Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, has summoned the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), to appear before him and explain the rationale behind their move to scrap the award of Higher National Diploma (HND) Pharmaceutical Technology in all institutions in Nigeria.
The judge ordered them to appear before him on Friday August 16, 2024 for their defense.
The decision of the judge followed a complain by six plaintiffs against the decisions of the two defendants in their bid to discontinue issuance of HND certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology.
The NBTE had in a circular dated April 7, 2024, resolved to discontinue the award of HND certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology in all institutions under its control.
In the circular, the NBTE indicated that it will henceforth stop granting approval and accreditation of HND in Pharmacy Technician Programme but, will however continue to grant approval and accreditation of National Diploma in Pharmacy Technology.
The circular signed by the Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Prof Idris Bugaje, after a ministerial meeting in the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja said that all students currently studying Pharmacy Technology programme will be allowed to graduate but that there shall be no fresh admissions as from April 2024.
The circular also indicated that graduates of Pharmacy Technology may have no place in clinical setting according to PCN but can seek employment in other sector.
Not satisfied by the decision, the six plaintiffs through their lawyer, Mr Adewunmi Adebayo had approached the court in an ex-parte application seeking for an order of interim injunction restraining the two defendants from implementing or giving effect to the circular that sought to discontinue the HND programme in Pharmacy Technology.
After listening to lawyer Adebayo’s arguments, the Judge agreed that the matter is of utmost national urgency.
Justice Lifu thereafter ordered them to go and amend their processes to accommodate necessary parties in view of the national and sensitive nature of the request being made from the court.
Upon amending their processes, the judge ordered them to serve same on the defendants who must appear in court along with the plaintiffs on August 16, 2024, to show cause why the request should not be granted.
In an enrolled order, Justice Lifu said, “Considering the national nature of this case, I hereby invoked order 26, Rule 8 of the 2019 Rules of this Court to order the defendants to show cause latest by Friday August 16, 2024, while the reliefs being sought herein should not be granted as prayed in the motion exparte”.
Plaintiffs in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/911/2024 are Abdul Aziz Bello, AbdulRasheed Tanimu, Osaro Odeh, Comrade Olufemi Adebisi, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria and the National Association of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technicians of Nigeria.
The two defendants are the NBTE and PCN.
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