Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

Public analysts hold training workshop to raise standards

By Victoria Njoku
28 April 2016   |   7:39 am
The Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria (IPAN) will today begin its 23rd annual workshop training to sensitize public analysts in the country on the need to think outside the laboratory and get involved in entrepreneurial activities that would sustain them.  
Minister of State Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire

Minister of State Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire

The Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria (IPAN) will today begin its 23rd annual workshop training to sensitize public analysts in the country on the need to think outside the laboratory and get involved in entrepreneurial activities that would sustain them.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, the First Vice President of the Institute, Dr. Olufemi Oyediran, said that the workshop, which is tagged: “Entrepreneurial and innovation: Creating value beyond the laboratory environment”, is aimed at encouraging analysts to set up standard laboratories in the country that would extend focus beyond drugs and food accreditation.

The event, billed to hold in April 27 and 28 at Jevinik Place, Ikeja, will have the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; the Group Managing Director, Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mr. Olakunle Ekundayo, among others in attendance.

According to Oyediran, the institute wants to use the training workshop to arouse members so that they could realise the potentials that exist within them in order to live their dreams.

In his words: “We want to let them know the potentials deposited in them and explore all the opportunities that we have around them for instance, we would probably say we don’t have the money here today, but if we work hard, apply wisdom with the knowledge that we have today, we could move mountain.”

“The solid materials for example, when we collect samples, some of them send it abroad for analysis. We have the like of SGS (foreigners) in Nigeria today doing the analysis. We have Nigerians impoverished by the system we find ourselves but if we can now say let us come together and see how best we can tackle and if we have the resources and facilities to do it, why should we be patronizing the foreigners that are making the money and then transfer the capital to their various countries? What are they contributing to Nigeria? We can do more.

“Some of our members are focusing on food analysis, even on the food analysis, there are a lot of issues about our food-food safety is what people talk about these days. When you talk about food safety, you talk about contamination of food and food items. If you are afraid of starting something, then you will continue to be afraid until you die.

“There are a lot of products to analyze; we have petroleum, environmental samples, soil, water, sludge and the rest of them. We also have solid minerals today, cosmetics, food, medical devices, and drugs. Many of us buy water (bottled) without knowing the source of it, knowing the quality of that bottle is the responsibility of the public analysts and if we are up and doing, or arouse the entrepreneurs in our members, I am sure they can be better than what they are today and that is what we are focusing on today.

“We want to network with our members, pioneer the West Africa Independent Analyst, so that we can a union, relate with one another if there is something we can do in Nigeria and get our counterparts from Ghana, Republic of Benin and other parts, to come together and work to make the difference.”

There are a lot of things that analysts can do outside the laboratory activities for food and drug,” he added.Director, Department of Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Modupe Chukwuma, added that the ministry values the importance of the workshop.

0 Comments