ACCN President's Welcome Address

Chairman, Senator (Dr) D.S Tafida
Special Guest of Honour - Prof. T Isoun
Chief Host- Prof. Peter Okebukola
Guest of Honour - Dr Susan Evans
Distinguished guest
Members of the Press

I am delighted to welcome you on behalf of the Association of Clinical Chemists ,of Nigeria to the year 2003 Conference nd General Meeting.

This conference, with theme: 'Recent Advances in Clinical Chemistry will commence with exciting plenary lectures by recognised experts, on HIV/AIDS, Point of care testing and micro fluidics (Lab-on-a-chip). These lectures will be followed by interactive symposia on Tumour Markers and Infectous diseases.

Undoubtedly, the next two days would provide all participants with ample opportunity to listen, learn and express informed views on these germaine topics.

The History of Clinical Chemistry in Nigeria will not complete without appropriate mention of the pioneering effort of the doyen, His Royal Highness, Professor E C Edozien, th Asagba of Asaba. I seize the opportunity of this moment to acknowledge and celebrate the academic excellence of Prof Edozien and the Department of Chemical Pathology, Univesity College hospital, Ibadan

Distinguished guests, it is widely acknowledged that science is dynamic and fluid, and it cuts across all borders of knowledge and under standing. The Clinical Chemists of Nigeria must now be prepared to shed the colonial scientific partitions which have tended to enshackle us into isolated groups possessing limited effectiveness. We must now reappraise and re-focus the momentum of the performance of clinical chemists in Nigeria, in order for us to participate meaningfully with our international colleagues in ground breaking research and indeed the discoveries that will enhance the delivery of health care, especially to our people.

It is important to remember that the eventual objective of our professional activities is to provide optimal benefit to the patient. This Objective cannot be realised if our minds and intellect are not stimulated, stretched and challenged.

I stand before you to declare boldly and with pride that Nigeria possess a surfeit of excellent scientists with proven track records locally and internationally. I salute them.

Finally, I would like to appeal for closer co-operation between private and public sector professionals. The benefits of such co-operation are well documented in Canada and the U.S. where such practices are commonplace.

I ask you to please enjoy the conference and the magnificient city of Abuja.

Chairman, distinguished guests. I thank you for your attention.