“All I did was purely on humanitarian basis…” – Doctor of Optometry and Winner of President’s NYSC Honours Award

The prestigious NYSC PRESIDENT’S HONOURS AWARD Ceremony for the 2018/2019 batch took place on Thursday, 11th of February, 2021 at the Aso-Villa in Abuja. In the light of this, we were able to speak with one of the youths bestowed with the award – who is also a medical practitioner. This honours award, available to corp members, gives the winners added benefit of a scholarship to PhD level and Job with the federal government.

Below are excerpts from the interview by the Medical Mirror correspondent.

First, let me congratulate you on this feat achieved, congratulations! So, can you tell us a little about yourself and your NYSC experience?

My name is Felix Okwudilichukwu Nwarienne, I hail from Achalla, Awka North Local government, Anambra state. I graduated from UNIBEN in 2015 as an Optometrist and was posted to Kano for my youth service. At NYSC camp, I participated in all orientation activities including the match past competition. I functioned actively in the camp clinic, where I diagnose and manage eye complaints of corps members and NYSC officials. I also worked with the Nigerian Red Cross team (which I was a member of) in attending to causalities during the sporting activities and training of corps members on first aid skills. After the orientation camp, I was posted to Muritala Mohammed specialist hospital, Kano as my primary place of assignment.

You were recently a winner of the President’s NYSC Honours Award, can you tell us about the distinctive project you carried out during your service year?

At my PPA, I planned and executed a one-week hospital based medical outreach where patients benefited from comprehensive eye examination, free drugs, spectacles and cataract surgeries (of which 14 patients were operated on for free). I was also elected the president of medical and health CDS group. The group planned and executed Health Initiative for rural dwellers for the 3rd quarter of 2017 (October) and first quarter of 2018 (April). The group also renovated the secretariat clinic with medical equipment and drugs for proper use by corp members and NYSC officials.

What was your Inspiration for the project you carried out?

At every stage of my life, I always plan and strive to contribute to people’s lives and humanity as a whole. The facility I served in is recorded as the most visited facility in West Africa, however, most patients who visit the facility cannot afford the cost of care.

I remember we had a case in the hospital, where my consultant called me in to discuss about the case. The patient has an eye pathology (bilateral cataract) that needed urgent surgery but the patient couldn’t afford it, neither was there any plans or structure on ground to help these types of patient. We had to come to a consensus with the patient, that the surgery be booked ahead for 6 months so as to allow time for the patient go around and beg for the money needed to get the surgery done. It’s a sour and painful experience to witness. Seeing this people, inspired me to always want to help in the little ways I can.

So, how did you eventually end up being selected for the NYSC president’s honour awards?

A number of things are being considered for the presidential award, the selection process involves a lot of stages and project allocation. Activities at the state level are been collated and evaluated first, before moving to the federal level where the state are mandated to send in 2 of their best corps members and their activities. In Kano State, my project was ranked 2^nd place state wide, which automatically made it eligible to be submitted at the federal level for the award recommendation.

Were you expecting to get a presidential award while planning your project, did you have the award in view?

As at then, before going to camp there were different NYSC WhatsApp groups, where information was posted and I learnt about the various awards available to corps members and other things pertaining to service in those groups. However, if I had known that the presidential award would be this prestigious with added benefits, I would have done more. Also, I didn’t know anyone who had benefited from the awards previously to give an insight or guide me… I really didn’t know much about the award or have it in view when doing the projects, all I did was purely on humanitarian basis, if I did, I would have done more.

Some people still hold the view that service year is a waste of time, and should be scrapped or should be made optional, what’s your view about this?

The people that have those views that NYSC should be scrapped have good reasons to say that, however, I have a contrary opinion. I believe NYSC is a good platform to learn and mingle with other youths and cultures. For example, nothing would have taken me to the North if not for NYSC and this, consequently created the forum for me to learn Hausa language, learn their culture, foods and even gain many Hausa friends. In Nigeria today, there is no agency that knows Nigeria better than NYSC, because they go down to the remote communities and local government levels, ensuring that there are corps members serving in every government owned facility there. Corps members contribute to the rural infrastructural development through personal and group community development service projects such as the construction of primary health care facilities, classrooms, toilets, boreholes etc. Also, the scheme comes with opportunities which automatically lift youths out of the labour market. For instance, the presidential award gives an academic scholarship to any federal institution in Nigeria up to PhD level with an automatic employment into the civil service. For the past 2 weeks now, I have been emailing different professors concerning my Masters application in line with that opportunity.
Therefore, I would say the NYSC program should be sustained, but I recommend that the government extend the service allowance up to 6 months after service year to enable the Ex-corpers settle in, go for interviews and secure good jobs. This will reduce a lot of pressure that most Ex-corpers experience immediately after service, and would also reduce the rate of crime in the society, which results from joblessness and lack of income.

Knowing that you are a graduate of optometry, can you give us an academic background into being an optometrist and also what differentiates them from ophthalmologists and opticians, because a lot of people don’t know the difference and might want to veer into that career pathway?

Eye care services by the department of ophthalmology is a combined effort between 4 professionals and these include the Ophthalmologist, Optometrist, Optician and Ophthalmic nurse. The Ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and doubles as a surgeon for eye conditions while the Optometrists are primary eye care professionals, who examine, diagnose and manage oculo-visual ailments with drugs, contacts lens, low vision devices and spectacles. The optometric clinic or unit is the first point of call to seek eye care in general health or  some medical conditions that have ocular implications. On the other hand, Opticians pick up the prescription from the Optometrists or ophthalmologists, fix and dispense the spectacle to the patient. It is like a Doctor – Pharmacist relationship, but specialized within the eye care field. Ophthalmic nurses specialize in eye care after general nursing training. They work hand-in- hand with ophthalmologists and optometrists in patient eye care management.
To enroll for a Doctor of Optometry programme, the aspirant has to pass the basic science subjects (Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology) before getting admitted into an accredited university for the course. Also, different schools have different requirements, but it’s generally a 6-year course with a “Doctor of Optometry” degree awarded to the successful student at the end of the study.

Finally, what are your thoughts and advice to the Nigerian youth, especially those going for their National Youth Service soon?

Diligence and patience pays. It was during the orientation program at the presidential awards, that I found out that commitment at your Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) actually contributed 45% to the overall rating while the project itself only takes 20%. This we didn’t know about initially. That lackadaisical attitude of “I’m just a corper and not a full staff” member and not being paid like the permanent staff, so I’ll do as I wish and go to work whenever I want’’ should not be. Take the work very seriously, work as if you are being paid like a full staff and not just anyhow.
Service year is not a waste of time. Judicious use should be made of the scheme to acquire more knowledge and leave an indelible mark in your place of primary assignment. In my time I did an HSC course and certification.