PRIME PARAGON INTERVIEW: PHARM ADAOBI OKEKE
By Oluwayemisi Ogundipe & Isiaku Daniel.
Considering the multi-faceted nature of pharmacy practice, this interview with Pharm Adaobi comes just in time to guide us on factors to consider in choosing a career path. Sit and enjoy the ride.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m Adaobi, Okeke’s daughter, the second out of four children. I am from Anambra state. However, I grew up in Ilorin, Kwara state, as my parents resided there.
Oh, that means you must be fluent in Yoruba.
Yes, my spoken Yoruba is way better than my spoken Igbo. However, I understand Igbo.
How was pharmacy, seeing that you attended OAU?
It was tough, but I enjoyed it because it taught me how to withstand pressure and a lot of other things. I was one of the bookworms in school, so I didn’t have fun in school, and I’m making up for it now.
Why aren’t you as bookish as before?
Well, I realized I missed out on a lot of fun, and my youthful years are fast running out, and I have to catch up.
As a bookworm, did you have any C?
Nope. However, I had a resit in my 3rd year. Usually, if you had less than 50 points in a particular course, you’d have to resit the course. I helped many classmates in that course, but I failed it. Maybe there was an error, and I don’t know what happened. I eventually became the best graduating student in that department.
How did it feel psychologically for you since you had the nerd reputation?
It was hard because it was the first time. In OAU, results are released on different lists (pass, resit, repeat) in that sequence. So usually, I’d go to the pass list as I’m so confident.
The lists were released during the holidays, and my name wasn’t on the pass but on the resit list. Initially, I felt ashamed; I wondered why I felt that way.
So it was weird for me to go back to school because if you have to resit an exam, you have to come back earlier than everyone else. So you can read and retake exams. So going back to school and reading with people again taught me that failure is not such a big deal; it taught me some life lessons. The resit exam was so easy. I was confident, and I was not surprised that I scored over 80%.
Why didn’t you contest your initial exam score? It could have been an error in the compilation.
In OAU, that wasn’t the culture. I can’t say it wasn’t allowed because I had experience in my final year. I was on a distinction till my fourth year, when I dropped down as it was a very rigorous year. Thankfully, the fifth year weighed the most regarding its contribution to CGPA. So I knew that I had to make up for everything in my fifth year, which I did. However, my name still did not make it to the distinction list. Not seeing my name on this list made me sad. However, my friends encouraged me to check my breakdown. We realized a compilation error, and I was given the same CGPA as the person whose matric number was just before mine. So I had to push and inform the necessary authorities to get it rectified.
So how did you get into regulatory affairs?
My story is quite similar to many of my contemporaries in Nigeria. Often, we get into the field through an internship. It is rare to find people who did not have some internship experience in regulatory roles holding full-time positions.
Do you mean switching careers from another field to regulatory after an internship is challenging?
It is tricky, mainly because many organizations in Nigeria would rather employ pharmacists with some experience than those without any. I did my internship with Chi Pharmaceuticals this exposed me to some training in Regulatory Affairs. During my NYSC, I served with my current company (Servier), and I have been there for over four years.
What do you do as a regulatory officer?
As a regulatory officer, I am responsible for registering new pharmaceutical products with NAFDAC and retaining them market because product registration requires renewals.
I am responsible for premise registration and retention with the PCN. In recent times, I have been in charge of registering medical reps, compliance, and pharmaceutical responsibility, including pharmacovigilance.
What are your thoughts about PCN’s mandate for registration of medical and sales reps?
I believe it is steps in the right direction to regulate the sale of medication, particularly ethically, as this would also help pharmacists in this field negotiate for better remuneration.
In addition, it would benefit pharmacists because top positions in pharmaceuticals, such as national sales manager, would be more accessible for pharmacists because of better regulation.
What do you love the most about your job?
My role is highly strategic. I am the technical manager of my department. I have a line manager to who I report to.
I usually have to be involved in strategy meetings because the issues discussed in these meetings are critical. You can’t afford to be lax because the entire business gets grounded if licenses are not updated.
As a YP that has carved a niche for herself in Regulatory, what will be your advice to other YPs about choosing a career path?
I will say this: when choosing a career path, be open-minded. It’s great to have a plan already, but plans can change as pharmacy practice is vast and diverse. Don’t be too rigid or unilateral in making your decision, and always have a contingency plan. One could be in community pharmacy and not know that other careers will bring them more satisfaction and fulfilment.
I always tell young graduates that the internship period is a time to explore, test all waters and, as much as possible, At least engage in two facets of the profession.
In my own opinion, the ideal place to do an internship is the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria(PCN) because they expose you to; community pharmacy, industrial pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and, of course, administrative pharmacy practices.
So don’t box yourself or allow money to be your deciding factor at this stage.
When leaving school, I already knew community practice was not for me. Though I did some time as a locum pharmacist, production was very monotonous, so I ruled it out. Quality control is something I like just because it keeps your brain on its toes and takes you back to the classrooms, but regulatory has been the thing for me. Apart from working, it also allows me to meet different people. If I had not done regulatory, sales would have been where I ended up, even though I don’t like the idea of “Target”. So, therefore, regulation won the day.
Can you take us through your IPSF, PANS, and YPG journeys?
I was project coordinator for YPG from 2019 through 2020. I worked with ten members. It was an experience because while some committee members consistently delivered on tasks, others needed to be chased around (lol). Some respected deadlines very well, while some didn’t. We were the pioneer project committee, and almost every idea my committee members and I came up with were brand new, so we were heavily tasked with how to execute them.
While in school in 2016, I was involved in AFPS (African Pharmaceutical Symposium), which was held in Kenya. There were about 6 Nigerians who attended, and that was how my IPSF journey started. I joined PD (Professional Development); we did a lot of work in this aspect and brought it home. Seeing many schools replicate the IPSF PD events makes me happy.
In 2017, I applied for the grant coordinator’s post position, and I got it and did that for one year.
In 2018, I was treasurer of the AFPS, Nigeria, and I did a lot of work in that capacity. We hosted the symposium here in Lagos, and it was a massive success as we had attendance from different countries.
I also did WHSS 2017 (World Health Care Students Symposium), where I was the international campus ambassador for Nigeria, hosted in Kigali, Rwanda. So these were my footprints in IPSF and YPG.
So Ada, How actively involved are you with the activities of YPG currently?
I’m not currently involved because I’m not on any committee. The coordinator approached me, but I felt more people had to come on board and take up responsibilities and be given a chance to lead, to learn the art of leadership. It’s an opportunity with great imparts. I learned a lot during my leadership stints. I’ve been off the radar of YPG for some time now because of the nature of my work. I must commend the YPG-LAGOS. There has been tremendous improvement across all boards. So I implore YPs to get involved. It’s getting interested in these platforms that have helped improve my professional skills, and it’s evident in the way I communicate when I do presentations, write memos, proposals, etc.
So please don’t run from leadership roles, the very fact that it’s inconvenient to you because, honestly, it’s always inconvenient, that is why you should even do it cause it’s going to shape you and teach you lessons to groom you better.
TOPRA Award: What About It?
Hahahaha you saw that on my LinkedIn, right?
Well, TOPRA is the organization of professionals in regulatory affairs.
They have this award for professionals with less than five years of experience. When I learnt about it, I told my boss, and she was delighted to nominate me. She had to fill out a well-detailed form and even made a video for me. To me, that was the victory. I felt so honoured and appreciated. To my surprise, I was a finalist, which was the first time an African was nominated. That was a massive leap in my regulatory career.
Finally, Pharm Adaobi, Currently they have been brain drain cut across all fields in Nigeria; What is your advice to young pharmacists who have chosen to stay back?
As I said, be open-minded; you never know what the future holds. If you have chosen to stay, be intentional with your plans and take deliberate actions towards them. Start now if you’re a business person, no matter how small. Just get busy with it.
Do a lot of networking. Pharmacist conferences like PSN conferences and YPG conferences are gold mines. Go there and meet different people from all facets of the profession. Interact with them, ask them about their companies, how they do their recruitment and around what time it is conducted. Exchange contacts and always keep in touch. That is my honest opinion of those who have decided to stay back.
