By CHIKA NWACHUKWU

Dr. Muftau Tijjani has taken over as the new Zonal Coordinator of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) Abuja Zone, bringing a wealth of experience and vision to the role.

Speaking after the election of the zone over the weekend, Tijjani expressed his commitment to enhancing quality healthcare delivery through specialized training for pharmacists.

Tijjani outlined the vision and mission of the college, emphasising the importance of specialization in the field of pharmacy.

He explained that the College is dedicated to training pharmacists to become consultants, equipping them with advanced knowledge and skills in various areas of specialization.

"The benefit of this college to pharmacists in Nigeria is that we are in the era of specialisation because that is what can ensure the needed care to the needy. When you specialise, you are tailored to certain part of healthcare delivery. Even though you work holistically, you become an authority, you have deep knowledge of that area where you have specialised," Tijjani said.

He disclosed that his vision for the FCT Abuja Zone is to ensure that the quality of care is maintained on top-notch and improved on a daily basis.

"Our vision is to ensure that the quality of care is maintained on top-notch and is improved on a daily basis. In FCT and beyond, through collaborative approach and collaboration with other healthcare professionals," he stated.

Speaking of his key areas of focus, the new coordinator, listed training and retraining, empowerment, and membership drives.

He emphasised the importance of keeping pharmacists updated with the latest developments in healthcare delivery, saying, "Training and retraining is very important. Whatever you may have, you are bound to forget. And that is the essence of training and retraining. Healthcare delivery is dynamic. It's not stationary. Today, what you know will not suffice for what is coming tomorrow."

The new Zonal Coordinator also touched on the challenge of getting recognition for consultant pharmacists, saying that efforts are being made to sensitize the public and relevant stakeholders on the importance of specialized pharmaceutical services.

Also speaking, Immediate Past Zonal Coordinator of (WAPCP), Abuja Zone, Dr. Abubakar Danraka, shared notable achievements during his tenure.

"During my tenure, I focused on four key areas: building on enduring legacies, leveraging membership and competencies to improve efficiency, impacting patient safety and public enlightenment, and uplifting the noble objectives of our association," Danraka said.

Danraka who served as Zonal Coordinator for four years, from October 2021 to November 2025, noted that one of the significant achievements was the consistent organisation of annual scientific conferences, which had been irregular before his tenure.

"I took over a zone that had started annual engagements, which was not well publicised and not well taken the way we have taken it to. So, the first thing I did was to leverage on that to ensure that our annual engagements are done consistently. For the four years I was in office, we did the entire four," he said.

Danraka also spoke of the college's efforts in promoting research and publication among members.

"We introduced rapid capacity building to sharpen the skills of fellows to become very competent in writing academic works and publishing. We demonstrated by conducting the first zonal survey, which was not done by any zone in the country. We did two surveys and published it in peer-reviewed journals across the world," he added.

He further disclosed that his tenure saw the appointment of over 60 pharmacists as consultants in eight government agencies in the FCT, a significant milestone considering there were no consultant pharmacists appointed before his tenure.

"Before we, when I came on board, there was no single consultant and we had been calling on government to implement, to implement. We did a lot of advocacy, follow-ups, and as God will have it, we now have eight agencies in FCT zone that have implemented and appointed about 63 consultants amongst us," he said.

Looking ahead, Danraka expressed confidence that his successor, Tijjani, is well-positioned to build on the achievements of his tenure.

"I think he stands a better chance to perform more because we have laid the foundations as much as possible and we have raised the awareness. The major challenge is the challenge of apathy, but that is gradually wearing off as members begin to see the benefits of specialization and recognition," he said.

Other members of the executives include Pharm. Zaynab Galadima who was elected as Zonal Deputy Coordinator, Pharm. Ngozi Obute as the Zonal Secretary, and Pharm. Isah Hayatu Galadima as the Zonal Treasurer.

· New Zonal Coordinator of WAPCP, Dr. Muftau Tijjani (L), Immediate Past Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Abubakar Danraka (second left) and other members of the newly-inaugurated executive