A Nigerian industrial pharmacist, Sola Solarin, has been decorated with the prestigious fellowship of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), a body representing four million pharmacists globally.
At its council meeting on the 17th of September, FIP awarded its fellowship to eight pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists from seven different countries, including Solarin.
The newly-decorated FIP fellow, an industrial pharmacist and Managing Partner of Savante Consulting Ltd, is also the current president of the Industrial Pharmacy Section of the federation.
Also honoured alongside Solarin were Prof. Patricia Acuna-Johnson (Chile), Dr Dalia Bajis Al-Jasra (Bahrain), Dr Mariet Eksteen (South Africa), Dr Ian Larson (Australia), Prof. Don Mager (United States), Dr Jonathan Penm (Australia), and Dr Bernard Poggi (France). National pharmaceutical organisations that were also recognised included the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF), Portugal — FIP Pharmacy Practice Improvement Award; the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore — FIP’s Health Promotion Campaign Award; while Prof. James Stevenson was honoured with the FIP’s Distinguished Practice Award
According to FIP President, Dominique Jordan, the purpose of the fellowship is to recognise individual members of FIP who have contributed significantly to the growth of pharmacy, who have exhibited strong leadership internationally, who have distinguished themselves in the pharmaceutical sciences and/or practice of pharmacy, who have contributed to the advancement of the pharmaceutical sciences and/or practice or pharmacy, and who have served FIP.
Solarin is the third Nigerian to be so honoured. The honour is a global charge to do more, he said.
The others were late Sir Sam Agboifo, a former vice president of the FIP and Mr Azubuike Okwor, a former president of the African Pharmacists Forum.
The Federation leads over 4 million pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists globally – a task it has been involved in since 1912.
It envisions a world where everyone benefits from access to safe, effective and affordable medicines – an ambitious vision it attempts to achieve by drawing expertise from members who belong in different practice areas, including industries, communities and hospitals, among others.
Born on 8 February 1965, the new FIP fellow was educated at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) where he bagged his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 1986 and an MBA from the IESE Institute of Graduate Management Education, in Barcelona, Spain.
His career in the pharmaceutical industry started in 1989 with the then Glaxo Nigeria Ltd, as a medical representative before he retired ten years later in 1999 after stints in product development, logistics and site services.
As a dynamic professional, he managed a pharmaceutical product development and marketing company, named Coriander Resources Limited between 2004 and 2012.
The nation
