…as UNICAL clinical lecturers begin strike
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to end what it described as an entrenched and unfair dominance of physicians in Nigeria’s health and education sectors, warning that continued inaction risks deepening systemic mismanagement and stunt development.
In a strongly-worded open letter to the President, the ACPN decried recent strikes by physician-lecturers at the University of Calabar over the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor, describing the action as the latest in a series of attempts by medical doctors to impose themselves on critical public institutions in violation of laid down rules.
The letter, dated June 16, was signed by Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, National Chairman and Omokhafe Ashore, National secretary.
“Your Excellency, we strongly demand a Presidential intervention to make the government stand up to its stewardship responsibilities as Government. The government should change tactics in the skewed appointment of Physicians who dominate sectors which are alien to medical practice while resisting “incursions” into healthcare by any other cadre of practitioners, including colleagues, non-physician health professionals.It is important to inform.
“Mr President that the humiliation health workers in healthcare are subjected to in deference to physicians is beginning to affect the psyche of youths in a generation where nobody wants to be an underdog”, the letter read.
The Association warned that national growth, development, transformation and evolution would gradually become stunted if the Federal Government does not wield the big stick to stop the outrageously incomprehensible dominance of an “overpampered group of civil servants who get what they request and are allowed to dictate a pittance for other skilled personnel in the Nigerian workforce.”
The Association accused physicians, otherwise medical doctors of using strikes and political influence to sideline other qualified professionals.
The group linked the protest to a similar episode at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), where a strike by members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) led to the nullification of a Vice-Chancellor’s appointment due to the appointee not being a physician.
“These are calculated bluffs designed to intimidate government and undermine established academic regulations. Strikes have become a tool of blackmail backed by sycophantic internal structures and enabled by the state”, the ACPN stated.
The pharmacists accused the Federal Ministry of Education, under Tunji Alausa, a medical doctor, of promoting a culture where only physicians are considered eligible to lead universities of medicine even when they do not possess PhDs, a statutory requirement for the role of Vice-Chancellor under Nigerian university laws.
They further criticised the long-standing practice of reserving the roles of Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and CEOs of Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) exclusively for physicians, arguing that this undermines professionalism, equity and administrative effectiveness.
“Contrary to the dictates of common sense, only physicians are designated as CMDs/CEOs of FHIs since 1985 because of a misinterpretation of the condition that such appointees must be ‘medically qualified’,” the letter read.
The pharmacists alleged that these exclusions had bred systemic mismanagement in the health sector. Citing the example of the first quarter of 2025, they said nearly all 73 Federal Health Institutions suffered severe power outages due to poor financial planning and a lack of initiative from leadership.
“This is a major reason we need trained hospital administrators to lead the hospital system like it was before 1995,” the ACPN noted.
The letter also referenced what it termed the “weaponisation of disciplinary procedures” against pharmacists and other health workers who challenge the authority or practices of physician-CEOs. A recent case in Irua Specialist Hospital was cited, where a senior pharmacist was allegedly redeployed in retaliation for offering professional advice on drug procurement procedures.
The ACPN described the Federal Ministry of Health’s investigations into such disputes as biased and dominated by physicians, making fair arbitration impossible.
“The health sector is increasingly being characterised by institutional failure, bureaucratic nepotism and corruption,” the ACPN wrote, citing the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission’s (ICPC) recent ranking of the sector as the most corrupt in Nigeria’s public service.
The letter extended the group’s criticism to key government agencies, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), which it said had marginalised community pharmacists despite their pivotal role in Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The ACPN also took aim at the Federal Government’s recent approval of the MEDIPOOL procurement initiative without proper engagement with pharmaceutical stakeholders. The group advocated instead for the establishment of a Federal Drug Management Agency to centralise procurement and distribution using the framework of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (2015).
“Universal Health Coverage remains a mirage in Nigeria because the key pillars—health insurance, primary healthcare, and drug procurement—have been sabotaged by poor policy decisions,” the ACPN warned.
“Mr President, the time to act is now—in the public interest”, the letter read.
