Appolonia Adeyemi 
Pharmacists under the auspices of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), have raised a formal complaint against the unlawful demands for business registration fees and the high-handed actions of the Benue State Ministry of Trade and Investments.
In an open letter addressed to the Benue State Governor, Rev. Father Hyacinth Iormen Alia, the ACPN urged the governor to investigate the actions of the state Ministry of Trade and Investments; and direct state and local government agencies to cease all attempts to regulate pharmacy practice or impose levies on pharmaceutical premises.
Similarly, the ACPN called for the payment of appropriate compensation for affected pharmacists. The letter was signed by the National Chairman of ACPN, Ambrose I. Ezeh and the National Secretary of the association, Mrs Omokhafe Ashore.
The ACPN reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with governments nationwide to enhance healthcare delivery. The association therefore stressed the need for mutual respect and adherence to statutory mandates to foster a productive relationship between healthcare providers and government authorities.
Furthermore, the ACPN urged the Benue State Government to take swift action to address these grievances and prevent further disruptions to essential healthcare services in the state. According to the association, a group of 20 officials from the Ministry of Trade and Investments, accompanied by 10 policemen, stormed pharmaceutical facilities on Wednesday, January 29.
The agents reportedly demanded payment of an unauthorised “Commerce and Industry levy” and subsequently sealed the premises for alleged non-compliance.
Pharmacists and their staff were forcibly locked inside the premises from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until their release was secured through the intervention of concerned citizens.
To this end, the ACPN strongly condemned the actions, highlighting their illegality and the disruption caused to the healthcare sector and similarly raising the violation of due process.
The ACPN stated that federal regulations prohibit multiple taxation on the same entity. Pharmaceutical premises in Nigeria already pay statutory fees to the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), a federal agency under the Ministry of Health.
According to the Ezeh and Ashore, by law, drug regulation and pharmacy practice are exclusively under federal jurisdiction, as outlined in Item 21, Part I of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
State governments and local authorities lack the legal authority to impose fees or enforce regulations on pharmaceutical premises. The “ACPN cited numerous court rulings affirming the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN)’s sole mandate to regulate and control pharmacy practice.
The PCN Act 2022 grants only Pharmaceutical Inspection Officers the authority to seal premises, alongside other federal agencies like NAFDAC.”
Highlighting health sector implications, the ACPN stated that the unlawful actions disrupted critical healthcare delivery, potentially endangering lives. “Such practices undermine the integrity of the pharmacy profession and erode trust in government institutions,” they posited.
