Pharmaceutical Regulation and Administration in Nigeria: The Traditional, Transitional and New Olatunji Olugbenga Ebenezer Faculty, Department of Political Science, Ekiti State University, Nigeria Online published on 6 August, 2014. Abstract This paper explores through historical research, the development, regulation and administration of the pharmaceutical sector during the pre-colonial, colonial and modern era in Nigeria. It notes that before the advent of British colonial administration in Nigeria, indigenous peoples of what was to become Nigeria had embraced traditional healing therapies in their various communities, and that their activities were regulated through a hierarchy of officials who were experts based on seniority, among other criteria. Regulation was easy because the communities were often small and there were fusions of political, judicial, spiritual and administrative powers in a body of chiefs led by the paramount or traditional ruler. Authority for overseeing the activities and practices of traditional medical practitioners (or healers) was vested in a leader who exercised regulatory powers and control over other practitioners. In Yorubaland, they were led by the ‘Olori Awo’ who had under him various officials like ‘Iya Abiye’ and ‘Iya Osun’. In Iboland, the ‘Onye isi ndi Dibia’ led the traditional healers and in Hausaland, many healers combined knowledge of traditional herbs with Quoranic injunctions to effect healing. During colonialism, the British established a healthcare delivery and maintenance system which, however, did not go beyond the urban centres in most cases. Thus, the traditional pharmaceutical regulatory system existed pari-passu with the orthodox. While traditional practices were dominant in the rural areas, orthodox medicine gained acceptance in the few urban areas. By independence in 1960, the British had instituted and left behind an urban-focussed drug and pharmaceuticals supply chain that could not meet the needs of the entire country. Other developments that followed the departure of the British brought changes to that structure and due to poor regulation and maladministration by civilian, military and professional elites, the problems multiplied and threw the system off-balance. The Fourth Republic witnessed efforts to re-organize and strengthen regulation in an attempt to meet the expanding pharmaceutical needs of the citizenry, with new challenges arising. This paper explores and reviews these historical developments and explores the challenges and lessons for evolving a stronger national pharmaceuticals sector that can combine the values of Nigeria's traditional pharmaceutical heritage with modern knowledge and trends in that sector to meet the growing needs of Nigerians for affordable pharmaceutical care in a manner that agrees with their beliefs and value system. Top Keywords Pharmaceutical regulation, traditional medicine, healing therapies, affordable care. Top |