National Open University Of Nigeria (NOUN)

Muhyideen Jimoh
Dec, Wed, 2024

NOUN VC focuses on staff development to check brain drain

502 total views today

By Emmanuel Afonne

Prof. Olufemi Peters, Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), says the institution will “do everything possible” to prevent the migration of its staff to other countries.

Peters said this in Abuja at the unveiling of an application and registration app developed by Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL), managed by the university.

He regretted that NOUN had, in the past, watched helplessly as some of its staff, who were among the pillars of their units, moved to other establishments and other countries, in search of better opportunities.

According to Peters, time has come to put an end to such development where the institution trains and develops its workforce for others to poach.

“I will not forget that there are some of our staff who got employment to work abroad; some of them were members of our ICT unit,” he fumed.

He said that efforts would, henceforth, be geared towards developing the capacity of staff to discourage them from looking elsewhere.

Peters urged ACETEL to utilise its facilities to the fullest, especially the recently inaugurated registration app and the university data centre.

He said that ACETEL was now ready to admit international students with the inauguration of its application and registration portal.

“We have about 150 International students registered with this centre and their payment has been a bit difficult, but with this new app, they will be able to pay directly to our remitta and become our students.

“First, I must say that this development is a requirement; what we are doing here is a requirement of the funder of ACETEL.

“They must see that we have carried out this exercise, and that we have exposed these facilities to the University community and they are ready to be used.

“We must use them because that is part of the verification and assessment that the funder of this project looks up to. That is the reason ACETEL has invited all of us to be a witness.

“There is going to be a report to our funder ‘World Bank’, about what we are doing, to see that the funds that they have given to us were not wasted, and that we have applied them judiciously,” Peters said.

Director of ACETEL, Prof. Grace Jokthan, said the innovation was a testament to what the centre had become.

Jokthan, while commending the Software Developer, Mr Buhari Al-Hassan, said that the registration portal and the data centre met international standards.

She also commended Mr Sule Onuh, Head Software Development Unit, NOUN, for his steadfastness during the course of the assignment.

“We are happy we can deliver the right services to the students and will also ease the burden of work on the staff.

“So it’s cost effective and it’s also efficient.

“For the data centre, we are happy that we are providing an infrastructure that the university can rely on in terms of data analysis, decision making and efficiency in the running of processes in the university.

“So far, 21 staff of the university have been trained as end users, which means that every segment of the university was trained in order to utilise information from the data centre.

“Our staff were also trained to generate information that can be keyed into the data centre; that is the component of utilisation.

“We will continue to create awareness to ensure there is a handshake between all units of the university,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former VC of NOUN, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, and representatives from the National Universities Commission, were among invited guests that graced the occasion. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Muhyideen Jimoh
Nov, Sat, 2024

Education , Health

Public health: Don urges adoption of traditional Nigerian diets

402 total views today

By Emmanuel Afonne

Elkenah Ndie, a professor at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, has called for the adoption of Nigerian diets as part of measures to promote nutrition in public health.

Ndie made the call on Thursday in Abuja while presenting the 30th Inaugural Lecture of the university, themed, “Nursing Science: An Applied Science Care for All.’’

The don, who lectures in the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, said the call became necessary to highlight the grave impact of poverty and income inequality on food accessibility.

“There is a need for robust nutritional education to improve dietary choices, especially among vulnerable populations.’’

Presenting the lecture at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja, Ndie revealed that his research focused on the availability, accessibility and quality of food, particularly in rural areas.

He highlighted the importance of food security and urged policymakers to address the systemic barriers, to improve national health outcomes.

“There is the connection between drivers’ health and road safety; many commercial drivers in Nigeria suffer from health issues such as hypertension and high blood sugar; this is worsened by poor dietary habits and substance abuse.

“Many drivers miss meals, rely on alcohol or drugs to stay awake and lack access to regular health check-ups,” Ndie said.

He emphasised the significant risks the behaviour posed to road safety and called for the establishment of workplace clinics for transport companies to address the challenges.

Ndie also recommended a mandatory nutritional education for drivers and a stricter enforcement of drug and alcohol testing policies as part of measures to address the challenges.

The lecturer, who emphasised the important role of nurses in addressing public health challenges, including malnutrition, infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, called for the collaboration of healthcare professionals, policymakers and community members, to improve health outcomes.

Ndie challenged the misconception of nursing as a “female profession.”

According to him, the nurturing qualities of nurses transcend gender, making them essential contributors to patient care and public health.

Speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, commended the inaugural lecturer for his groundbreaking contributions to the field.

He described the lecture’s theme as a critical exploration of care’s transformative power in health and society.

Peters, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Chinedu Mafiana, said nurses had become the backbone of healthcare systems.

“The work of nurses goes beyond medical interventions to fostering holistic well-being; their impact is felt in every aspect of our lives,” Peters said.

He commended the organisers and reaffirmed NOUN’s commitment to advancing excellence in education and health sciences.

The vice-chancellor also congratulated the Faculty of Health Sciences and advocated for a continued innovation and dedication to improving lives through care and education. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

Muhyideen Jimoh
Nov, Fri, 2024

Education , Gender

Intensify media campaign against FGM, don urges FG

347 total views today

By Emmanuel Afonne

Eserinune Mojaye, a Professor of Communication at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has urged the Federal Government to intensify campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to protect the future of the girl-child.

Mojaye made the call in Abuja at the 29th inaugural lecture of the university with the theme: “Constructing and Deconstructing Journalism Practice and Communication Research in Nigeria: A 40-Year Experience.”

He stressed the need for information and communication as the enduring solution to the problem.

“Rather than legal prohibition, many studies have suggested that information and communication are more likely to provide an effective and enduring solution to the problem,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities rolled out a plan in 1997 to eliminate the practice of FGM within three generation.

The plan emphasised the need for all governments in Africa to legislate against the practice and enforce national plans to it.

Mojaye said that rather than using a legal approach to deal with the matter, governments at all levels should focus on using effective communication to address the matter.

According to him, communication plays a vital role in health promotion and health education.

He noted that effective communication empowers people to seek what is best for their health and to exercise their right of good quality health care.

“Communication is also a vital tool in the promotion of behaviour change in all areas of health, including reproductive health.

“In many countries of the world, communication has made open discussion about reproductive health issues possible.

“However, in Nigeria, communication campaigns have not been well utilised in the crusade for the abandonment of FGM.

“My studies on FGM show that the mass media have not been effectively used to inform and educate people on the dangers and health consequences of FGM.

“As I found out in my studies, more impact would be made in the crusade for the abandonment of FGM if the mass media were used to disseminate messages and create awareness about the negative health consequences of the practice.

“I, therefore, recommended in my studies that mass media messages, especially those aimed at informing and educating, should be an integral part of any effort to eradicate the practice of FGM,” Mojaye said.

He noted that while communication had shaped how people conduct their daily lives, it had also transformed the lives of individuals and society at large.

The Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, commended Mojaye for his vision, noting that communication could affect people’s way of living.

Peters, who was represented by Prof. Isaac Butswat, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, NOUN, said the lecture was a significant event in the professors’ career, where they share research, achievements and other engagements with the larger society.

He assured that the institution would continue to invest in research and development of its workforce. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma