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Tag: practice

  • Public analysts unveil practice licence stamp

    Public analysts unveil practice licence stamp

    Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN) has unveiled a new Practice Licence Stamp (PLS).

     At the event in Yaba, Lagos, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Aliyu Angara, said ‘’with introduction of the Practice Licence Stamps (PLS), we embark on a new chapter – enhanced transparency, accountability, and a commitment to excellence.’’

     “The PLS is not mere symbol; it embodies the essence of our dedication, serving as mark of authenticity.”

     He said the personalised plastic/rubber stamp would be invalid from October 1, after “one-month moratorium during which it will be used side by side with the new PLS”.

    Read Also: Tinubu to depart Abuja on Monday for G20 Summit in India

      Deputy Director of Food and Drugs at Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Fausat Omolara Oderide, congratulated IPAN and pledged support of the ministry.

    “This is good work and it is timely. It will help professionals to be accountable,” Mrs Oderide, represented her Director, Olubunmi Aribeana, said.

     A trustee of IPAN, Balogun Sani, described the new stamp as a “critical step” in attainment of excellence.

  • Lagos advocates sustainable sanitation practice

    Lagos advocates sustainable sanitation practice

    The Lagos State Government has joined the rest of the world to mark the World Toilet Day – a day set aside to promote healthy sanitation practices.

    At the celebration, which held at the Ojodu/Berger Bus Terminus, in the Ikeja Local Government Area, last week, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said the day brought to the front burner germane issues, such as water, sanitation and hygiene, affecting the people. He noted that the proper handling of these critical issues would help reduce government’s expenditure on the treatment of diseases, and make more money available for other facilities for public use.

    Adejare said by the United Nations’ estimate, 2.5 per cent of the world’s seven billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation while 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open.

    “This has significant impacts on human health, dignity and security as well as the environment, social and economic development. The countries where open defecation is most widely practiced are the same countries with the highest mortality rate of children under five, high levels of under nutrition and poverty as well as large wealth disparities,” he said.

    This staggering statistics, the Commissioner said, calls for urgent action among all stakeholders to prioritise toilet and sanitation issues, enhance access to water and sanitation facilities as well as spread awareness of the ills of undesirable sanitation practices. He agreed that sanitation and toilet issues required urgent actions to stem the tide of diseases and bring about healthy citizenry.

    Adejare said the current administration was making concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of open defecation and urination through the provision of public toilets and upgrading of already existing facilities across the state.

    “All public institutions in the state such as petrol stations, eateries and shopping malls are mandated to maintain clean toilets and give access to members of the public. We have also ensured that non-compliance attracts appropriate sanctions,” he disclosed.

    He said the Lagos State government’s commitment to attaining the smart-city status for the state could not be sacrificed at the altar of poor sanitation and inefficient solid waste management, stressing that the environment remained the state’s priority as it was important for maintaining a secure and more prosperous state.

    The commissioner, therefore, enjoined Lagosians to join in the crusade of attaining a cleaner, healthier, functional and sustainable environment, capable of promoting economic growth and well-being of the citizenry.

  • ‘Urbanisation threatens herbal medicine practice’

    Popular alternative medicine practitioner, Dr. Akintunde Ayeni, has urged government at all levels to create botanical gardens to preserve herbs and roots, as practised in China and other advanced countries.

    He expressed concern that herbs and roots were disappearing from Nigeria due to urbanisation and other human activities.

    Ayeni, who is the Chairman of Yemkem International, spoke at a meeting of Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria (HTSN) in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    He said: “Many herbs and roots have been cleared by bulldozers for building of houses. It will get to a time we will not get herbs and roots again. If we don’t have botanical garden, herbs and roots would go into extinction.

    “When you go to a country like China, which has efficient herbal medicine practice, it has botanical gardens.”

    Also, a prominent theatre arts practitioner, Chief Jimoh Aliu, urged government to enact policies that would ensure that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of healing power of herbal medicine.

    He said: “Herbal medicine blurs the line between foods and medicines – a line that in many cultures was never drawn in the first place.

    “Using herbs and spices that have disease-preventive effect in foods is one of the best ways to take advantage of their healing power.

    “I also urge you to support those at the helms of affairs of the society in the best interest of unity, progress and stability of HTSN.”

  • Bayelsa SSG Dokubo-Spiff bows out to face law practice

    Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government (SSG) Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff has bowed out following his decision to return to law practice.

    The governor said it was difficult for him to let his SSG go because of their ties, adding that he “conscripted” Serena-Dokubo, a lawyer, into politics.

    Dickson said the former SSG rose from the Office of the Deputy Chairman of Peoples Democratic People (PDP) to become the substantive boss of the party and later led the PDP to a second term victory.

    He said Dokubo-Spiff, a traditional ruler, performed creditably as SSG, adding that he allowed him to go following his pleas he wanted more time to revive his law chamber.

    He said the decision was also to enable him discharge his traditional responsibilities to his community.

    Dickson insisted Dokubo-Spiff will still be a critical part of his restoration government, and made him chairman of the reconstituted board of  Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC).

    Also, Deputy Governor Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) commended the former SSG for his contributions to the restoration government.

    Dokubo-Spiff thanked Dickson for giving him the opportunity to serve the state and pledged his willingness to continue to pursue the ideals of his government.

    He praised the governor for his commitment to the development of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation, saying it was a privilege to have worked with him.

     

  • Stakeholders canvass standardisation of real estate agency practice

    Stakeholders canvass standardisation of real estate agency practice

    Except there is a reversal in estate agency practice, its practitioners will continue to feed on crumbs. This is because of the lack of standard in estate agency as being practised in the country. The lack of standardised practice, it is believed, explains why Nigerian estate agents are not getting juicy deals, especially from multinationals.

    “Can any of you here claim he is managing any outlet in Shoprite, or in any other multinational facility? Except you improve and up your standard, you will never play in the big league of estate agency. The best of transactions now are going to multinationals,” said Tope Ojo, guest lecturer at the Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department (LASRETRAD) stakeholders’ conference, held  in Alausa, Ikeja, last week.

    The theme of the conference was “Standardising Real Estate Agency Practice in Lagos State.”

    According to Ojo, there is an urgent need for the review of certain provisions of the law governing estate agency in the state and country. For instance, he explained that under the Lagos State Estate Agency Regulatory Authority Law 2007, the practice is open to anybody from the age of 18 years, including having a minimum of educational qualification of secondary school leaving certificate or a proof of sufficient experience in estate agency practice.

    Other requirements under this law include evidence of registration of estate agency business under Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), including but not mandatorily being a member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) or any other professionally recognised body or any registered association of Estate/rent/commission agent.

    However, the guest lecturer riticised the 18-year-old clause, arguing that it is very unlikely that any investor will be willing to hand over a N50 million asset to an estate agent of that age to manage on his behalf.

    Ojo regretted that the features of estate agency practice in the country are characterised by lack of adequate regulatory framework; free entry/ free exist, which requires no training nor certification; and are laden with high market risk. Others, he said, include small size of offices; lack of information on transaction; poor public perception; large presence of non-professionals; unorganised market; multiplicity of local agents association; fraudulent transaction; lack of standardisation; and largely unregulated. These features, makes the profession have perception issues among the public.

    Proffering solution, Ojo, therefore, called for a national/state body; effective regulatory framework; establishment of a licensing authority that will register all certified estate agents; professional indemnity by way of insurance of estate agents.

    There should also be categorisation of licenced estate agents into principals and ordinary agents, including creation of a state estate agency board in conjunction with NIESV.

    “This will give confidence to the profession. If a client knows an agent has insurance for professional indemnity, then he can be rest assured that if anything happens to his money the insurance will pay him back. For now, estate agents are traders and not professionals,” he explained.

    Explaining how the practice works in other climes such as South Africa, Ojo said an aspiring practitioner will first complete further education and training certificate in Real estate; undergo a 12-month internship mentored by a professional; write and pass Professional Designate Examinations (PDE); and register with the country’s Estate Agency Affairs Board. To be a principal of a firm, such person will also have to write and pass another examination. Over  40,000 Estate Agents are registered with the board.

    Earlier in his keynote address to the gathering, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Housing , Mrs. Aramide Giwanson, observed that over the years, the activities of estate agents have been a source of concern to government because of the several unsavoury tales people have had to tell about the sharp practices of the practitioners, which usually leads to people being defrauded.

    Ambode agreed that unethical practices has thrived in the profession because it is largely unorganised, unregulated and unprofessional. This has been further buoyed by the by the lack of a central professional / regulatory body that will set minimum standard and code of ethics for practitioners, leaving the door open to all comers including those who do not have the basic training and qualification.

    He explained that with the establishment of LASRETRAD, government hopes to redress the situation, by not only guiding the real estate agency through rules and regulations, but by also ensuring that violators of these rules are made to account for their actions.

    “We believe that this will ensure protection for citizens and reduce the tendency for fraudulent practices. In addition, it will also enable government to adequately capture data on property transactions on a regular basis as it is being done in most developed parts of the world,” Ambode said.

  • ‘More Nigerians engage in Yoga practice’

    More Nigerians are engaging in Yoga practice, Mrs Simran Magnani, President of Yog Shivir, an Indian Yoga coaching organisation, said.

    Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated from India, which focuses on bringing harmony between the mind and body.

    Magnani spoke at an event jointly organised by the High Commission of India and the Indian Cultural Association (ICA) in Lagos to mark the 2017 International Yoga Day.

    “In the last three years that we have been observing the International Yoga Day in Lagos, there is growing awareness among Nigerians of the benefits of Yoga. There is currently a high level of its awareness among more Nigerians. Many are becoming more enthusiastic about Yoga practice. I presently have more than 30 Nigerians that have joined my Yoga sessions in Lagos alone,’’ she said.

    Magnani said it was important for Nigerians to realise that Yoga practice was different from physical exercises, because it works on the mind and enhances calmness and relaxation.

    According to her, it is imperative for more Nigerians to know that Yoga is the art and science of healthy living.

    ICA President Chief Sanjay Jain enjoined Nigerians to avail themselves of the benefits of practising Yoga.

    Jain said Yoga practice enhances vitality, focus, memory, productivity, body, mind, emotional stability, strength and stability of the spine.

    He said it was also imperative for Nigerians to know that its practice assists in relieving back pain, stress, anxiety and tension.

    “We believe that the celebration of the International Yoga Day here at the premises of the High Commission of India in Lagos these past years is to sensitise Nigerians on the benefits of Yoga.

    “We still want to encourage more of our Nigerian brothers, sisters and friends to adopt the practice of Yoga,’’ he said.

  • Pharmacists canvass mentoring to boost practice

    The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) have stressed the need for mentoring of pharmacy students on career choices to develop their profession.

    Its members spoke at this year’s Young Pharmacists Mentoring Day in Lagos with the theme: Aligning career path towards emerging trends in pharmaceutical practice.

    Chairman on the occasion Mr Adetunji Doherty said there was confusion about how students choose careers after university.

    He said young students or pharmacists would turn out well when they are guided by experienced persons in their profession.

    “Studying as a pharmacy student is different from working as a pharmacist. This is because young pharmacists would be asked to put into practice what they have learnt,” he said.

    Doherty said there are various disciplines in pharmacy, such as hospital, academic, industry/production, community, and sales and marketing, among others, adding that students should choose the area they have flair for.

    Doherty, who imports medicines, said he has been doing his business for more than 20 years, adding: “You have to know your strength and weaknesses”.

    NAIP’s National Chairman, Mr Gbenga Falabi, said pharmacy allows for mentoring and, as such, can help young pharmacy students to gravitate towards the industry.

    He said the industry requires skills and expertise, adding: “But the goal is that pharmacy thinks about the people and how you can serve them”.

    Falabi said a single mistake in the granulation of acute ingridients can make investors lose their money.

    “This is why NAIP is trying to build capacity of young pharmacists in industrial pharmacy,” he said.

    He said there was the need to generate interest in sales and marketing as well as production aspect of pharmacy because they are also important to the profession.

    Technical Production, Drugsfield Pharmaceuticals Ltd Executive Director, Mr Ade Kehinde said pharmacy should ensure availability of efficacious drugs and medicines.

    He charged them to have a vision, adding that this would make them go the right way in their career path.

    Kehinde said they should set their goals and how to achieve them.

    He listed some of the benefits of pharmacy as job security, independence and steady progress.

    Some challenges, he said, are lack of infrastructure, power and fund.

  • ‘How herbal medicine can exist with orthodox practice’

    ‘How herbal medicine can exist with orthodox practice’

    The Nigerian Association of Medical Herbalists (NAMH) has urged its members to close ranks to develop the profession.

    Its President, Chief Felix Esho, said in unity, lay their strength and the profession’s progress.

    Esho, who spoke at the monthly meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), the  association’s  ruling body,  said practitioners must work together to avoid being swallowed by  orthodox medicine practitioners.

    “This is the only profession I know. I have been practising before I got married. I joined NAMH in 1965. The late Chief Joseph Lambo was our General Secretary then,” he said.

    He berated orthodox doctors for dissuading people from patronising herbalists,  saying: “We are not evil, neither are we crude.”

    Esho said: “For instance, in 1974, doctors in a gazette said nobody should take oral herbal medicine. This affected our practice but we have moved on since then.

    The association, he said, had been building the capacity of  practitioners to ensure they are current.

    “Moreover, we are engaging in research so that we can produce evidence-based herbal drugs,” Esho said.

    To him, herbalists are knowledgeable: on physical and spiritual healing.

    The NAMH president said the association fought for the legal framework of the profession. So, herbal medicine is now on its own devoid of unnecessary interference and control.

    NAMH Vice President Prince Johnson Idowu said herbal medicine has come of age in Nigeria.

    ‘’Besides, we are the real care-givers in the country’’, he said.

    The association, Idowu said, was stifled by litigation by factions which want to head it, adding: “The court gave judgment on Monday, February 29 that Chief Omo Oleabhiele should continue as president of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP), which is the umbrella body for all herbal medicine associations”.

    He continued: “Leadership crisis had rocked the association since it was established in 2006. This was borne out of personal interest”.

    The Second Vice President of the association, Dr Lasisi Olakoyo, said disharmony almost marred the purpose for establishing NAHM by the founding fathers of herbal medicine.

    “But, today the association is promoting the practice in Nigeria’’.

    He said many herbal drugs are being produced and marketed by members of the association locally and internationally.

    “Our profession is quite unique because we make and prescribe our drugs. We also diagnose before we treat anybody. But orthodox practitioners can only diagnose and treat. The prescription is done by pharmacists. We perform an all round function, which makes our profession unique,” he said.

    The chairman, Lagos State chapter of NANTMP, Dr Yekini Akande, said practitioners are still trying to have a common factory for manufacturing of herbal drugs.

    He said his association had approached the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to inspect its facility for herbal production factory in Badagry.

    “The agency came and told us to make some adjustments to the herbal factory, which we have started doing,” he said.

    A member of the Council, Chief Jimoh Bakare urged the Federal Government to help herbal medicine grow.

    He said herbal medicine has been with the country for many generations,and as such, should not be allowed to die.

    President, NAHM, Ogun State, Alhaji Fasasi Badmus said practitioners have since changed their stand after the court judgment that the incumbent president should carry on.

    He said the practice is gradually growing in Ogun State.

    “The practice suffered a bit of setback when the late Chief Joseph Lambo returned from Cairo in Egypt where he had gone to receive an award in traditional medicine as a healer. Our people then took the practice as the association of healers. So, this affected the NAHM a lot,” Badmus said.

  • Why quacks infiltrate ultrasound practice

    The Association of Medical Ultrasound Practitioners of Nigeria (AMUPN) has condemned the infiltration of its profession by quacks.

    According to the association, the have been taken over by quacks.

    AMUPN president Dr Femi Olagunju, who spoke at the association’s fourth Annual International Conference in Lagos, entitled: Ultrasound practice in Nigeria: challenges and prospects, said incoherent regulation and inefficient institutional frameworks for enforcement of regulation were the major factors promoting quackery.

    He described ultrasound practice in Nigeria as the most abused in the world.

    AMUPN, he said, is trying to ensure that ultrasound studies are appropriate and its practice up to international standards.

    Besides, improved patients outcomes should always be the aim of any medical services, especially ultrasound.

    “No test should be performed unless its result impacts positively on patient-management,” he said.

    Olagunju said practitioners should be competent to do an ultrasound test and extract maximum information from it.

    “So, for this reason, any medical ultrasound practitioner using ultrasound should be appropriately trained, qualified and registered for the manner in which he uses ultrasound,” he said.

    He spoke of the association being at the forefront of the promotion and sustenance of ultrasound standards.

    This, he said, was to ensure advocacy and strict adherence to international standards/ best practices.

    “We are aware of the fact that ultrasound practice in the country is in a despicable state with reckless and unbridled quackery going on unabated. Ultrasound training centres spring up all over the country without being properly screened and accredited by regulatory agencies of government. Diagnostic ultrasound centres are everywhere, manned by untrained, semi-trained, uncertified/ unlicensed personnel.

    Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Health Dr Modele Osunkiyesi assured the association that the facilities being run by quacks will soon be sealed off.

    She said that is why HEFAMA is encouraging stakeholders to come and register with it. “We expect them to have qualified personnel, among others,” she added.

    Osunkiyesi, represented by the Executive Secretary, Health Facilities Monitoring Agency (HEFAMA), Dr Mabel Adjekughele said there is a lot of quacks in the field, hence the need to sanitise it.

    The perm sec said over 3000 facilities had been registered while some have just applied for theirs.

    “There are about 150 diagnostic centres that have reegistered with us. Some have also shown their intention to have their facilities registered with HEFAMA”, she added.

  • Experts call for reform in media practice

    A don, Mr. Umaru Pate has called for media reform, even as he advised practitioners to be objective in their reportage.

    Pate, a Professor of Mass Communication in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, was delivering a keynote address at the 60th birthday ceremony of the Dean, Lagos State University School of Communication (LASUSOC), Prof. Lai Oso.

    In the address entitled: “Issues in Media and National Integration in Nigeria”,

    Prof. Pate, who was the Guest Speaker on the occasion, reeled off issues that hinder the media’s capability to inspire integration to include absence of national rallying points on which the media are united; lack of funding as well as the common tendency of reporting inter-group conflicts in their fundamental contexts, among others.

    He said: “Areas of concern have emerged on the behaviour of the media in fulfilling its role in the process of national integration in the context of the country’s multi-cultural setting, particularly at critical historical moments when they ought to have demonstrated leadership positions. The reasons for that are many.”

    To reverse the trend, he recommended that the media should emphasise more on national problems rather than restricting their write-ups to defined boundaries of gender, religion, location or social status.

    He added that journalists should have a deeper knowledge and understanding of Nigeria’s complexities and demonstrate professional competence in dealing with issues of diversity ad multiculturalism to inspire media relevance, respect and trust.

    Continuing, Prof. Pate said: “The media should lay more emphasis on collective national problems; focus more on mindsets; deeper understanding of Nigeria’s complexities; license more national broadcast networks; encourage all existing media organs to go online; institute the teaching of diversity and multicultural reporting; provide continuous retraining programmes to practising; and increase the engagement with social media.”

    Also speaking, a Mass Communication scholar of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye emphasised the importance of objectivity and fairness in reportage to inspire younger generation in the same path.

    He said: “In this profession, we cannot compromise, because truth is constant and it is the cornerstone of good journalism. The younger generation need to embrace objectivity and fairness in reporting issues. Journalists should be the Fourth Estate of the Realm and not of the wreck; otherwise, they are not wrecking the profession or government but themselves. These are the couple of things you can learn from the celebrator who is very straightforward, articulate, and honest in his professional practice.”

    Akinfeleye praised the celebrator and expressed excitement at the calibre of personalities who attended the event.

    “This is an excellent event. Prof. Oso was able to pull enough crowd. This is the first time we have an assemblage of professors and scholars in Mass Communication. I am very proud to be associated with him and I wish him many returns of today. The younger generation can emulate his transparency, honesty, accountability and truth because truth is the cornerstone of good journalism,” he said.

    The celebrator expressed his gratitude to his colleagues who put the event together.

    “I am very happy and grateful to my colleagues and friends for organising this event. I am also very grateful to God for giving me the privilege to attain the milestone and for the grace to contribute to the profession,” he said.

    He, however, said the celebration was a challenge for him to do more so as to meet up high expectations from him.

    Present at the occasion was a LASUSOC lecturer, Mrs Lade Atofojomo, who described Prof. Oso as a father-figure who can be as supportive as he is a disciplinarian.