Dear Colleagues, It is indeed a pleasure for me and my Executive Committee members to join you all in welcoming you to the year 2025. I give God the glory for the opportunity to witness this new year of progress for our Association. I believe that by God’s grace, the year 2025 has come with peace, love, joy and bountiful blessings to every family.
Let me seize this opportunity to thank you all for your immense contributions towards NPA activities in 2024. Individually, and collectively, you have been wonderful. You have responded positively to all the requests emanating from our Association and your efforts have continued to bring hope that we are not alone.
As the new year unfolds, I wish to remind us once more of the critical role we need to play in nation-building. We must, as members of the psychology profession, re-awaken to our primary responsibilities to our nation and its people on the need to improve Nigerians’ mental health. So many questions have been asked on whether we have enough psychologists in Nigeria that can tackle the problems of depression, anxiety, substance/drug abuse, social vices, family problems, child labour, torture, etc. The question becomes interesting because of the few professionals and practitioners attending to these issues. The job should not be limited to a few individuals. All Nigerian psychologists should henceforth be involved in finding solutions to these problems caused majorly by the economic hardship and the level of insecurity in our dear country.
For this reason, the Exco has decided to train all interested psychologists in Nigeria on the basic skills of psychological assessments and intervention. This we intend to do during the 2025 pre-conference workshop in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Also, as part of our mandate to re-position the NPA, I wish to remind us that we now have a new constitution to guide all our activities in Nigeria. I plead that all members should get a copy. This is one of the changes NPA needs at this point in time. I understand that change, even positive, can be accompanied by mixed reactions. While many are excited about the new prospects and collaborations the new constitution intends to achieve, it’s natural for some to feel uncertain about what the future holds. I want to assure you that every step we take is with the intention of strengthening our profession and expanding our impact on the society.
Let me also remind you that Council for Psychologists’ Bill is at the final stage at the National Assembly waiting for passage. The leadership of the NPA has been making frantic efforts to get the Bill out as fast as possible. As you are all aware, no Bill sponsored by any individual or group has been transmitted to the President in the last 18 months. For this reason, we need to be united to achieve this. Remember, united we stand, divided we fall.
Before I end my speech, let me bring it to our notice that Nigerian Psychological Association in collaboration with the Lagos State University bided for and was granted the hosting right for the 2026 International Conference of Community Psychologists. This is a great achievement for NPA and our dear country as delegates from over 90 countries will be coming to Nigeria. Therefore, we request for our collective support in all ways to have a successful conference. This great achievement is for all of us. Therefore, from time to time, many of us will be contacted to play different roles on different committees and sub-committees to be set up in the next few weeks.
Let me end this speech by congratulating the former President of our dear Association, Prof Andrew Zamani on his inauguration as the President of the Pan African Psychological Association, PAPU. This is another plus to Nigeria as a nation for having him as the first Nigerian to occupy that position. We wish him well as he leads African Psychologists to the next level. NPA will give him all the support he needs to succeed.
This year 2025 will be a year of unimaginable achievement, progress, peace and happiness for all of us.
Thank you all.
