news
40th National Conference: ACPN tours Emzor’s Factory as Pharm Coy Sponsors Training of Community Pharmacists on Vaccination
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) as part of its ongoing 40th National Scientific Conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State’s capital, on Thursday, visited the Emzor Group’s Ultra-Modern Pharma Factory located at the Shagamu Interchange of the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.
Welcoming the Association to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) compliant factory sited on more than 60 Hectares of land, the Group Managing Director of the Pharmaceutical company, Dr. Stella Okoli said she felt elated by the presence of the executives and officials of the Association at the factory.
“I am indeed very excited by the presence of the Association’s representatives, you are welcome to the largest pharmaceutical facility in West Africa. The factory known as Emzor Campus is also (cGMP) compliant and has already manufactured and supplied millions of doses of medication ranging from antimalarials, paediatric care, vitamins and antiretrovirals to various international organizations through partnerships for public health intervention.” She said.
Speaking further, the Group Managing Director said; “Malaria is a leading cause of death on the African continent, Emzor now has API Manufacturing Technology Transfer and licensing agreement with India’s Mangalam Drugs & Organic Limited to locally manufacture and distribute Active Pharmaceutical ingredients (4 API’s) for the treatment and prevention of malaria. This leads to the development of a world class API manufacturing facility in compliance with international standards and the first of t kind in Sub- Saharan Africa. This agreement affirms Emzor’s long standing position to strengthen the Pharma sector in Africa.”
Dr. Okoli while stressing the commitment of the pharmaceutical group to national development in all areas of life said; “over the last seven years, Emzor has been a major football supporter. Emzor’s sponsorship partnership with NFF extends to the six national teams, including super Eagles with Emzor Pharmaceuticals being recognized as the official analgesics of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Super Falcons with a strategic partnership with Asisat Osoala, the falcons’ team captain as Brand Ambassador.”
Congratulating the Association for its 40th convention, Okoli said “the Association is making a great impact in the Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical industry and Emzor Group would not relent on its efforts to continually give the Association every necessary support.”
In his response, the National Chairman of the Association, Dr. Samuel Adekola said that the Association is in the factory to have an eye witness account of the great development in pharmaceutical industry. He said; ” Emzor Group is the foremost partner of the Association, Emzor is positioned as a platinum partnership of the Association. I felt the need for my people to visit as a form of solidarity. Seeing is believing, and we have seen and we have believed that Emzor is a trailblazer in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry. The place is massive and it is an unprecedented development in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, earlier, as part of the Association’s Scientific Conference the pharmaceutical company, offered certificate vaccination training to Pharmacists in Nigeria via its 7 modules CPR/BLS Training Program to enhance pharmacy based vaccination delivery.
Speaking on the initiative, the National Chairman of the Association, Dr. Samuel Adekola said the aim of the training is to increase manpower in health delivery in Nigeria. According to him, “the training is essentially to increase the manpower in health delivery in Nigeria. The training would go a long way to help the country to achieve the goals of Universal Health Coverage. It is a fact that COVID-19 pandemic has raised the awareness of vaccination as a public health intervention and the ACPN, with the approval of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, is licensing community pharmacists to commence vaccination of adults in the premises. Therefore, this training comes on board to prepare a good number of our members for the task.”
The training which was in partnership with the College of Pharmacy, Mercer University, United States of America (USA) had facilitators from the American Institution to train Nigerian pharmacists in the areas of background information about vaccines; vaccines conditions, patient screening, education and consent; storage, handling, delivering and waste management of vaccines; review of vaccination equipment/supplies; vaccine admnistration anaphylaxis and post vaccine info; recording and monitoring vaccination as well as competency skill check via exit examination. The pharmaceuticals company fully and partially sponsored the training fees of 125 Pharmacists, out of the 200 Pharmacists that undertook the training.
Commending Emzor Group as the lead sponsor of the training, Dr. Samuel Adekola said the pharmaceutical company has once again demostrated its commitment to the development and professionalism of the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria. “This is a profound testimony of Emzor’s commitment to professionalism and development of the industry in the country, on the vaccine training program, Emzor has gone beyond the ordinary.” He said.
In the same vein, the lead facilitator of the training, Dr. Kunle Tometi, from Total Pharmacy, Dallas Texas said; “Emzor Pharmaceuticals as truly an indigenous company has made another statement through this sponsorship as a leader in the industry.”
Speaking on the benefits of the training, Tometi declared that “the training is designed to boost health care delivery in Nigeria. And it is a good thing that the participants have been exposed to a lot of necessary information, ideas and skills that will guide them in their duties. Through this training, Nigeria can now boast of a good number of experts in the area of vaccination.”
Speaking on behalf of the Emzor Group at the training, Chukwu Ekwe, Head, Sales and Marketing Strategy, Zolon Healthcare Limited, a member of Emzor Group said, “Emzor is committed to bridging vaccination gaps in the country. Our leadership position in the industry is confirmed by the provision of intelligent solutions to the healthcare needs of our stakeholders. Anyday, anytime, Emzor Group is committed to the training of manpower to boost Nigeria’s healthcare delivery.”
Also at the event, in showing their appreciation to Emzor Group, some of the trainees expressed their gratitude to the company and encouraged her to keep on supporting the development of the industry.
Pharma Peter Ochoche, the Secretary General and Project Coordinator, Young Pharmacist Group (YPG), Nassarawa State, said he was participating in the training under the sponsorship of Emzor. “I am very grateful to Emzor, the company made it possible for me to participate in this training. This is not the first time the company is doing this kind gesture, the company has always been given us platforms to express and build ourselves.”
Also Pharma Boniface Cyprian Oke, from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State said Emzor gesture is a step in the right direction. “It is a fact that this training is a step in the right direction. Emzor is building a capacity that is unprecedented in the Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry. And I wish the company would continue is this direction.”
Emzor is a privately owned indigenous pharmaceutical company founded in 1984 by Dr Stella Okoli. The Company has grown into a legacy pharmaceutical company with 4 modern factories that manufacture over 140 world-class pharmaceutical products, such as analgesics (the widely used Emzor Paracetamol), vitamins, haematinics, anti-malarial, anti-tussive, antibiotics, antihelminthic, anti-histamine, antacid, and cardio-protective drugs. Emzor has a network of over 120 distributors covering public and private institutions across West Africa. Emzor is the largest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturer in the country with over 120 products, all NAFDAC approved.
news
From Construction Sites to Community Service: Temitope Akinyemi Emerges as a Model of Leadership and Impact
Energy experts in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector have defended the pricing structure of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, accusing some fuel markers of attempting to blackmail the refinery and mislead the public over the recent increase in petrol prices.
The experts said reports suggesting that the refinery’s latest adjustment is solely responsible for the recent hike in fuel prices were misleading, noting that importers are also bringing in petrol at almost a N1,000 per litre, while the refinery’s coastal price is N948 and the gantry or ex-depot price stands at N995 per litre.
They stressed that public comparisons fail to consider the differences in pricing structures and supply channels.
According to the experts, N948 per litre represents the coastal delivery price, which refers to petroleum products transported by marine vessels or barges from the refinery to depots along the coastline. On the other hand, N995 per litre represents the gantry or ex-depot price, which is the rate paid by marketers who load petrol directly from the refinery into tanker trucks at the loading gantry for onward distribution across the country.
The experts explained that the two figures should not be interpreted as conflicting prices but rather as different logistics arrangements within the petroleum distribution chain.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, energy expert David Okon said the pricing adjustments were inevitable given prevailing market conditions.
According to him, Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals operates in a deregulated market and procures crude at international prices, which have risen sharply due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“The refinery is already absorbing part of the cost to cushion the impact of the crisis on Nigerians. We can see what is happening in other parts of the world where shortages and scarcity are being reported despite higher prices, yet the Dangote Refinery has continued to guarantee domestic supply,” he said.
Okon explained that when the refinery previously sold petrol at N774 per litre, crude oil was landing at about $68 per barrel. However, with crude now arriving at roughly $95 per barrel, the cost difference of about $27 per barrel translates to nearly N40,000 per barrel when converted to Naira.
“You cannot expect a refinery to continue selling at the old rate under those circumstances,” he added.
“If imported products were truly cheaper, importers would still be selling at the previous prices.”
He warned that without local refining capacity, Nigeria could have faced severe fuel shortages, long queues at filling stations and a resurgence of black market sales.
“Without the Dangote Refinery, many filling stations would likely shut down, queues would return across the country and black market traders would exploit the situation, hawking four litres keg at N20,000 or more. The refinery has effectively prevented that scenario,” he said.
Another analyst, Mohammed Ibrahim, also faulted narratives circulating in some quarters suggesting that the refinery’s pricing adjustment was responsible for worsening economic hardship in the country.
Accusing some importers of attempting to manipulate public perception, he said, “What we are seeing is nothing but deliberate blackmail by some fuel importers who feel threatened by local refining.
“They are twisting the pricing structure to mislead Nigerians and create unnecessary panic in the market.
“By exaggerating the refinery’s gantry price and ignoring the comparable costs of imported fuel, they are trying to make it appear as though Dangote Refinery is the cause of rising prices and economic hardship. This is a calculated attempt to protect their import businesses and undermine local refining, which is meant to reduce our dependence on imported petrol.”
Ibrahim added that such narratives were aimed at portraying the refinery as the reason Nigerians were struggling with higher petrol prices.
He stressed that petrol pricing in Nigeria is largely influenced by global crude oil prices, exchange rate fluctuations, and distribution logistics, noting that these factors affect both locally refined and imported fuel in the country’s deregulated market.
Afolabi Olowookere, Managing Director and Chief Economist at Analysts’ Data Services and Resources (ADSR) Limited, explained that although Nigerians expect refined products from the refinery to be significantly cheaper, prevailing market realities such as global crude oil prices, the cost of crude supply and refining margins make substantial price reductions unlikely in the short term.
“Therefore, improving domestic crude allocation to the refinery would strengthen supply stability and enhance the long term benefits of local refining for the economy,” Olowookere noted.
Recent conflicts in the Middle East and disruptions along key shipping lanes have tightened global oil supply, pushing crude prices past $90 per barrel, a development that directly raises the cost of both imported and locally refined petrol in Nigeria.
The unrest has pushed up fuel costs and transportation in several countries, including Ghana, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, and Japan, as rising crude prices increase the cost of refining, distribution, and logistics globally.
CHETACHI NWOGA-ECTON EMPOWERS 300 WIDOWS IN IMO
A renowned humanitarian and proud daughter of Mbaise in Imo State, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton, has empowered over 300 widows and vulnerable women across the Owerri Zone, in a remarkable demonstration of compassion and service to humanity.
The empowerment programme, which took place at the Palace of the Eze of Ngor Okpala, HRH Eze Engr. Fredrick Nwachukwu, brought together community leaders, traditional rulers, women groups and beneficiaries from different communities within the zone.
During the event, the widows received food materials and cash support, aimed at helping them meet basic needs and strengthen their small-scale businesses.
The initiative was widely applauded as a timely intervention to support women who often face severe economic hardship after losing their spouses.
Many of the beneficiaries expressed heartfelt appreciation to High Chief (Dr.) Nwoga-Ecton, describing the empowerment as a lifeline that would help them take better care of their families.
Some widows, while offering prayers for the philanthropist, noted that the gesture had restored hope and dignity in their lives.
Fondly known as Ada Imo and Adaure, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton has earned widespread admiration for her consistent humanitarian efforts both within Nigeria and internationally.
Through her philanthropic activities and foundations, she has continued to support widows, children, and vulnerable communities with interventions in healthcare, welfare and economic empowerment.
Community stakeholders who attended the programme commended the Mbaise-born philanthropist for her generosity and dedication to uplifting the less privileged, noting that her actions reflect true leadership and compassion.
Observers say the initiative further reinforces her growing reputation as one of the most impactful humanitarians of this generation, whose commitment to humanity continues to inspire hope across Imo State and beyond.
-
society6 months agoReligion: Africa’s Oldest Weapon of Enslavement and the Forgotten Truth
-
news3 months agoWHO REALLY OWNS MONIEPOINT? The $290 Million Deal That Sold Nigeria’s Top Fintech to Foreign Interests
-
society6 months ago“You Are Never Without Help” – Pastor Gebhardt Berndt Inspires Hope Through Empower Church (Video)
-
Business7 months agoGTCO increases GTBank’s Paid-Up Capital to ₦504 Billion