Health
Optometrists Board staff call on Tinubu to investigate Registrar/CEO, Dr Obinna Edwin Awiaka.
The staff of the office of the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria, (ODORBN) a Parastatal under the Federal Ministry of health have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider beaming his search light in their office with a view to investigating the leadership style of their Registrar/CEO, Dr Obinna Edwin Awiaka.
The staff complained bitterly that since the assumption in office of the Registrar June 1st, 2023, the once bubbling and lively office has suddenly become a living hell for them.
According to some of the staff who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons noted that the leadership style of the Registrar/CEO can only be compared to that of IdiAmin of the then Uganda.
They revealed that the first thing Dr Awiaka did immediately he resumed was to totally dismantle the existing organization organogram which was purely set up in line with the civil service rules, thereby deliberately making all the Directors, their deputies and assistants inactive. He was also said to have even gone ahead to abolish the management meeting were robust discussion about the organization were been churned out.
Regrettably, the staff noted that Dr Awiaka had boasted severally that he does not believe in the civil service rules which informed why he has absolute disregard for the structure he met on ground when he came in.
One of the staff said, “You cannot imagine that all the departments are now been headed by junior officers. Currently the ICT department is been headed by a staff with just a school certificate, while the Procurement department is been headed by a procurement assistant, whereas there are qualified officers hitherto handling these offices.
“Because of his alleged high-handedness and his tyrannically style of leadership, he has transfered all the Directors, their deputies and assistants under very flimsy reasons. It’s either you do his bidding or you are out. For example, the Director of Admin has been transfered to National Task Force unit for refusing to sign a document he was not aware of. Also, the head of Procurement was transferred to the national Task Force, procurement unit where he does work that belittle his position. It is even said that the so called National Task Force unit does not even exist in the structure of the Organization, it’s merely a creation of the Registrar and his Aide where their perceived enemies are transfered to. Some of the Directors have been transfered out of the headquarters for no particular reason,”
One other staff accused Dr Awiaka of flooding the organization with so many aides who have virtually taken over the running of the office and have even become larger than life. “The office is littered with his Aides of different kinds. He has Special technical Adviser, Special Adviser, Personal Assistant, Technical Adviser, Special Adviser on Inter Governmental Affairs, and several others. And for you to remain relevant in the office you must have to be in the good books of these aides,” He lamented.
The staff also accused the Registrar of running the organization like his private office as he hardly comes to the office, virtually runing the office from the diaspora, “Dr Awaka hardly comes to the office, he comes maybe once in two weeks. Sometimes we don’t see him for a whole month. We can count how many times we have seen him in the office this year. These Aides help him to run the office.
These staff therefore call on the Nigeria President to come to their aid stressing that if nothing is done, and done very fast, the organization is definitely heading for disaster. The staff revealed that the Registrar has the boldness to do whatever he likes because he has boasted severally that he has the backing of some top officials of the Federal Ministry of health. The main reason the Ministry has not bothered to beam their searchlight on the organization despite the outcry of the staff. “He has always boasted to us that nobody can sack him, that he is in a very good relationship with those in the supervising Ministry” one of the staff stated.
Meanwhile, attempt to hear from the Registrar/CEO for his own side of the story proves abortive as he did not pick the several calls put across to him.
Health
Football Legends to Light Up Nigeria in NICRAT’s World Soccer Legends Cancer Match
By Joel Ajayi
Nigeria is set to witness a football spectacle as some of the world’s greatest football legends converge for the First World Soccer Legends War Against Cancer International Charity Football Match Nigeria 2026.
The star-studded event, backed by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), is designed to combine football entertainment with a major campaign to raise cancer awareness, promote early detection and mobilise resources for prevention and treatment.
The initiative, themed “Play for Prevention, Score for Life,” was unveiled on Wednesday in Abuja with the official launch of the event logo, kits and a 60-day countdown to the international charity match.
The campaign is expected to feature former international football stars while bringing together cancer advocates, government institutions, corporate organisations, development partners and other stakeholders in a united effort against the disease.
Speaking on behalf of NICRAT Director-General, Prof. Usman Aliyu, Dr Margaret Sawyer said the institute was supporting the initiative because of its potential to take cancer-awareness messages to millions of Nigerians.
She said the campaign would go beyond fundraising by educating Nigerians on cancer prevention, early detection and the need to seek medical attention promptly.
According to her, football offers a unique platform for reaching diverse communities, while the influence of football legends could help deliver important health messages to a wider audience.
Earlier, National Coordinator of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Mr Jacob Onu, said the event was conceived to transcend the boundaries of sport and evolve into a national and international movement against cancer.
Onu said the participation of former football stars would amplify messages on cancer prevention, screening, treatment, research and support for patients and survivors.
He added that the event would also celebrate life, honour those who had lost their lives to cancer and inspire survivors and people currently battling the disease.
“Together, through football, compassion and collective action, we can win the War Against Cancer,” he said.
Onu called on Nigerians across the 774 local government areas to become ambassadors of the campaign by promoting healthy lifestyles, regular medical checks and early medical intervention.
He also appealed to corporate organisations, philanthropists, international organisations, football stakeholders, media organisations and development partners to support the initiative.
The MOC coordinator commended NICRAT, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), sponsors, partners and other stakeholders for their support.
He assured that the organising committee would deliver an event capable of meeting international standards while creating a lasting legacy in cancer awareness, advocacy, humanitarian support and sports development.
In his goodwill message, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Gumel, expressed concern over the rising global cancer burden and called for sustained action beyond the charity match.
Gumel urged the organisers to extend the campaign beyond Abuja to communities across the 36 states, while calling on governments at all levels to strengthen cancer prevention, screening and treatment.
The NOC president pledged his support for the initiative and encouraged Nigerians to make regular cancer screening and periodic health checks a priority.
Also speaking, Director of Cancer Prevention and Control at NICRAT, Dr Usman Mohammed Waziri, reaffirmed the institute’s determination to ensure that the initiative produces a positive and lasting impact on Nigeria’s cancer-control efforts.
With the 60-day countdown officially underway, organisers said the World Soccer Legends Cancer Match would combine the excitement of football with humanitarian action, using the power and influence of football legends to drive a nationwide campaign against cancer.
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