PROPER PLACEMENT: UGONSA APPRECIATES STAKEHOLDERS, PENCILS FRANCA OKAFOR FOR GANV

 The University Graduates of Nursing Science Association (UGONSA) has shown appreciation to stakeholders over the passage of the proper placement memo by the National Council on Establishment (NCE) at its 43^rd meeting to end the age-long inexplicable marginalization of holders of Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) degree in the civil service of the federation.

In a statement by its National President, Chief (Hon). S.E.O. Egwuenu, and Ag. National Secretary, Nur. P.O. Eteng, the association thanked the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), the head of civil service of the federation (HOCSF), heads of service (HOS) of all the States, the entire members of the NCE, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and all the stakeholders that collectively and individually worked for the success of the proper placement memo. The association particularly thanked a Director of Nursing Services (DNS) of the FMOH, Nur. Franca Okafor, whom it dubbed “the Dame of Proper Placement."

According to UGONSA, when people play an exceptional role, they should be exceptionally celebrated. We wish to seize this auspicious moment to say an exceptional thank you to DNS Franca Okafor. If we fail to mention it, the nursing community may never know that without her vantage intervention at the lowest moment of the struggle, when people who ordinarily should be the frontline vanguard of the proper placement voyage slept on duty, there would have been no victory to celebrate today. How her sleepless and late-night intervention ensured that the memo was delivered to the NCE table despite the expiration of the official deadline for memo submission is a story we shall tell another day.  

“As we dub her “the dame of proper placement," we also pencil her down for our highest nursing award, the Grand Ambassador of Nightingalic Virtues (GANV) vide our forthcoming National Professional Conference in Abakaliki (July 11 to July 16, 2022).

“Proper placement of graduate nurses is a victory for the nursing profession, and we return all the glory to our Almighty God who made the struggle a success at this time - UGONSA declared.

UGONSA, however, noted that the end of one struggle is the beginning of another and urged its members to gird up their loins and maintain the existing relationships with policymakers, especially the State Heads of Service (HOS), for more journeys ahead.

“UGONSA is an association of thanksgiving and therefore, charges members to show profound thanksgiving to our Almighty God who scores our goal for us.

"We also call on our state chapters to pay a heart-warming thank-you visit to their respective State HOS for their patriotic dispositions that led to the passing of the proper placement memo at the 43rd NCE meeting - the statement concluded.