May & Baker Nigeria Plc has called on the Federal Government to ensure consistent and timely payments to local drug manufacturers under the pooled procurement initiative.

The company warned that delays could lead to losses and threaten the survival of pharmaceutical businesses.

Managing Director and CEO Patrick Ajah made the appeal on Friday during the company’s 2025 Walk for Life event in Lagos, held in observance of World Hypertension Day.

Ajah, a member of the government’s pooled procurement committee, welcomed the move to lower drug prices but warned that delays in payment — a recurring problem in past government programs — could hinder its success.

“My warning is, as with many other things that the Federal Government has done, there should be consistency,” Ajah said. “It costs money to produce these drugs. When you make us come down on price, it means we’re compromising our profits.”

Ajah warned that unresolved payments could discourage local pharmaceutical companies from joining the scheme, ultimately undermining its objectives.

“We need assurance that if we get into this, the government is going to pay because companies are going down. Many companies have collapsed in recent times. It’s not good,” he said.

He also called on the government to support local manufacturers to reduce dependence on imported drugs, adding that the current economic realities demand stronger local capacity.

“We need to increase capacity for local companies to take care of our people instead of depending on foreign companies. But if you do not encourage the local companies, it’s not gonna work,” he said.

Ajah commended the recent executive order removing import duties on raw materials for drug manufacturing, describing it as a welcome and progressive move.

“One of the things that they have done recently… The executive order on custom duties and all of that for medications, raw materials, and local producers has been waived by the government. It’s fantastic, and it needs to be continued,” stated.

On the health awareness walk, Ajah said the exercise is part of the company’s wellness strategy for staff and a means of promoting regular health checks among Nigerians, especially those over 40 years of age.

“Anybody above 40 needs to check. Life history, family history – they’re all very important,” he advised.