The stage is set for the inaugural annual lecture of the Nwuga Physiotherapy foundation slated for Thursday, 23rd July, 2015 at the conference centre of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun state.

 

Nwuga Physiotherapy foundation was inaugurated last year at the 54th anuaual scientific confrence of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) by President Taiwo Oyewunmi. According to the President, the foundation is expected to stimulate ground breaking researchs in Physiotherapy especially in the field of manual therapy and spinal manipulation to which the late Nwuga was an internationally certified expert.

 

The secretary of the foundation, Physio Afolabi Oluyinka in a telephone interview with this correspondent, assured that everything is set to make the day a grandeur. According to Afolabi, the local organising committee of the event has been meeting weekly for the last one month to fine tune  preparations. When asked if the death of Prof. Nwuga a week ago affected the preparations, he responded thus "Yes of course, Prof. Nwuga's demise at this stage is so sad but we encouraged ourselves to carry on to honour him in death. Speaking further, he noted that to respect Prof. Nwuga's wish to be buried at OAU, the family decided to do the burial program along with the first annual lecture of the foundation. He called on all Physiotherapists and other health care professionals to keep a date with the lecture

 

The inaugural lecture titled " QUANTUM MEDICINE:THE PROMISE OF LIGHT AS A CLINICAL ARMAMENTARIUM" would be delivered by Professor Chukuka Enwemeka, a renowned Physiotherapist and the provost and senior vice President of San Diego state University, USA.

 

His Excellency, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Executive Governor of Osun state will be the special guest of honour for the event while Prof. Bamitale Omole is the Chairman of the occasion. Dr. Temitope Oladele (Permanent secretary, Osun state ministry of health), Prof. Adebayo Adetilope (CMD, OAUTHC), and Prof. Adesegun Fatusi (Provost, college of Health Sciences, OAU) are guests of honour.

His Royal Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II, the Oni of ife will be the royal father of the day while the NSP National President, Comr. Taiwo Oyewumi is the Chief host of the event.

 

You would recall that Prof. VCB Nwuga, the man in whose honour the foundation was formed died in the early hours of 24th June 2015, just about a month to the inaugural lecture of his foundation. Late Nwuga is the first Professor of Physiotherapy in Africa and the first black man to publish a medical book in the USA.

 

Born on 22nd April 1939, Nwuga served as the NSP National President between 1977-1983. He is the progenitor of a special skill called "NWUGARIAN TECHNIQUE"  of back pain treatment accepted worldwide as an effective and efficacious means of treatment of back pain

 

Prof. Nwuga is the second veteran Professor of Physiotherapy to have died recently after Prof. Hano Okeke who coincidentally was also a former NSP President died earlier in the year

BY  UDUONU CHELSEA EKEZIE (PHYSIOTHERAPY CORRESPONDENT)