ANAMBRA, Nigeria – Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has challenged pharmacists to help dismantle the network of fake drug dealers and illegal medicine outlets, warning that the fight against counterfeit medicines requires stronger professional oversight and government collaboration.
He also reaffirmed his administration’s ambition to position Anambra as Nigeria’s pharmaceutical capital, disclosing that a pharmaceutical hub and Coordinated Wholesale Centre were being developed in Oba, with completion expected in early 2027.
Soludo made the remarks on Tuesday at the 99th Annual National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), tagged *Ijele 2026*, held at the International Convention Centre, Awka.
He urged the PSN leadership to ensure that its members operated within professional and legal requirements while helping authorities identify and eliminate illegal outlets posing as registered pharmacies. “We must work together to eliminate fake and counterfeit drugs from our society. I urge the PSN leadership to ensure that its members operate within the law and help identify and eliminate fake outlets posing as registered pharmacies,” he said.
The governor described the conference as an important opportunity to strengthen the pharmacy profession and advance healthcare development, noting that human capital development remained central to his administration’s priorities. He said the state had made significant investments in education and healthcare, including free education from kindergarten to secondary school, which he claimed had reduced the state’s out-of-school children rate to 0.25 per cent.
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