The Chief Guest of Honour: Engr. David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE,
The Executive
Governor Ebonyi State,
The Special Guest of Honour: Chief Dr. Ifeanyi
Chukwuma Odii (AnyiChuks) (ably represented by Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu),
The PDP Gubernatorial
Flagbearer, Ebonyi State.
The Guest of Honour and our able host: Dr. Emeka Onwe Ogah, AOV,
The Chief Medical
Director, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital (AE-FUTHA),
Abakaliki
The Keynote Speaker: Dr. Eunice
Nwonu,
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Nursing Sciences. University of Nigeria Enugu Campus
The Father of the Event: Comrade
Mike Nnachi,
The National
President, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM)
The Mother of the Event: Nurse Fransica Obianuju Okafor,
The Director of
Nursing Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja
The Registrar,
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Nurse Farouk Umar.
All other distinguished dignitaries
present
Ladies and gentlemen!
It
is my privilege to welcome you all to this epoch-making event of the 20th
National Professional Conference and Scientific Update of the University
Graduates of Nursing Science Association (UGONSA). The UGONSA National
Professional Conference and Scientific Update is a classic event where
scholars, researchers, and administrators in the nursing profession gather to
exhibit and review scientific works and underlying nursing practice theories to
improve general nursing knowledge and skills for enhanced qualitative client
care.
This
conference has been the bedrock of many achievements recorded by the nursing
profession. Through this conference, we have been able to aggregate opinions,
policies, and actions that translated to visible changes, such as the creation
of a directorate of nursing at the federal ministry of health, internship, and
proper placement for the graduate of Bachelor of Nursing Science degree, drive
for implementation of the approved internship programme for the graduate nurses
around the country, robust career support programme and scientific sessions for
the nurse interns and improved general condition of service for nurses. We also
run free IELTS training for our members. We have equally ensured that our
scholars and clinicians are not shortchanged in promotion exercises in their place
of work by offering them veritable platforms for aggregating and disseminating
their scientific studies and knowledge vis-à-vis "book of abstracts"
and "scientific journals." We recently transitioned our journal to
both online and printed for wider dissemination of knowledge. We are hard cast
at making our journal named "The Nursing Scope" the best of its kind
in Africa within the next five years. We have an unwavering determination that
our team of distinguished editorial team, drawn from across all continents and
led by our erudite Professor I.O. Ehiemere will help us surpass our target
within the next five years. In the same vein, we have also transitioned our
membership registration and other businesses online such that members are
carried along from anywhere they are on the earth. We have also expanded this
conference to allow for the submission of abstracts by international
participants and their participation through zoom. We are also continuously
sensitizing our undergraduates in preparation for the arduous professional
tasks ahead and give them a sense of belonging through their students’ union
platform, NUNSA (Nigerian Universities Nursing Science Association).
Because
of the growing rate of heart problems, even among young people, we have
incorporated electrocardiography and basic life support (the American Heart
Association's version) in the current conference. We are not only going to
teach how to identify normal and abnormal cardiac rhythms and how to
resuscitate victims of cardiac arrest but also an easy way of identifying
cardiac rhythms from anywhere without an EKG machine. To help nurses continue
to improve in the area of research and the use of empirical data to drive evidence-based
patients' care, we have also incorporated SPSS statistics training as part of
this conference with a view that participants will leave the conference being
proficient in using the IBM SPSS statistical tool to generate statistical data.
This, in addition to expositions by our scholars whose works we have listed in
our book of abstracts, shall make our stay here worthwhile and remarkable. I
also wish to mention that the newly achieved proper placement shall birth its
hub of strategy for a nationwide implementation from this conference.
We
will be honouring our dearest sister and mother of the event, Nurse Francisca
Obianuju Okafor, with our highest honour bestowable on nurses, the GANV (Grand
Ambassador of Nightingalic Virtues), and adopt her into the prestigious UGONSA
hall of fame. Without her critical and speedy intervention at the most critical
stage of the journey for the actualization of the proper placement, there would
have been no proper placement to celebrate today. Other persons we would honour
with GANV are Lady Lilian Uhiara - our second National President, who pioneered
the establishment of The Nursing Scope Journal in the 1980s, and our pioneer
national president, Late Archbishop Augustine Obarisagbon. We shall also honor
Comrade Mike Nnachi, the first graduate nurse to become the President of the
National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and Nurse C.A.
Oloriegbe, a revitalization leader of the current UGONSA.
Ladies
and gentlemen, our journey has been tortuous, but we have remained on top of
the situation because of the indomitable selfless spirit of my executive
members and the unwavering support from our members. As we have completed our
two terms of 8 years and will be handing over to the next executives that will
be elected at this conference, I make bold to say that we have laid a solid
foundation for the incoming executives to succeed. Unlike when we came in,
today, they have a registered association with an adequate fund, a functional journal,
functional websites, career support programme, and operating structures. We
believe that the achievement of the incoming executive shall trounce ours owing
to the operational tools and resources we shall bequeath to them.
May
I use this opportunity to commend my able Secretary, Nurse Goodluck Nshi, who
was a formidable engine room of my administration. Even when he left the shores
of Nigeria for the United States, he continued to live above expectations. I
have never seen such a level of selflessness and commitment. I also wish to
thank our NANNM National President, Comrade Mike Nnachi, and our dear Registrar
NMCN, Nurse Farouk Umar, for the collaborative commitment that has resulted in
great progress in our journey as a profession.
On
this note, I welcome you all to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State – the salt of the
nation for our 20th Professional Conference. As we deliberate on
things that will bring responsive and productive changes to make nurses do more
and better for the patients, we urge nurses and other members of the healthcare
team to always treat and serve the patients as our personal kings and queens,
for they are the reason for our existence. We owe our primary allegiance to
them. I also urge our dignitaries and friends of the nursing profession to lead
as the vanguard of advocacy for better deals for the nursing profession for
nurses are to the hospital what mothers are to the family. When mothers are
adequately taken care of, they perform magic with the children. Similarly, when
nurses are well-taken care of, the patients are bound to reap the benefits
bountifully. UGONSA is very much committed to an improved and effective
healthcare delivery service in our country Nigeria and will continue to do
everything within its capability to help reposition our bleeding healthcare
system.
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