The Chairperson, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Ogun State Chapter, Comrade Nurse Adejoke Oluwatoyin Bello, in this interview with Tropic Reporters correspondent, Adejola Adeyemi Crown, revealed her administration’s plans to cater for the welfare of nurses in the state and ways to tackle quackery in the nursing profession. Excerpts…
Can we meet you?
My name is Comrade Nurse Adejoke Oluwatoyin Bello and I hailed from Ibara – Orile Iganokoto in Ogun State, while my mother is a native of Igbajo in Osun State. I started my education at Salvation Army School, Ibadan, then to Anwal Islam Grammar School, Eleyele, Ibadan. After my secondary education, I proceeded to Sacred Heart School of Midwifery from 1990 to 1993.
Following my passion for nursing and education, I proceeded to Ogun State school of Nursing for my General Nursing and also to Ibadan School of Hygiene for my Public Health Nursing, thereafter to Babcock University for BNSC in Nursing and presently I am pursuing my master’s degree in Nursing.
As the newly elected NANNM Chairperson, what’s the journey so far?
Like I said earlier, I am a comrade. My journey into unionism started during my undergraduate days at the school of nursing where I served as Public Relation Officer (PRO) of the student association. Years after I also joined unionism at Federal Medical Center, Idi – Aba, Abeokuta, then as PRO of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwifery. I thereafter contested for the association’s Chairmanship position which I won and I re-contested and emerged unopposed. It was during my second term that I contested for the Chairmanship position of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwifery (NANNM), Ogun State Chapter and to the glory of God I won and here we are today.
What new agenda is in the pipeline for NANNM in Ogun State?
Well, the most important thing in unionism is the welfare of its members. If the welfare of the members are not considered first, then there’ll be little or nothing to be achieved.
As a new administration, we are focusing more on the welfare of our members especially uniform allowance for our members. Where I am coming from, we are privileged to be given uniform allowances on yearly basis. On my assumption here, I got to know that the nurses here aren’t enjoying that so we are going to work on this for our nurses.
Aside that, I want to work on investment opportunities for our members as we all know that with the current economic instability in the country, one source of income cannot be enough to cater for the needs most importantly civil servants. To this end, we are contemplating investment plans for the nurses. Also, my administration will look into the area of education for our members through periodic training, workshop and seminar. We’ll also encourage our members to press further and move on with their education to be useful for themselves and society as a whole.
Do you think government is doing enough concerning hazard allowance for health workers?
Well, let me use this opportunity to appreciate our governments at all levels as they are doing all they could, but more work and budget should be dedicated to cater for the welfare of all frontline health workers. I believe that we don’t have to always condemn the incapability of governments, but encourage them to do more. I use to tell people that what you don’t have, you can’t give and that’s exactly the situation we found ourselves, but I still want to urge the government at all levels to do more for health workers.
Similarly, I’ll like to call on the government to also improve the welfare of health workers by creating conducive working environment and equipment to work on. I must commend the Ogun State government because they are really working on health insurance for the civil servants in the state, but I think they can achieve more.
How do you intend to tackle quackery in the nursing profession?
The Issue of quackery in nursing is one of the top agenda that I currently have on my table, in fact some days ago I received some information about some set of people setting up school of nursing that has not been accredited by Nigerian Nursing and Midwifery Council. So we are going to work with government and other relevant agencies to curb this abnormality in the society. What I’ll like to say is that as a patient, it is your right to enquire about qualification of health workers especially nurses before allowing them to administer medication or treatment on them. The general public should not allow anyone not professionally licensed by the regulatory council to treat them.
How can you describe NANNM relationship with other union bodies?
Let me state emphatically that NANNM and other affiliate body and unions are enjoying cordial relationship. Recently, NLC organized a programme which was duly attended by NANNM Ogun State Chapter.
How do you intend to synergize with government to address brain drain in the health sector?
On this issue of brain drain, this is one thing that’s affecting all sector of the society as it’s not only affecting the health sector. It is however disheartening to see man health workers leaving the country for greener pastures due to the working environment in Nigeria. In recent time, some of the government hospitals in Nigeria have lost most of their best hands due to underfunded hospitals in the country. The government should as a matter of urgency employ more health workers to fill in the vacant positions occasioned by the ‘japa’ syndrome.
What advice do you have for Nigerians during this daunting economic instability?
My advice to the general public in the face of the daunting economic hardship in the country is to take things cool and easy. They should endeavor to take time out to unwind to cool off the stress. Like I use to tell my children, they should not engage in any fight with anyone because they don’t know the health history or issue of the other person. I still have a strong believe and hope that Nigeria will rise above this current happenings.
Meanwhile, as a public health nurse with more than two decades on the job, I believe more in prevention than treatment and to achieve this, Nigerians should endeavor to go for periodic medical checkup and examination, and learn how to socialize.
What’s your words to younger Nigerians addicted to drugs abuse?
Thank you for this question, it is worrisome seeing many Nigerians especially younger ones addicted to drug abuse and this is having a huge negative effect on them. Like we all know that any substances taken beyond the doctors prescribing can be said to have been abused and with the present turn in the society, many people now use any available substances and this has led many people into psychiatric centers.
My advice to the people and young Nigerians indulging in this act that is capable of truncating their future and health should totally avoid it as it’s not the best way of life. For most of us who have moved closer to drug addicts, we have realized that most of them don’t even know why they are doing drugs, but it’s as a result of peer group influence. I am however using this opportunity to call on parents, religious leaders, traditional rulers and government to create more awareness among the youth on the need to shun social vices and drug abuse.
On a final note, as a professional nurse with diverse responsibilities, How do you unwind?
[Laugh]… I am a social and bubbling person. I find time to socialize and enjoy myself despite the work schedules. Most of the time, I travel abroad for vacation to cool off my head.
