The Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Adeyeye has commended the management of Shalina Healthcare for advancing the course of healthcare in Nigeria by giving the youths an array of opportunities to express themselves. This was in Lagos on Thursday, at the Grand Finale of the fifth edition of Shalina Young Talent Awards (SYTA), a value adding initiative by Shalina Healthcare which is a national level competition for final year pharmacy students in the Nigerian universities.
L-R: Vice-President/ Chief Commercial Officer of Shalina West Africa, Mr Arun Raj; Registrar of Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed; SYTA 2024 Winner, Princess Kamsy Okeke, Student from the University of Lagos; Managing Director, Shalina Healthcare, Mrs Opeyemi Akinyele; Provost, College of Pharmacy, Afe Babalola University, (ABUAD) Ado Ekiti, Prof. Mbang Nyong Femi-Oyewo; and the Head, Corporate Marketing & Key Accounts, Shalina Healthcare, Pharm. Folorunso Alaran at the Shalina Young Talents Awards (SYTA) Season 5 National Grand Final in Lagos on Thursday
Speaking at the event, Adeyeye, who was earlier on facility tour of the company’s factory on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Isheri, Ogun State said; ”. They should also be commended and appreciated for the platforms they are giving our young people to express themselves as well as grow.”
In the same vein, a special guest at the event, the Registrar of Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed applauded healthcare company for its initiative saying “the company is making an unprecedented effort in ensuring that young pharmacists are well trained and are also well encouraged to promote quality healthcare delivery in the country.”
Meanwhile in declaring the event open, the Managing Director of Shalina Healthcare Nigeria, Opeyemi Akinyele said the initiative is with the main objective of “serving as a platform for the final year students to interact with renowned experts from the field of pharmacy. And also build competitive distinction and self-awareness among young pharmacists.”
The competition which covered all the twenty four Pharmacy Institutions in Nigeria in this fifth edition saw Princess Kamsy Okeke of University of Lagos emerging the overall winner while Michael Ekweazor of University of Jos emerged the first runner up and Vivian Ihediuche of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, emerged the second runner up winning cash prizes of one million naira, five hundred thousand naira and three hundred thousand naira respectively.
On the progress made from Season One to Five, the Corporate Marketing Manager of the company, Folorunso Alaran said; “the initiative has moved beyond its starting point of 5 schools and today covered the whole 24 Pharmacy Institutions in the country. This is unprecedented in the quest for the best pharmacy brains in Nigeria and remained the biggest hunt for the best pharmacy brains in the country. We moved around the 24 universities in the six geopolitical zones of the country from November 2023 to February 24, 2024. In all, we had three thousand participants, where we bring the best in each school (24) to this Grand Finale.”
