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Tag: Association

  • Association celebrates diamond anniversary of alma mater

    Association celebrates diamond anniversary of alma mater

    From Friday to Sunday, January 29 and 31, all roads will lead to the Methodist High School, Ilesa, in Osun State. There, friends, associates and well-wishers will join the old students, teachers, students and guests of the oldest secondary school in Osun State in the celebration of the institution’s diamond anniversary.

    To make the event worthwhile, the Old Students’ Association, Methodist High School, Ilesa (OSAMETHSI) have already lined up series of activities to give the school which was founded in 1956 a befitting celebration. Their objective is to bring back the school’s glorious days by renovating some of the school’s buildings and provision of other necessary infrastructure that will enhance teaching and learning in the school.

    When Southwest Report visited the school premises, work was in progress.  Some of the projects carried out included renovation and refurbishment of six blocks consisting of 37 classrooms; replacement of dilapidated doors, windows, ceiling, floor tiling and repainting of classroom blocks.

    The new school gate was a beauty to behold as it was designed with various colours and objects for aesthetics. The security personnel were excited that the students are better secured now and the management can have a better control of students’ movements in and out of the school.

    On one of such visits, our correspondent had a chat with the President of the Old Students’ Association and Managing Director of Kresta Laurel, Mr Dideolu Falobi, who gave a summary of expenditure in the past six months. He pointed out that about N35million contributed by the old students has been expended on various projects in the school.

    He also added that some other projects the association embarked on included the completion of the already existing school hall; painting of renovated school chapel; building an e-library/ITC centre and construction of a new school sports centre, among other projects.

    ”There is no doubt that Methodist High School Ilesa can be restored to its pride of place as first among equals in secondary school education in Nigeria. But we know this can never be achieved by the government alone, hence our decision to embark on this laudable projects so that our dream for our alma mater can be fulfilled,” he said.

    Falobi gave a summary of daily activities already lined up for the 60th anniversary of the school. These include an inter-school debates and football match; inauguration of all upgraded buildings; a procession through Ilesa town and courtesy visit to the Oba of Ijesha land; award of Excellence for deserving old students, teachers, parents and students; a career talk; a lecture and luncheon and launch of N100 million development funds for the school. He said the anniversary will climax with a thanksgiving service at Methodist Church Otapete, Ilesa.

    Expected to attend the event is the former Governor of Ogun State Otunba Gbenga Daniel who will deliver the anniversary lecture, while the former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Prof. Bamidele Omole will chair the occasion.

  • Association lifts psychiatric patients in Calabar

    Association lifts psychiatric patients in Calabar

    Patients of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Calabar felt a sense of belonging as the Senior Staff Association of the hospital donated several items to them.

    Items donated to them included foodstuff, provisions and toiletries among others.

    The Chairman of the Association, Comrade Ken Bassey, said they thought it wise that the patients be made to feel loved and wanted, especially in the Christmas and New Year season.

    His words: “What we displayed was service to humanity. We thought it wise as a union that it is not only about agitating for our welfare for our members, but also there should be a paradigm shift to also reaching out to members of the society especially the less privileged.

    “We presented gifts to our patients. Our clients because we benefitted so much from the system and we also thought it wise to give back to the system. There is a popular dictum that charity begins at home, so we thought it wise to start with our inmates. We are using this opportunity to call on well meaning Nigerians to join us in this gesture

    “A healthy nation is a wealthy nation and the government should know that and take the issue of health seriously because it is very key. We should be well funded and for the staff that provide the healthcare service, there should be a very conducive environment and people should be trained to handle this cases so that at the end of the day we would have results that the government is looking out for.”

    Bassey urged that government pay more attention to mental health institutions.

    Consultant neuropsychiatrist, Dr Olutokin Michael, said it was unfortunate people in the society did not reckon with their patients. He said people do not want to associate with them and they are often stigmatized.

    “We have to give them a sense of belonging and we use this opportunity to tell them we love them and that they are important persons too,” he said.

    Acting Head of Administration of the hospital, Mrs Arit Uweh, thanked the association for the gesture.

    “We thank you for the time and love.  We are happy that you thought it wise to make them happy. Not just to think about yourselves but also to touch other people’s lives,” she said.

    Head of Nursing Services, Mrs Ekanem Ekpo Otu, said most times people give to the less privileged in the society but never think of patients of the psychiatric hospital.

    She said, “Thank you for thinking of our patients. I thank the association for placing our patients first. Thank you for the love and God bless and replenish you. The items would be useful and would go a long way to take care of the patients.”

    Servicom Officer in the hospital, Mr Okon Asuquo, lauded the gesture, saying it has never happened in the history of the hospital.

    He urged that it be emulated by others.

  • Association rallies support for Ambode

    Association rallies support for Ambode

    A community-based development group, Lafiaji Community Association (LCA), has enjoined Lagosians to rise in support of the government in tackling insecurity and traffic snarls.

    The association lauded the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration for canvassing a new strategy to combat crime.

    Governor Ambode at the end of a retreat for executive council members, over the weekend, urged the police to step up their surveillance and come up with new strategies to tackle crime.

    LCA president Babatunde Abozos urged residents to be security conscious.

    He said:“Our people have to be vigilant in every aspect. Though, God is the only person that secures our lives; we have to be wary of what goes on around us. Any suspicious move should be reported to security agencies. We must also checkmate the activities of hoodlums and commercial bus drivers that hide under the guise of fighting for political parties to create chaos in the polity. On our own, we are ready to give the present administration our full support particularly in the area of community development.”

    The association’s former Vice President, Ayo Benson said the association would contribute towards youths’ development.

    Benson said: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The number of jobless graduates is alarming and this I think, should be looked into with utmost urgency. We have uncountable graduates without jobs and they have families to cater for. Frustration sometimes forces them into nefarious activities. If people are employed, their level of thinking will change and they will be more useful to the society.”

    He lamented the incessant epileptic power supply, urging government to intervene quickly.

    “Electricity is very important in our country and people believe that our electricity is not good; that’s why a lot of industries has moved out of our country. If our electricity is improved, I believe a lot of these companies would return and that will creat more job opportunities to the youths,” he said.

    He warned the youths to eschew criminal activities.

  • Association alleges gang up against members

    The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has decried alleged gang-up against its members by the Committee of Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors and Directors-General under the Federal Ministry of Health.

    The National President of AMLSN, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem said it is quite unfortunate that “any time a privilege or right is given to others such as in the case of the recently approved entry point for our members and the need to adjust the levels for existing medical scientists to maintain seniority, some members of this committee would have one reason or the other not to comply with such circulars.”

    Raheem spoke in Port Harcourt during the 51st Annual Scientific Conference and Workshop of the association which had the theme Combating Acute and Chronic Health Challenges: The Medical Laboratory as a Critical Tool.”

    The AMLSN boss, who said that he had observed that “there are deliberate attempts to stagnate our members and even non-employment of fresh medical laboratory scientists needed to strengthen the laboratory services” further condemned a situation in which medical doctors set up laboratory facilities within their clinics and hospitals. He added that “this is a violation of the National Health Insurance Scheme.”

    This practice, Raheem further said, denies AMSLN of its service fees, capitation and other entitlements. He, therefore, called on the Federal Ministry of Health to direct the committee made up of medical doctors “who are in the habit of using their positions to intimidate, oppress and suppress other health professional groups, especially medical lab scientists, to stop this practice.

    Continuing, he said that in line with the Federal Government’s directive to the Ministry of Labour on how to avert industrial actions in the health sector, his association forwarded a position paper in which it noted that major causes of strikes are “impunity, disregard to rule of law and disobedience to court judgment, government circulars, approved scheme of service, gross and outrageous disparities and discriminations in salaries and allowances of physicians and other health professionals.”

    While calling for the establishment of health directorate in the Federal Ministry of Health, he also demanded the implementation of all court judgments in favour of AMLSN, especially the most recent where all the reliefs sought by his association were granted by the National Industrial Court, Abuja against pathologists.

    In his speech, the Chairman of Rivers State chapter of AMLSN, Dr Easter Nwokah stressed the importance of medical laboratory science in health care delivery saying that “it is a common knowledge that every clinical decision is based on, at least, 70 per cent input from laboratory investigation.”

    Nwokah, who commended the Rivers State government for the tremendous commitments it has made in health care delivery, also pointed out the need for the creation of a directorate of medical laboratory services in the state service.

    He also pointed out that the “non-existence of this directorate has militated against the enhancement in the practice of the profession as well as hindered effective and quality diagnostic service delivery.”

    Also speaking, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Austin Opara commended members of AMSLN for what they are doing in the health sector, adding that it was their efforts that helped Nigeria to combat Ebola virus disease last year.

    Opara, who was represented by the Head of Department of Management, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Dr Henry Ejor-Orusa said: “Just like ideas rule the world, ideas in medical laboratory will help in medical field,” adding that medical lab science is one profession where there is a fusion of science and technology.

    The Keynote speaker at the event, Prof. Olufemi Oguntibeju of Cape Peninsula University, South Africa spoke on the theme of the conference.

  • Association tackles water pollution

    The Association of Water Drillers and Rig-owners Practitioners (AWDROP) has announced its resolve to monitor government projects across the country to raise the quality of water being produced for consumption.

    The association’s National President, Mr. Michael Ale, revealed this during a press conference organised for borehole drillers at Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    “Many boreholes drilled in Nigeria by non-professionals have contaminated our most precious underground resources, thus resulting in illness for many innocent Nigerians.

    “Failure to coordinate activities of borehole drilling in Nigeria through non-implementation of regulatory instrument, encouraged uncoordinated pricing and use of substandard materials to the disadvantage of unsuspecting and ill-informed customers, Ale said.

    He continued: “The Federal Ministry of Water Resources, with the assistance of many stakeholders, including Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has put up code of practice for borehole drilling in Nigeria and the document remains the valid guiding code for drilling companies in Nigeria.

    “AWDROP accepted the adoption of the implementation of the code for drilling companies, thus setting standard for their operation.’’

    Ale emphasised the need to implement the practice to avoid unnecessary waste of scarce resources over several moribund boreholes lingering the country, noting that “several government’s borehole projects have failed because of weak supervision and non-implementation of the code of practice by the contracting agent”.

    The AWDROP President noted: “The implementation of code of practice for all borehole operators was important for sustainable quality water provision in Nigeria. There is the need to partner with all stakeholders involved in drilling practices to imbibe the culture and practice of good design and safety during operation.”

    He reiterated that all boreholes being contracted out by the development partners and government alike would, henceforth, be monitored by AWDROP task force on code of practice for efficient and effective supervision, as borehole is not only about drilling or contracting but designed for good safety and health impact and proper handing over.

    Ale maintained that several borehole projects by the development partners and government alike have failed in the past but with the implementation of the code of practice document, borehole projects are set to come alive again.ý

    In view of this, two new buses have been donated by the association to strengthen the national task force as ratified by the national council of water resources during the last council meeting in Kaduna.

  • Association identifies quackery as cause of collapse buildings

    The Nigeria Association of Draughts-men (NAD) has identified quackery as a major cause of building collapse.

    The Chairman of the association, Delta State chapter, Chris Akeni, spoke at a workshop held at Oteri community, Ughelli North Local Government Area.

    He said the association organised the workshop to re-educate its members on their role in building construction.

    In a lecture titled: Preventing Unnecessary Building Failures and Collapse in Nigeria, the Role of the Draughts-men “,  Akeni described draughts-men as indispensable member of both the design built team in any construction work.

    Akeni, who urged engineers to be more careful and accurate in the pursuit of their duties, noted that their role in building construction is to make detail drawings which communicate all aspects of designs that are used to build houses.

    Speaking on the cause of the frequent occurrence of building collapse, the State chairman stated that they are caused by faulty design owing to inadequate or improper structural detailing and wrong specifications.

    While calling on the government to regulate the practice of draughts-men in Nigeria, he stressed that the profession is too porous and open to quacks thereby producing incomplete detailed working drawings.

    Speaking with reporters shortly after occasion, the Ughelli zone chairman, Mr. Fred Egbudu commended the State leader for organising the workshop for the purpose of retraining them on how to be more focused and the modern trend of the job.

  • Association donates lab equipment, books to alma mater

    Association donates lab equipment, books to alma mater

    The set of 1971 to 1975 of Ibadan Grammar School Old Boys’ Association (IGSOSA) recently converged on the premises of their alma mater for two days in what could be described as an unprecedented re-union to mark 40 years of bidding their school farewell.

    A thanksgiving service was held at the school’s chapel on June 19, this year which was attended by the renowned principal for the set, Chief Ayo Labiyi and the teachers who thaught them various subjects which included Mr Idowu Adenuga (Chemistry), Prof. E.S. Ajibade (Yoruba), Dr Depo Fakunle (Agriculture), Mrs A.E Smith (Physics) and Deborah Bolaji Falade (English Studies and Fine Arts).

    The programme was followed by a cooktail. Classmates at home and in the Diaspora were nostalgic ýabout the good old days. The atmosphere was filled with great laughter and merriment as most of them remembered their escapades, bravery, naughtiness and craftiness.

    Some teachers were remembered, including their nicknames code names and esoteric slangs were freely used to refer to most of them.

    Some Senior Prefects, who attended the event were Mr Joseph Oyedoyin (aka) Oga Jossy andMr Kunle Osinowo.

    The reception programme followed at Emmanuel Alayande Hall and was presided over by Prof. C. Aworh; an old boy who praised the quality of organisation and presentation of the set.

    The chairman of steering committee for the programme, Dr Adebayo Gbadebo-Saba lamented the decay in the education sector within the last three decades and called on all stakeholders, especially the old stuýdents of schools to take a cue from what IGSOSA is doing.

    He paid glowing tributes to the principal and teachers who molded their lives during their days at the school.

    Quality desks and chairs that can conveniently accommodate 180 students as well as laboratory equipment and books were donated by the set to the school. They were received by the Principal, Mr Femi Adekunle.

    Tunde Lashabi, also an old student and current chairman, Nigeria Institution of Builders, proposed a toast and was cheered by other friends of the class, including Dr Tiri Oladimeji, Oloye Gbola Raaji, Jide Lawal, Kayode Adepeju and Mrs Omolara Yusuf.

    Other highlights of the programme included a lecture entitled “Education in Nigeria which was delivered by Dr Depo Fakunle and presentation of awards to the Principal and teachers.

    Speaking on behalf of recipients of the awards, Mrs A.E. Smith appreciated members of the set and thanked God for being able to impact positively on humanity.

    Addresing journalists after the event, Mr Idowu Adenuja, who had headed many high-brow public schools, expressed appreciation for the students’ gesture.

    He noted that Chemistry is the cutting edge of science, advising students to be serious with their studies as education is now highly competitive.

    About 40 members of the set aýttended the event with their spouses.

    The parting line was “God be with you till we meet like this again”

     

  • Southsouth Community Association gets approval

    THE Southsouth Community Association of Nigeria (SOSCAN) has been registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    In a statement, its Executive Secretary, Dr Peter Ekong, said the group scaled the hurdle a year after its leaders submitted its papers for registration, adding that processing started in May, last year. He said comprises indigenes of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta and Rivers and Edo states.

    He said the group also known as Niger Delta Peoples Community is aimed at fighting for the rights of the peoples of the area, adding that there was need for integration among them.

    Ekong added that the Lagos chapter of the association would be inaugurated soon and that a steering committee to do so had been put in place.

  • Association chief flays state of slaughter houses

    The President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, has warned that poor slaughter houses across the country was putting public health at risk.

    Speaking with The Nation, Egbesola said there were no official controls to ensure meat safety and maintain consumer confidence.

    He warned of potential risks of  food borne diseases, adding that this can be minimised with stringent animal health control measures.

    Given the state of the abattoirs, he said consumers may eat meat containing contaminants.

    At some of the abattoirs, residents have complained  about bad odours from bloody fleeces loaded from the abattoirs. He said animals intended for human consumption and admitted to the slaughterhouses for slaughtering and dressing should be subject to inspections. Before animals are slaughtered, he said they should be inspected by qualified officials.

    He advised that animals arriving at the abattoir to be slaughtered should be inspected for signs of illness before they enter the premises.

    Throughout the slaughter process, Egbesola emphasised that meat inspection procedures should be carried out by trained personnel to identify signs of disease in the carcass.

    He stressed that a situation where quality control is compromised may lead to “dead and sick animals being slaughtered and sold.

    He called for proper audits of slaughterhouses to ensure that consumers are eating meat free from diseases and contaminants.

    He urged the government to involve more in the audit of meat production.

  • Association urges NASS to pass local content bill

    Association urges NASS to pass local content bill

    The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) has called on the National Assembly (NASS) to take all the necessary steps to fast tract the deliberations on the Local Content Bill to ensure that the policy is established as a Local Content Act in the construction industry

    CCESSA’s National President, Comrade (Dr.) Augustine Etafo made the declaration in Lagos while interacting with newsmen on the dangers of government refusal to intervene in the challenges facing construction workers in the country

    He said: “We call on the NASS to take all the necessary steps to fast track the deliberations on the local content bill to ensure that the policy is established as a local content act in the construction industry to save the industry from collapse”

    “We also call on the federal, state and local governments to start as a matter of urgency, to address the unemployment needs of the youths”.

    According to Etafo, the association has specifically looked at youth unemployment, high level of corruption that create a wide gap between the rich and the poor, and poor infrastructural facilities as some of the key challenges which the government must pay attention to in order to address the security challenges in the country.

    While identifying policies that would help to boost the level of economic activities in the construction sector as well as necessary changes to be effected to ensure job creation and also minimize brain drain in the industry, he called on the three tiers of government to intensity effort in the creation of job for the teeming youths who are graduating from the higher institutions on yearly basis.