Science Lab Technologists Call on Tinubu to Reconstitute NISLT Governing Council for Better Policy Formulation
The President of the Association of Science Laboratory Technologists, Mr Ayotunde Omorilewa, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, to immediately constitute the governing council for the Nigerian Institute of Science and Laboratory Technology.
He stated that constituting the council would facilitate the formulation of appropriate policies to guide the profession, leading to better outcomes for the institute and the country.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that Tinubu dissolved the boards of Federal Government parastatals, agencies, institutions and government-owned companies in June 2023.
Although the dissolution applied to several boards, there were exemptions for agencies listed under the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Police Service Commission.
Following the appeal of some institutions to the FG for the reconstitution of their governing councils, the President approved the reconstitution of Governing Councils and Boards of Federal Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education in June 2024.
Continuing, Omorilewa, in his opening speech at the recently concluded NISLT/ASLTON Annual Scientific Conference in Lagos, themed “Artificial Intelligence: Fundamentals and Applications in Science Laboratory Technology Research Towards a Sustainable National Economy,” stated that the science laboratory profession encompassed the education, health, pharmaceuticals, industrial, agricultural, oil and gas, power and the research sector.
He noted that the government’s competitive policies in the training and practice of science laboratory technology had victimised the profession.
“Enough is enough. As a profession, we have made up our minds to rescue this situation by all within our power to make things work under the present government because we know that they have a listening ear. What do we need the government to do to give our best to the nation?
“One, a ship without a captain is a rudderless ship. The NISLT, our mother agency, needs to have a council in place.
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“We appeal to our President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to please immediately constitute our council as this will facilitate the formulation of appropriate policy to steer the profession and in turn make things better for our dear nation,” Omorilewa said.
He further called for the removal of “obnoxious policy that works against professionalism in the civil and public service and support quackery.”
Omorilewa urged the government to facilitate inter-agency collaboration through specific research funding, adding that the practising license of the profession is made compulsory during employment process to ensure productivity in such agencies.
“On our own, as a forward-looking association, we have been engaged in inter-agency collaborations to make the Nigerian system work. We are already talking to the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and other like-minded agencies to see the areas of interest and collaboration. We cannot stand and look at our nation going down.
“Not all of us will run away from this nation, but some of us are determined to help the current President make this nation work, and that, this association will do,” the ASLTON president declared.
In his presentation, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology, Yemi Gbadegesin, noted that 90 per cent of science labouratory technology lecturers in Polytechnics were not registered members of the institute, stating that this violated the institute’s mandate.
He condemned the act, stating that the malpractice would no longer be tolerated, noting that resource visitation and accreditation to polytechnics were suspended until the outdated Memorandum of Understanding was reviewed.
Gbadegesin added that the institute would continue to uphold high standards in knowledge, equipment exposure and practical skills for aspiring members.
He further urged registered SLT graduates to go to the National Youth Service Corps camp with their practising licenses, emphasising that the graduates be posted to organisations where they could effectively apply their skills.
Speaking on the conference theme, the NISLT DG noted that Artificial Intelligence had become an indispensable tool in modern laboratories such that its speed, allowed vast amounts of data to be processed quickly and accurately, thereby reducing diagnostic times and improving the reliability of results.
The DG also urged the 19 inducted fellows to uphold the code of ethics of the profession and abide by the oath.
SOURCE: Punch Healthwise
