HERE COMES THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NEWLY INAUGURATED PCN GOVERNING COUNCIL, PROF. (PHARM.) AHMED TIJJANI MORA

The Chairman, Prof. A. T. Mora, was born in the ancient city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, on May 13, 1956 and holds a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) specialising in Pharmaceutical Marketing from the famous citadel of learning Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, as well as Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, Nigeria. He is a Member of the National Institute (mni), and a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FWAPCPharm). Prof. Mora has undertaken several Professional and Management programmes in various universities and institutes such as Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK and the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON).

Prof. Ahmed T. Mora has practised Pharmacy in all the core areas of the profession across Academic, Industrial, Administrative, and Community Practice, and garnered wide range of experience. He has taught Pharmacy Management in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria on pro bono basis from 1986 to date, and was the foundation Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and pioneer Head of Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria from 2012 to 2016. He has also been teaching at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria since 2016, where he became the first Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice. The West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) has since 2008 been benefitting from his wealth of academic experience as an astute Examiner.

He was Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, Kaduna State from 1990 to 1993, and between 1992 to 1998 he became the Project Manager, Project Implementation Unit (PIU) for the AfDB/AfDF – Assisted Kaduna Health Rehabilitation Project (KHRP), Kaduna State Ministry of Health. He was also Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the biggest syringes production facility in West Africa, the Zaria Pharmaceutical Company (ZPC) Ltd, Zaria, Nigeria (manufacturer of Zarinject disposable syringes and needles), 1997 – 1999 and also MD/CEO Zazzau Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ZPIL), 2000 – 2003. His huge contribution to the health sector of his home state, Kaduna attracted the attention of the Zazzau Emirate Council, and he was turbaned in 2013 by the Emir of Zazzau and Chairman Kaduna State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Shehu Idris as the Wakilin Maganin Zazzau of the Zazzau Emirate.

Prof. Mora is a Fellow of several professional bodies among which are Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Institute of Healthcare Management, Nigeria (IHMN), Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) and Institute of Corporate Executives of Nigeria (ICEN).

An administrator par excellence, Prof. Mora facilitated the radical restructuring and transformation of PCN leading to her current state during his two (2) terms as the Registrar and Secretary to the Council from October 2003 to January 2012. This period was most remarkable as he spear-headed the decentralisation of the regulatory activities of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and facilitated the expansion to PCN offices to the current structure of 44 offices comprising the Head Office, 8 Zonal Offices and 35 State Offices. This singular act was highly impactful as it brought a huge relief to practising pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patent & proprietary medicine vendors in the application, processing and renewal of licences, permits and registration certificates as applicable.

Prof. A. T. Mora, who was a member of the Governing Council of the PCN from 1992 to 1993 and 1999 to 2002 as well as the defunct Pharmacists Board of Nigeria (PBN) from 1989 to 1992, is well positioned to optimise experiences obtained therefrom in steering the current Governing Council as Chairman in policy formulation for the advancement of the profession to enviable heights. He is therefore set to lead the Governing Council to give policy direction to the Registry which would ultimately lead to the further transformation of the pharmacy profession where practitioners and other stakeholders will meet the expectations of clients leading to the sustainable pharmaceutical service delivery, good healthcare and security of Nigerians.