Antibiotic misuse threatens modern medicine, UNILORIN professor warns

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin –

A Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Ilorin, Ajibola Akanbi II, has raised concerns over the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that the misuse of antibiotics could soon render modern medicine ineffective in treating common infections.

He made this known while delivering the university’s 288th inaugural lecture, titled “The Pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance and the Experience of a Clinical Microbiologist.” He described AMR as a silent pandemic steadily undermining medical progress.

“Antibiotics are no longer miracle drugs,” Akanbi said. “If we continue to misuse them, even the new ones being developed will become useless. We must empower our people with knowledge about the dangers of indiscriminate antibiotic use. We cannot fight what we do not measure.”

The professor stressed that addressing AMR requires a multi-pronged approach involving health professionals, the general public, policymakers, and international stakeholders.

He noted the importance of public education, adding that many Nigerians are unaware of the consequences of self-medication, incomplete dosage, and using antibiotics without proper prescriptions.

Akanbi called for stronger antibiotic stewardship in hospitals and clinics to ensure antibiotics are only prescribed when necessary, with the right drug, dosage, and duration.

He also advocated the use of combination therapies—multiple antibiotics with different mechanisms of action—as a strategy to prevent resistance, but warned that careless application could worsen the problem.

He further highlighted the promise of dietary interventions such as probiotics and prebiotics to promote a healthier gut microbiome, while calling for the strengthening of surveillance systems to monitor resistance trends, especially in Nigeria, where real-time data remains inadequate.