Posted on: Mon 21-12-2015

The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) recently organised a two-day workshop on ADVOCACY between the 6th and 7th of November, 2015. The programme with the theme: EMPOWERING OPTOMETRISTS TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE was held at the conference hall of the beautiful Asokoro District Hospital in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.  It had in attendance a select group of twenty-one (21) Nigerian optometrists drawn from various sectors-the academia, public service, private practitioners and administrators-reflecting the geographical spread of the country.

Declaring the workshop open, the NOA president, Dr Damian Echendu highlighted the importance of the programme to the wellbeing of patients and enhanced professional relevance. According to him, the magnitude of global blindness demands that government ensures optometrists contribute substantively and qualitatively to the public eye care sector. To the participants, he said “the key to delivering dividends from every advocacy cause is total dedication” urging them to see that the opportunity to change the course of Nigeria optometry is not lost.  In his opening remark, the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN) representative, Dr Igbo Okafor described the training as timely giving the prevailing environment in which Nigerian optometrists operate, highlighting recent activities of the board in ridding the eye care space of unwholesome practices.

The resource persons, Professor Kovin Naidoo(CEO)and Hasan Minto(Director, Sustainable Development) of the Brien Holden Vision Institute(BHVI) were as succinct as they were detailed in equipping participants with result-oriented strategies for effective advocacy. Drawing from their wealth of experience, they engaged the participants in interactive and stimulating sessions, utilizing local scenarios to generate working tools for purpose-specific advocacy plans. While commending the NOA for taking the lead as the first local optometric group globally to organise a workshop on advocacy, they challenged the association to take a positive step further by developing and mounting a sustainable, multifaceted advocacy campaign to deepen the profession in Nigeria.

The participants include: Dr(s) Damian Echendu, Uduak Udom, Felix Olafisoye, Ego Ikoro, Ike Oforbuike, Nwakuso Aruotu, Agbontaen  Adesuwa, Chinaka Nwosu, Ann Ebri, Maureen Igwe, Ozed Okonokhua, Ijeoma Alozie, Igbo Okafor, Norris Ovilli, Franca Awurum, Andrew Omaka, Anene Chukwemeka, Raymond Aguboshim, Anderson Chimeziri, Onyinyechi Oforbuike and John Sedi. The new advocates-the first of their kind in Nigeria-were charged to take the lead in this noble effort as well as in training more optometric advocates locally and internationally. The World Council of Optometry (WCO) president, Dr Uduak Udom who chairs the NOA Committee on Advocacy noted that advocacy is key to the operations of the WCO, urging the trainees to be prepared to assist in the training of optometry advocates in other countries in furtherance of the WCO mandate.

The Brien Holden Vision Institute’s CEO used the medium to seek the partnership of the NOA in the Institute’s Our Children’s Vision (OCV) campaign aimed at extending free and qualitative eye care services to at least 50 million children globally by 2020.Drawing the workshop to a close, the NOA president thanked the resource persons for honoring the invitation, and the Advocacy committee and participants for making it a great success.

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