LIMITING OUR LIMITATIONS: A CRITICAL LOOK INTO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN NIGERIA.

Today academic trainings in form of theory and practical in the field of science and technology in Nigeria has become nothing more than a foundational structures for the one been trained to lean or build on into the future career practice. It is now the survival of the fittest to move with time and tides. 

Time and tides now dictates the quality of output in a service discharged within specific periods. Most equipment for trainings are either obsolete, not functional or not available in our various institutions, Industries, Factories, etc. 

Another fundamental challenge is that in this age, globally equipment design has metamorphosed from analog to digital; so, virtually every component has been modernized and computerized. This has led to a faster, neater and quicker way of investigation, analysis and diagnosis. 

Coping with changes in analytical method for global research acceptability is equally a limiting factor to a developing country like ours. Non-availability of good maintenance culture and maintenance personnel to manage our existing facilities pose another critical challenge.

How do we get out of these predicaments? 

Laboratory Technologists are the simple panacea to the above endemic situation. Every institution that engages in science, technology and engineering trainings should go back to do the following;

Firstly, they should put in place equipment maintenance and design centers as a department in their institution to be managed by a team of laboratory Technologists/Scientists.

Secondly, every institution should start sponsoring their SCIENTISTS and TECHNOLOGISTS for oversea trainings and conferences for international exposure to new technologies and innovations and also on local periodic trainings relating to their respective areas of specialization.

Furthermore, it is obvious that Technologist(s) has not only been under utilized in our various institutions (be it University, Research institute and Polytechnics etc) in Nigeria but that they have not been placed on their right pedestal and designation. This should be revisited for correction to boost their morale for better performance.

Lastly, procurement of modern day equipment should be given priority by every management. For the above chain of solution to continue to flow, a square peg must always be put in a square hole when it comes to Technologist and Scientist recruitment and placement in every establishment.

The only undoubtful panacea to our crawling science and technological advancement are the CHARTERED SCIENTISTS & TECHNOLOGISTS empowered by NISLT License. 

Written by Olagbaju, Olugbenga, AISLT (Geology & Mining option).

SLT Profession; Setting the Record Straight

Over the years, there has been a lot of misconception and  mis-information about this noble profession some of which are from member of a sister profession who perceived SLT profession as one of their  rivals and thus chooses to be their die hard enemy, others are  from those that are doing it out of  ignorance and lack of knowledge due to the multidisciplinary nature of the profession.

However, this article will help in providing illumination to several aspects of this profession which appear shady and needs greater illumination.

Based on the arguments of some people who will erroneously  say that SLT  is not a professional career, I will like to start from the definition of a profession and we will thereafter set the ball rolling.         Merriam Webster Dictionary defined a Profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation”. 

According to the information available on Wikipedia, the term “Professional” is used to describe the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform their specific role within that profession. In addition, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct, enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations which are setup and agreed upon by the governing body or Council of the Professional body.

With the above explanation ,  what makes a course or career a professional one includes but not limited to:

√ Intensive and specialized training (in School and during working period)

√ Practical approach in their Academic system

√ Regulatory Body and Professional Association

√ Ethical and Moral obligations guiding members 

√ Establishing Act by the government

Picking them one after the other, I will explain briefly how SLT Profession meet and surpasses all the listed above.

For you to be licensed as a chartered Science Laboratory Professional, you must have  concluded a five (5) years B.sc or B.Tech degree in the university or spend five (5) years cumulative in a polytechnic ( two  years OND, one year Industrial Training and two years for HND). Either in the Polytechnic or University, everyone must have undergone rigorous and intensive training program before they can graduate. It is a specialized program with a robust curriculum that equips them for the task ahead. This I will like to discuss in detail in the subsequent parts of this article.

Talk of practical approach, there is no doubt that everyone who had accessed  SLT training program either in university or polytechnic will agree to the fact that the curriculum contains an in-depth practical skills and techniques. Aside the several hours they will spend in the laboratory and on the field for these practical courses, the six month  SIWES and a year I.T program is another great exposure to  the practical aspect of this profession.

In line with the specialized training  of SLT  graduates, they come out with competency  under different sectors such as clinical sector with options such as Biomedical technique, physiology and pharmacology technique, histology and cytology technique, Microbiology/virology technique etc; Biological sector with options in Biochemistry technique, microbiology technique, Biotechnology technique, biological technique etc; Agricultural/Environmental sector such as Aquaculture technique, Aquaculture and fishery technique, plant science technique, environmental biology technique, environmental science technique, marine science technique, hydrobiology/ fishery technique etc; Physical/ natural sector with options such as Applied Geology technique, Geology and Mining technique, Geology technique etc; Chemical/ Petrochemical sector having options like Industrial chemistry/petroleum technique, applied chemistry technique etc; Engineering Technology sector with options in Physics with production, Physics and Electronics Engineering etc.

These had made  SLT profession to be so viable and a necessity  in every sector of the economy among which are medical, pharmaceutical , engineering , oil and gas, environmental,  agricultural  and in all ministries where laboratory services are found.

The Nigeria Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) is the regulatory agency established by the act of parliament which was enacted into law in the year 2003. On the professional Association, the same act identified and put into existence the Association of Science Laboratory Technologist of Nigeria (ASLTON). The Institute which has it headquarters in Ibadan and Abuja is charged amongst other roles, the responsibility of advancing the Science Laboratory Technology Profession in the country.

Both NISLT and ASLTON have ethical and moral guidelines in form of code of conducts which must be complied with by all practicing and licensed members. The guiding principles, most of which has been fully introduced and learned while they are in school will help to discharge the duties of the profession with all fairness and high level of excellence.

Lastly, as earlier stated that the profession is duly backed up by the act of government. The Nigeria Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) Act 2003 was assented to by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and had since then become the legal backing of this noble profession. You can easily visit any of the search engine to get a copy while you can also get one from the NISLT website www.nislt.gov.ng. You will see clearly how the act fully describe the existence of  SLT in detail.

It’s time to correct the erroneous impression of this profession with this informative piece. We are distinguished and our profession is a great one  indeed.

Written by

Peter Oni (Biochemistry Technique)

Contributors

Akpede Akpevwe (Biomedical Technique)

Olagbaju Olugbenga (Geology & Mining Technique)

THE ROLE OF A SCIENCE LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST IN THE RACE FOR A VACCINE FOR COVID 19.

CHIEF IRIKEFE AKPORIDO (B.sc. SLT. BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY -DELSU., M.sc PUBLIC HEALTH -U.S.A, F.NISLT, NISP, NEBOSH, APHA AND SOPHE MEMBERSHIP-#31682).

Vaccine developers are fast-tracking new constructs of various kinds—traditional vaccines, RNA vaccines, DNA vaccines, and others, in hopes of catching up with COVID-19, the deadly respiratory disease that already circles the globe. Developers are also interested in trying to trip up COVID-19 by repurposing vaccines already developed to counter pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. The worldwide scientific mobilization to produce a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine has become a race against time and an escalation in the heated rivalry among competing companies. All are scrambling toward the same goal: producing a vaccine against a viral menace that emerged in central China late last year and is now circling the globe.

As at today 12th May 2020, more than 2 million people around the world had become infected with covid 19, and unfortunately over 4 thousand of these infected people are from my home country NIGERIA., also global deaths had already breached the 100,000 mark, and over a 100 of them are also from my country NIGERIA according to report from the Nigeria Center For Disease Control (NCDC), with no end to the pandemic’s exponential growth in sight. It will be months, before laboratory technologist and public health officials say or known whether either of the vaccines entering clinical trials will be widely used to effectively immunize populations against SARS-CoV-2. Multiple other candidate vaccines are being studied by research teams globally, and several are set to be launched into clinical testing within the next few weeks to months.

Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent an increase in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection is an urgent laboratory technologist and a public health officer's priority. it is impossible to give a precise date when a vaccine will be ready for what will amount to tens of millions of immunizations. The types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines under development worldwide are mostly genomic, DNA or RNA. However, the novel coronavirus differs in subtle, yet significant ways compared with previous members of the coronavirus family, SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS-CoV). These viruses seem to primarily infect the lower respiratory tract, and lightly makes it difficult to spread between humans. But the new SARS-CoV-2, however, seems to replicate well in the upper respiratory tract, grows there quickly to high viral loads, and is able to spread between humans, who transmit it simply by droplets produced during breathing and coughing.

Therefore in conclusion, if all proceeds as planned, the federal government of Nigeria, through the institute of science laboratory technology, under the federal ministry of science and technology, should immediately make available an estimated sum of $9million or more to support science laboratory technology preclinical and clinical research work. This fund will be used to setup a vaccine development plant, which will accelerate vaccine production and testing in Nigeria.

Feel free to forward any question you might have to the email below or call the number to ask your question.
Thank you.

M.D IRIKEFE CORPORATE SERVICES

YOU CAN LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE : IRIKEFE CORPORATE SERVICES 

Irikefeman@yahoo.com

LECTURE ON COVID-19; FROM IRIKEFE BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY. (CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICE)

LECTURER : CHIEF IRIKEFE AKPORIDO (B. sc. SLT BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY, M. sc PUBLIC HEALTH, F.NISLT.)

TOPIC TITLED : SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY DURING A PANDEMIC.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put laboratories on edge, even if they’re not testing for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is highly infectious; symptoms are mild or nonexistent for some, but fatal for others. Lab safety is always a top priority, but rules can sometimes fall by the wayside. Equipment, for example, might not get cleaned as often as the protocol demands, and employees may not always strictly adhere to safe work practices. Now is the time to protect your laboratory, your colleagues, and yourself.

PRACTICAL STEPS TO MITIGATE YOUR LABORATORY RISK DURING A PANDEMIC

Even if your laboratory team is working with a skeleton crew and only performing mission-critical tasks, like keeping precious cultures alive, during the pandemic, it should still strictly abide by standard lab safety protocols. Risk prevention, Lab Manager says, requires both individual precautions and lab-specific measures.

INDIVIDUAL PRECAUTIONS DURING PANDEMIC

Whether they’re coming to the laboratory or not, everyone should carefully follow the precautions prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NIgerian Institute Of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) .

(1.) Wash your hands frequently, especially after contacting commonly touched surfaces.   Use soap and water, and wash for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

(2.) Don’t touch your face if you haven’t washed your hands.
Stay home if you feel sick and encourage others to do the same. If you’ve been exposed to the virus and you develop its common symptoms i.e dry cough, fever and difficulty breathing — seek immediate medical attention. Stay home to further minimize potential exposure. Avoid any contact with sick people.

LABORATORY SPECIFIC PRECAUTIONS DURING A PANDEMIC

To ensure the laboratory is safe for everyone, staff should exercise extra precautions to minimize the risk of person-to-person infection and surface contamination.

(1.) Follow the guidelines established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Nigerian Institute Of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), about readying workplaces for the coronavirus.

(2.) Limit close contact, Be aware of where others are in the lab and keep as much distance as possible. Limit movements throughout the laboratory to essential trips. Remote working policies and stagger shifts when possible to minimize the number people in the lab at one time.

(3.) Promote proper hand hygiene. Provide hand-washing stations throughout the lab and ensure that hand sanitizer is well stocked and readily available.

(4.) Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as equipment and cabinet handles, with products that meet the Environmental Protection Agency‘s criteria for use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Wear personal protective equipment(PPE) while cleaning, wipe down resuable PPE afterward.

 (5). If someone working in the laboratory contracts COVID-19, follow the protocols established by the CDC and NCDC., Close off and decontaminate any areas used by the sick person with an EPA-recommended disinfectant. Engage a professional decontamination service, if necessary.

Ensure that every member of the laboratory knows and understands the latest protocols and policies. Use a checklist, such as this one from the Association of Public Health Laboratories and Nigerian Institute Of Science Laboratory (NISLT), to assess potential safety hazards. If ever there were a time to reassess your laboratory’s safety policies, it’s now. If your laboratory’s protocols need to be updated, whether to deal with the novel coronavirus or just because it’s time, update them.

Be diligent and thorough. Inaction could have grave consequences for you or someone around you. As a laboratory professional, you’re on the frontlines of the fight to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Feel free to forward any question you might have to the email below to ask your question.

Thank you

irikefeman@yahoo.com

Science Laboratory Technology Program in Nigeria

Science Laboratory Technology program is a course studied in polytechnics, colleges of Health Technology and universities.  It is studied in the united kingdom (UK),  South Africa, Indian, china,  Nigeria etc. In Nigeria,  it is offered in polytechnics and colleges of health technology leading to a diploma degree (OND & HND)  and in the university leading to a Bachelor of science (B.  Sc) or Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) degree.

An SLT graduate with OND is classified uncategorised because at this level he/she is just unspecialised but as he/she further his/her studies (HND), he/she then chooses an option for specialization and focus on it. For university students their road path is almost similar though chooses hi/her option of specialization at the beginning of hi/her career,  will do same course content with his/her fellow counterparts till 2nd year before specialization in his/her 3rd, 4th and 5th year.  SLT in the university is a five (5) year course.

SPECIALISATION IN SLT INCLUDE
Aquaculture and fishery
Biological
Biomedical
Biochemistry
Biochemistry and chemical
Biochemistry and chemistry
Microbiology
Microbiology and virology
Microbiology and mycology
Chemistry
Chemical petroleum
Physics and electronic
Physics with production
Physiology and pharmacology
Zoology
Geology
Geology and mining
Industrial chemistry and petrochemical
Biology
Biotechnology
Plant science
Environmental science
Histopathology
Immunology and blood transfusion etc

The Science Laboratory Technology Program provides students with the necessary skills and techniques for standard everyday science laboratory work. Science Laboratory Technology Program focuses on the fundamental  and applied principles of the biological, chemical and physical sciences and emphasizes on analytical laboratory techniques and applications, specifically in the realms of physical and engineering (soil,  earth,  meteorological and atmospheric, Polymer, nanotechnology, radiological sciences),  chemistry (Petroleum, metals, chemicals,) and biology (clinical and life sciences, applied sciences, natural sciences, plant). The curriculum also enables students to explore a variety of laboratory testing techniques and to prepare and operate various types of tools and electronic analysis equipment.

 The Science Laboratory Technology Program prepares graduates for employment in chemical, biological, clinical,  pharmaceutical, agricultural and associated science laboratories.

The science laboratory technology fields of opportunity include chemical, biological, agricultural and food science, clinical and pharmaceutical  sciences, environmental science and prevention, forensic, water, petrochemical, electronical,  forest and conservation, geological, and energy technology area.

As a graduate of SLT, you should be proud of belonging to a multidisciplinary profession. Graduates are licensed to practice as certified laboratory scientist/technologist all over the country in any area where there is a laboratory. Registration with the regulatory body, Nigeria Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) gives you the title of an Associate,  which is an equivalent of a Masters degree holder in the academic world.

SLT is not just a degree like most courses out there but a professional multidisciplinary course where you can't practice unless you are licenced.

This excerpts is written by:
Akpede Akpevwe
Biomedical technologist
Delta State.