continue to enforce extant regulations to mitigate them.
“The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria remains resolute in its mandate to uphold integrity within the pharmaceutical practice environment.
“Every premises involved in the handling of medicines shall be subjected to thorough and continuous regulatory oversight.
Nigerians deserve access to safe and quality-assured medicines, dispensed exclusively by duly trained and licensed professionals,” he said.
Chiroma stressed that the Council would not relent in applying the full extent of its regulatory authority against any violator.
“We ask all citizens to buy medicines only from approved and licensed premises. You can confirm this by checking for a valid PCN licence displayed at the premises.
Together, we will ensure that only safe and quality medicines reach all Nigerians,” he said.
Chiroma added that the Registrar, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed reaffirmed the Council’s firm commitment to advancing key health sector reforms to support Universal Health Coverage for Nigerians, saying that safe, high-quality medicines are essential to effective healthcare delivery.
Chiroma expressed appreciation to the people of Oyo State for the warm welcome and full support given to the enforcement team during the exercise.
“Your cooperation helped immensely in protecting public health,” he said.
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