Nurses Have Solutions To Nigeria’s Problems – Bayelsa Deputy Gov. . . . Brace Up, Take The Lead – Dr. Mrs. Diri . . . Invest in Nursing, Andabai Appeals To Government, Others
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by Oyagiri Chime-emeleThe Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has said that nurses have the solution to Nigeria’s problems.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who made the statement during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Nurses week, added that if nurses and Nigerians can adhered to what entails in the anthem then Nigeria’s many challenges would become a thing of the past.
The opening ceremony of this year’s Bayelsa State council of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Nursing Week was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, on Monday, November 14th.
This year’s theme is “A Voice To Lead, Invest In Nursing And Respect Human Rights To Secure Global Health.”
The Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner For Health, Dr Pabra Igwele, urged nurses to take the lead as enshrined in their Anthem, where discipline and integrity was anchored.
According to him; “The problem of leadership is followership. For you to be a good leader, you must have been a good follower. If you are not a good follower, you can not be a good leader. So, the problem with this nation is also a problem of followership or bad followers.”
Also speaking, the wife of Bayelsa State governor, Dr. Mrs Gloria Dir,i charged nurses in the state to brace up and take over leadership.
Dr Diri, who said that nurses have the voice to be heard and all they need to do is to take the lead, opined that nurses having acquired much training, are equipped to lead, while others follow in all spheres of human endeavours.
The first lady explained that nurses being the voice of the sick patient, administrator, should start exhibiting their skills.
She called on the public to always accord nurses their deserved respect and love because of the enormous responsibilities they bear as caregivers and voice for the voiceless patients.
She stressed that the good training of the nurses could only manifest if their good and humane gesture is reciprocated accordingly.
The wife of the governor, who is also a nurse by profession, urged the nurses not to relent in rendering quality services, assuring them that the governor is already attending to some of their challenges as mentioned by the state chairperson.
Earlier the state chairperson of NANNM Bayelsa State Council, Comrade Andabai Mbeleokpo Sonia, in her opening speech, thanked the government for the giant stride in infrastructural development, regular payment of workers salaries, internship for nurses and appointment of nurses into prosperity government.
Andabai urged the public and the State government to invest in nursing so as to halt nurses leaving the proffesion, emphasizing that areas like theater nursing and mental health nursing are the most affected.
On challenges being faced by the Nurses in the state, she listed non payment of hazard allowance, which was approved and not implemented, call duty allowance of some professional nurses that were added in 2014, graduate nurses not properly employed and also government not following the nursing scheme of service.
According to her; “My expectations are high. We can see good things coming into nursing, we are expecting that our demands will be met. We know the government will attend to it.”
Highlights of the event was the cutting of the 2022 Nursing week cake, presentation of awards to eminent personalities that have contributed to the development of Nursing in the state and special songs rendition by students of the State College of Nursing Sciences..
