On Thursday, 5th of May, 2016, a six-man delegation from the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) paid a strategic visit to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at its corporate headquarters in Abuja. 

 

Accompanying the NOA president, Dr Damian Echendu, were the Registrar/CEO of the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), Professor Ebele Uzodike, the NOA Vice president for the North, Dr Felix Olafisoye, and the National Secretary of the Association, Dr Adesuwa Agbontaen. The high-powered delegation also included Dr Ngozi Nwanekezie, chair, NOA,Abuja chapter , Dr Ozed Okonokhua, national secretary of the NOA advocacy committee, and representatives of The Victor Company (TVC), NOA's brand managing partner who brokered the visit.

 

In reception were the management team of the organisation led by the Director-General, Dr Paul Angya, who had for company departmental heads and other high-ranking personnel in the agency.

 

The essence of the visit was captured succinctly by the NOA president's address: “to form a cooperative partnership with the SON,...provide the professional knowhow needed in setting and maintaining industry-specific standards,...develop lines of communication with all concerned parties for functional efficiency,...work towards a sound future for products regulation in the eye care industry, and optometry in particular. The priority objective, according to the NOA president, will be to put in place the necessary standards that will boost our industry and profession in Nigeria, by developing and sustaining public confidence in our products and services."

Impact Assessment: Seeing Beyond the Surface

 

What does the NOA, her membership, the optometric profession and the eye care industry, stand to reap from this visit?

First, prior to this visit, it is very realistic SON does not know what Optometry is. There is ZERO history between the profession and the agency. SON has little knowledge of the industry beyond the routine. By a strategic advocacy effort, the NOA has imprinting her name, the profession she represents, and her industry in the annals of the SON. Subsequent relationships can develop from this.

 

Second, by voluntarily subjecting our turf to scrutiny, NOA has shown commitment to her self-regulatory role, ensuring that the industry is no safe haven for the activities of unwholesome men. The import is that when an SON seal is on an industry-specific product, users can have some measure of confidence in the quality, thus bringing some level of sanity into the industry, allowing scrupulous players to get reasonable reward for reasonable effort, and enabling consumers pay for a Gucci and get a Gucci, not a gcuci!

 

Third, having little knowledge of the industry makes SON vulnerable to underhand tactics by unscrupulous elements. This explains why the agency is consulting the NOA on regulatory guidelines’ formulation (as was proposed). In simple terms, NOA said "consult or employ us, because we know the terrain better, and can easily isolate any substandard contact lens, retinoscope, ophthalmoscope, trial lens box, lens blank, ophthalmic unit, lensmeter, etc, even without using any detecting machine! And SON said: That is true! Go work out the details; lets see how every party will benefit, and how the society can feel our impact and yours in this endeavour ; then we can work together! I may not be so sure but that looks like a signed, blank cheque to me! It is left for us to make the best out of it, and follow it up to the last. Optometrists experienced in quality assurance, industry standards, health and ergonomic safety, etc, may do well to pay attention.

 

Fourth, the attendant publicity generated-leadership newspaper, SON News bulletin, etc is priceless, by any criterion. Casting the association, profession, industry, etc in good light is just what the doctor ordered for further advocacy efforts. 

 

With CPC and FRSC up next, scrupulous optometrists must get ready to drive into the access roads being carved out of these efforts. Leadership can only lead, followership must follows.