To be a professional, that person must possess certain qualities that distinguish him/her from others. He must be able to satisfy his clients, accept mistakes, share knowledge, communicate effectively and work with others, experts have said.
The experts, who spoke at the maiden edition of Professional Excellence Foundation of Nigeria (PEFON) luncheon lecture held in Lagos, said professionals must at all times strive for excellence.
Ibukunle Ogunbayo, an engineer, said professionals must be measured by how well he was able to satisfy his customer in his chosen profession.
Oladipo Bailey, founder of PEFON, in his earlier presentation, said the essence of the forum was to create an opportunity for professionals to network and update their knowledge through regular interaction.
As professionals, we must continue to learn new things because that is the only way we can remain relevant and contribute effectively to the development of our nation, Bailey said.
Steve Onu, a town planner, said our nation would stand to gain and would be out of the woods if our professionals exude professionalism in all their undertakings and were allowed the free hand to contribute to the growth of our economy.
“Our professional institutions must see to it that their members at all times exhibit professionalism in all their conduct or be sanctioned. This is the only way we can be saved as a nation because we can no longer afford to elect, select or appoint ill-equipped person or persons to run the affairs of the state in whatever form,” Onu said.
Nigeria, as a nation, is undergoing changes due to our actions and inactions in the past, and so professionals must be brought to address the ills of our nation provided the setting is transparent, actors honest and accountable with integrity, Onu said.
According to him, we are where we are today because most of the principal actors in our system do not belong to any professional class. They either shot their way to leadership or bribed out every other person to gain access to power and authority, and we are paying dearly for it, Onu said.
Modestus Anaesoronye
