Executive Desk

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY DR NNENNA NINA CHIGBO (PT, MPH, HHHF, MNSP) ON THE OCCASION OF BEING ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY (2020-2023) ON FRIDAY, 6TH NOVEMBER, 2020.

A remarkable epoch event has occurred today, in the history of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP). The NSP has enmasse shown progressiveness and dynamism in embracing the use of technology to conduct her first virtual conference and electing the members of the national executive amidst enormous challenges catalyzed by the novel corona-virus ravaging the globe.

1. Entrusting me with the responsibility to lead the NSP, as the president for the next three years calls for sincerity and clarity of purpose. I am thankful to God Almighty and you for this great honor and privilege, which I will not take for granted.

2. Indeed your votes have spoken and clearly, your expression of trust in me, and my leadership ability is very palpable by the overwhelming and unimaginable support across the country. With this trust comes an awakening of a new consciousness to the great responsibility to lead our great and vibrant association confidently on the path of honor, excellence, transparency and positive impact. With uttermost humility, I accept to serve as your President from 2020 to 2023. I promise to dedicate every effort to lead NSP to greatness.

3. To others who also contested with me, I thank you for running a diligent campaign characterized by decorum. In any election there must be a winner, therefore we must now focus on how to collectively move the NSP to greatness. I, therefore sincerely extend my hand of fellowship to those who contested with me, that you come and join me in the all-important task of leading and transforming NSP. Your ingenuities and constructive input will be most welcomed.

4. With happiness, I congratulate other members of the National Executive council (NEC) for emerging victorious in this election. It is an earnest passion for me that we work as a team. I appeal to each member of the NEC to take his roles and responsibilities with serious commitment so that the summation of these individual contributions will lead to a significant positive impact/outcome for NSP. However, it is my sincere intention to run an all-inclusive government, where the voices and legitimate concerns of all our members will be heard and given attention, to guide our actions as NEC. We will mentor and encourage our early career physiotherapists to play more active roles in the affairs of NSP.

5. Our administration will take bold and decisive steps in making the impact of the physiotherapy profession felt in relevant government ministries/agencies. We will lobby and advocate for recognition of the physiotherapy profession and institutions as major stakeholders in the health sector and in relevant government health policies for the good of the Nigerian people. The past administration and our regulatory body, the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board, MRTB, has achieved the milestone of the DPT program but we will diplomatically ensure the adoption of DPT programme in all the training institutions. We appreciate the MRTB for working assiduously on this project and look forward to more collaborative efforts. We will systematically and strategically engage the necessary government agencies until the recognition of Residency Training Programme and the Physiotherapy Postgraduate College.

6. Under my leadership, NSP will lead a robust engagement/dialogue with other health professions and FMOH to find solutions to the recurrent unhealthy rivalry and competition which has culminated in incessant industrial crises and disharmony in the health sector. The impact of such disharmony is devastating on the public health system and the Nigerian people bear the burden. We shall continue to engage other health workers in order to improve inter-professional harmony within the health sector to understand each other and by seeking and pursuing common goals.

7. The welfare of all our members especially the Early Career Colleagues will be at the front burner. NSP will also engage with the relevant agencies including the OHSF and FMOH on matters relevant to the Nigerian physiotherapists as enshrined in the Scheme of Service. We will robustly drive actions on influencing formulation and implementation of policies favourable to physiotherapy at the Federal and State levels. We will engage in a robust advocacy campaign to the federal government agencies, establishments and organizations on issues pertaining to Physiotherapy welfare e.g. employment, greater inclusion of physiotherapists in national matters/committees etc

8. Over the next three years we will continue to build on our strengths, but also open new frontiers in advancing our association. We will take major steps in improving the professionalism and financing of our association. This will be achieved by promoting continuing professional development through decentralized and online professional skills upgrade programs/certification; inaugurating a training and mentoring structure to expand the research skills, manuscripts, and grants proposal writing skills of members; setting up an empowered Grants committee to seek and secure grants from local and International funding agencies for research and capacity building on behalf of NSP; strengthening the NSP endorsement committee to secure more partnerships, and ensuring transparency and integrity by adopting international standards in finance management.

9. I wish to acknowledge the achievements of our outgone NEC who have served the Association under the leadership of Dr. Rufai Ahmad (PT, Ph.D., FPPCN, MNSP). We shall build on your successes. I thank you all and on behalf of NSP, I present to you all our gift of appreciation.

10. *APPRECIATION*

I want to thank the campaign team of "the Project Continuity and Consolidation C&C 2020" for a job well done. Your media publicity was top notch and I call on you to continue in the digital branding of the NSP. I thank Enugu NSP for standing by me and for all the strategic planning. I thank all the physiotherapists who supported me. The support was overwhelming and space will not permit personal mentions.

This is victory for all! NSP won!

11. I pledge on behalf of the NEC, and with the continual and collective support of all Nigerian Physiotherapists, to work tirelessly round the clock for the progress of Physiotherapy and to actualize our seven point agenda in order to move the physiotherapy profession in Nigeria forward. We call on all physiotherapists in Nigeria to join hands, irrespective of your political preferences and grievances, to build a greater future for the profession and indeed our younger generation.

Thank you all. Together we can!

Long Live the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy!

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!

Signed:

Dr Nina Nnenna Chigbo, PT, MPH, HHHF, MNSP

NSP President 2020-2023

6th November, 2020

MEET THE ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE NEC 2020-2023

I present to us the newly elected NSP executives

1).Dr Nnenna Nina Chigbo, PT - President

2).Dr Felix Oyinlola, PT - Vice President

3).Dr Usman Abba Ahmed, PT - Secretary

4).Dr Mfonobong Udoh, PT - Assistant secretary

5).Dr Emelie Moris Anekwu, PT - Financial secretary

6).Dr Muhammad Aminu Shehu, PT - Treasurer

7).Dr Ogbonna Nwajiobi Obi, PT - PRO

8).Dr Adejugbagbe Muyiwa Kenneth, PT - Assistant PRO I

9).Dr Muhsin Muhammad Aliyu, PT - Assistant PRO II

10).Dr Auwal Shitu, PT - Auditor I

11).Dr Adebayo Adesola Michael, PT - Auditor II

Ex officio Member

12).Dr Rufai Yusuf Ahmad, PT - Ex Officio 1