Helping People Has Been My Driving Force – Best Pharmacy Brain, Nigeria

By Angel Afolabi-Ozua

Samuel Ibrahim, a final-year student of Pharmacy at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and President, College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences Students Association (COMPSSA) was recently crowned the Best Pharmacy Brain in Nigeria after he won the Shalina Young Talent Award. This made it the two consecutive times that UNILAG has won such an award.

In an exclusive interview with UNILAG Sun, he shared his journey and motivation for winning the prestigious award.

Ibrahim shared that his interest in pharmacy started from a young age driven by a desire to make a difference in people’s lives and he viewed Pharmacy as a way to help a lot of people. “Pharmacy allows me to help people through formulating, dispensing, and quality controlling drugs”, he said.

The competition, which involves 24 Pharmacy schools in Nigeria, consists of a preliminary round, an online proctored exam, and a final presentation. Ibrahim mentioned that his motivation came from seeing a senior, Princess Kamsi Okeke, win the competition last year. He described the nature of preparing for the competition, which involves multiple stages and various types of assessments as “daunting”.

“The award has brought positive attention to my faculty and the University of Lagos”, he said. As a result of winning the award, Ibrahim has been presented with offers for research projects and opportunities for further studies. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunities and acknowledged the support he had received from the competition organizers who awarded him the sum of one million Naira and his faculty.

Ibrahim’s success is not just about him. It’s also about the people who have supported him along the way. The Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Professor Gloria Ayoola, and the Sub-Dean, Dr. Foluke Ayeni and Dr. Bukola Oseni, have been instrumental in supporting Ibrahim throughout the competition.

His advice to future participants and aspiring pharmacy students is to retain their knowledge over the years and to understand and retain information rather than just reading and forgetting. “Pharmacy is a challenging course, but it’s also very rewarding,” he said. “I encourage aspiring pharmacy students to pursue the course despite its demands.” He recommended the University of Lagos for its strong Pharmacy Program and the opportunities to which students are exposed.

Speaking about balancing his academic responsibilities, extracurricular activities and work, Ibrahim highlighted the importance of prioritising tasks and managing time effectively to juggle multiple responsibilities.

“There is no perfect balance and it varies based on his priorities at different times”, he said.