PCN Inducts COOU Pharmacy Graduands, Urges Ethical Leadership and Global Relevance

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria has formally inducted pharmacy graduands of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, charging them to embrace professional leadership and position themselves as both present-day and future drivers of healthcare innovation.

The induction and oath-taking ceremony, held on April 17, 2026, at the ETF Auditorium, marked the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ fifth such exercise, covering the 2025–2026 graduating cohort.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Kate Azuka Omenugha, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Ejiofor Obiora, declared the graduands fit in both character and learning. He urged them to reflect the institution’s “Now University and of the Future” philosophy by prioritising ethical conduct, innovation, and service delivery. He further emphasised the need for pharmacists to go beyond dispensing roles, contributing to research, community health advancement, and global best practices.

Dean of the Faculty, Theophine Akunne, outlined key institutional gains, noting that the faculty continues to expand under the current administration. He highlighted the successful resource verification by the National Universities Commission for the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) programme, confirming that newly admitted 100-level students are now fully enrolled into the professional degree track. He also announced the rollout of a Professional Diploma in Herbal Medicine as part of efforts to diversify pharmaceutical education and align with evolving healthcare needs.

Akunne tasked the inductees with upholding the university’s strategic framework anchored on Value, Viability, and Visibility, stressing the importance of intellectual discipline, ethical grounding, and professional distinction in practice.

The induction oath was administered on behalf of the PCN Registrar, Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, formally ushering the graduands into the professional body and the wider pharmaceutical workforce.