President 2023 New Year Message

NEW YEAR (2023) MESSAGE BY THE PRESIDENT, NIGERIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, PROF. OLUKAYODE AFOLABI, FNPA

Chairman and Members, Board of Trustees (BOT),

Fellows, Professors, Very Dear and Distinguished Members,

As the year 2022 gave way to 2023, I use this opportunity to thank you and express appreciation to you for your hard work, and your contributions to the growth of the Association. This past year has been a year of moving forward while this year 2023 is for the consolidation of the past achievements. You have been a part of everything that we have accomplished – I see you, and I thank you.

I am pleased to share with you the 2022 Annual report as follows:

1. NPA was able to contribute the following to the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)’s call for a Unified Crises  and Emergency Response Strategy (UCERS) as follows:
2. The Union should create a coordinating office for crises and emergency responses to advice national and regional members on critical intervention issues.
3. The Union may be apolitical but should not be morally neutral on issues that impinge on human rights and dignity
4. The Union should leverage on her access to funding resources to endow grants for intervention studies on crises and emergency responses
5. The Union should commission a workgroup to develop toolkits on crises and emergency responses
6. The Union should organise crises and emergency a monitoring mechanism through occasional round tables discussion and symposia as a needs assessment strategy to enable appropriate, evidence based responses
7. National and regional entities with disaster and humanitarian response mandates should be made aware of the Union’s crises and emergency response programmes for synergy and partnership
8. The Union needs to publish a special journal from her roundtable discussions and commissioned studies of national/regional members to provide governments and non-state actors valid knowledge for decision making and actions
9. The Union should propose post crises and emergency exit strategies that blend with sustainable development goals
10. The Union should specify the ethical requirements for responses to crises and emergency that conform to her principles of neutrality

 

1. Updated membership data base, Increase in membership enrolment from 458 to 532, assigned new and permanent membership/registration numbers.
2. Membership identification cards with Newsletters (first of its kind) issued to members
3. Establishment and inauguration of committees to assist the National Executive Council to move the Association forward: I thank the committees that have started work while wishing those that are yet to start to please note that time is not on our side.

1. Successful hosting of the 2022 Annual Congress and General Meeting in Lagos

1. First of its Kind: Courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC)

The National Executive Council of the NPA paid a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of NUC where three major issues were tabled and discussed. These are accreditation of Psychology programmes in Nigerian Universities (and the use of non-psychology Professors), development of psychology curriculum without recourse to the NPA and lastly, establishment of Faculties of Psychological Sciences in our Universities. It was agreed that henceforth, no non-psychology Professors will be used in the accreditation of our programmes. Even though he stated that it will require a huge sum of money for universities to create Faculties of Psychological Sciences, he is of the opinion that with determination, it is achievable. Lastly, he advised that we can re-work our curriculum the way we want it and get back to NUC. I therefore encourage our Divisional Leadership to go through the new curriculum released by the NUC so as to guide us. I have personally forwarded the new curriculum to all the divisional leaders and also on our platform for our guide.

1. Psychology Bill: I wish to remind us that we are not resting on the issue of our Bill. We have done what we needed to do and for now, there is no cause for alarm. Let me use this opportunity to enlighten some persons on our platform trying to promote Mental Health Bill. This is not good enough, knowing fully well that we have our own (Psychology) bill. In case they do not know, Mental Health Bill was sponsored by Psychiatrists (who first attacked our own bill at the National Assembly). I understand the feelings of everyone about the Bill but it is closer to the accent of the President now.

On a sad note, I wish to console the families, friends, and colleagues of our members who lost their lives during the past year. May God comfort them and grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. God will grant the souls of the departed eternal rest. Let’s pray God to keep all of us safe in the New Year.

At the same time, I congratulate our members who were appointed Professors, Associate Professors, Senior Lecturers and Head of Departments. I also congratulate those who successfully defended their Ph.Ds. May God grant them the wisdom to do well on their new positions/statuses.

One of our challenges is the failure of some Members/Fellows to pay their annual dues. While we understand the economic situation in the country, it will be difficult to run a global Association like NPA without adequate finances. The association could not participate in some of the global meetings to further imprint the name of the Association on the global arena due to fund constraint. We hope and desire that all members will pay more attention to supporting the Association with their annual dues and participate in other National programmes both for the NPA and all the Divisional programmes.

In conclusion, let me remind you that the 2023 Annual Congress and General Meeting will be hosted by the elegant and ever-ready Benue State Chapter in August, this year. Please plan from now, to be there. Therefore, as we look towards 2023, I want you to know that we are poised for greater work. However, we need your time, talent, support and treasure to do so. We shall surely do better in this brand new year.

Happy New Year !