The immediate past President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Olumide Akintayo has called on the federal government to properly fund the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Development.

Akintoye made the call during an interview with newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State. He maintained that if the institute is well funded, Nigeria would become the hop of genuine drug production in Africa.

He also urged the government to identify research as a veritable tool for positively changing the course of health care services in Nigeria.

He said under his leadership, the welfare of pharmacists in the country were well taken care of in the areas of introduction of a group insurance package for members,issuance of identity cards with enormous opportunities,and the sanction culture to discipline members was reintroduced while the asset base of the society was greatly improved upon.

Akintayo stressed the need to enforce the law against fake drugs and further empower and also fund all agencies responsible to guide against production and sales of fake and counterfeit drugs in the country.

He expressed concern over the open drug markets which he described as merchants of death, stressing that the society and other relevant agencies were working together to stamp out the menace.