Worried about the nation’s drug security issue, Royal leaders, minister of health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi and other health practitioners have urged the Federal Government to accelerate its goal of achieving 70 per cent local drug production by 2030.

They made this call at the 2026 Nigerian healthcare as the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) Economic Outlook and CEOs Forum.

The royal leaders are His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe (CFR, mni), the Obi of Onitsha (Agbogidi) and Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II (CON, PhD).

In his keynote address, the Emir of Kano, revealed that 70 per cent of the drugs used in Nigeria are imported, with 82 per cent of those imports originating from a single source, India.

Describing this concentration as bad news for national security, he called for urgent political engagement to establish local plants, aiming to ensure the Pharmaceutical Industry in Nigeria becomes self-sufficient to boost the domestic supply chain.

The urgency of this transformation was further underscored by the Obi of Onitsha, who warned that a country depending excessively on external sources for its medical supplies places not only the health of the people at risk but also its economy sovereignty and resilience.

This sentiment was reiterated by the Father of Pharmacy in Nigeria and former minister of health, Adelusi-Adeluyi who remarked that the pharmacy profession is punching below its weight and suggested that pharmacists are currently expressing less gravitas than they have, urging them to project the true power of their profession to drive meaningful change.

NAIP National Chairman Pharm. (Sir) Bankole Ezebuilo FPSN reminded the audience of the dire reality, asserting that medicines and vaccines are no longer just procurement items but are strategic assets.

He declared that the future of Nigeria’s healthcare sector must be defined by innovation, production, partnership, resilience, sovereignty, and sustainability.

Addressing the financial hurdles, Ezebuilo stated that what is required is not short-term working capital, but patient capital: long tenor financing, blended-finance structures, and credit-enhancement instruments that can de-risk investment across the pharmaceutical value chain.

At the 2026 economic outlook and CEO’s forum, the message to the nation was clear: Nigeria can no longer afford to be a spectator in its own health security. Chairman Ezebuilo issued a stirring clarion call, emphasising that by working together, the industry can build a Nigeria that produces what it needs, secures what it values, and leads where it once followed.

He announced that the 2026 Annual National Conference will hold in Kwara in May, issuing a final reminder to the assembly.

His words: “We are not just a professional body; we are Pharmaceutical Industry architects. And architects do not admire buildings, they design them to stand. With our royal fathers and elders watching, excuses hav