Society Urges Quick Review Of 1933 Anatomy Act

The National Assembly and relevant authorities have been urged by the President of the Anatomy Society of Nigeria (ASN), Prof. Bernard Enaibe, to expedite the review of the Anatomy Act of 1933. 

Eniabe made the call at the 2023 Annual Scientific Conference and General Meeting of the society, held at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). 

The event attracted members of the society from across the country for the 18th edition of the Annual National Conference, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He highlighted the need for the review to align with the current global trends in anatomy practice.

“It is important to mention that the process of re-enacting the Anatomy Act of 1933 has passed the Public Hearing stage.

“We are very hopeful and ever committed to ensuring that the amendment process receives the necessary legislative backing in the shortest time possible,” he said.

Eniabe said that the theme of the conference, “Anatomy, The Backbone of Medical Science”, was intentional, noting that “It is geared toward the exploration of the diverse professional areas of the anatomical sciences.” 

He stated that the review of the Act, along with creating entrepreneurship opportunities, would benefit the growing number of young scientists who have chosen anatomy as a career. 

The President maintained that the Anatomy Society of Nigeria is also supportive of the National Universities Commission's (NUC) drive to improve post-graduate skills and position Nigerian universities among the best in the world, ensuring that graduates acquire the necessary knowledge.

“To this end, ASN has identified with the ongoing general review of programme curricula by NUC and had made necessary contributions to the curriculum review processing Anatomy.

“Fortunately, our society had taken a proactive step, long before the NUC initiative, to overhaul our BSc Anatomy curriculum, in order to position it for entrepreneurial base and competitiveness,” Enaibe said.

Also speaking, Dr Oluwatosin Ogedengbe, the Local Organizing Chairman of the conference, informed that the conference was originally slated for 2022 but was postponed due to an eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). 

The conference, with the sub-themes "The 21st Century Anatomists and Progress in Reproductive Sciences" and "War and Natural Disasters, Roles of Forensic Anatomists", according to him, offers a forum for discussing the latest advancements in anatomy practice and new challenges facing the profession. 

Prof. Abayomi Fasina, Vice-Chancellor of FUOYE, in his remark, praised ASN for choosing the university as the host venue for the conference.

Fashina who was by Prof. Akeem Ajibo said: “We don’t expect anything less than what we are seeing, at a time like this, in our nation.

“We need programmes like this and we are glad that it has been brought here in the university, which is one of the fastest growing universities in Nigeria. l appreciate the organisers for this.”