Following the signing into law the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria (CASSON) by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Counselling Association of Nigeria has further expressed determination to help learners to actualize their academic potential and make appropriate career decisions.
The long-awaited Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON)’s bill has finally been assented to operate as the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria after 26 years of obtaining its certificate of registration.
Disclosing this was Professor Elizabeth Omotunde Egbochukwu, the National President of the Association, in a press statement she signed and made available to TechEconomy.ng on Friday, by Professor Emmanuel Awoyemi, the National General Secretary.
The CASSON Bill, which was first read on the floor of the Senate on the March 1, 2018 was assented to by the President Muhammadu Buhari on June 27, 2022, which makes it 26 years after the association had got its certificate of registration on April 22, 1996.
She said that with the establishment and the passage of the bill, CASSON can now operate as a full-fledged Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria and the development has also put it in a position to offer much more service to the nation.
She acknowledged that the move was in line with the association’s dream to establish council for the conduct of qualifying examinations, regulating the counselling profession, and determining standard of knowledge and skill required of persons seeking to become members of the counselling profession in Nigeria.
Prof. Egbochukwu also said that counselling is a practice that seeks to improve psychological wellbeing and mental health of the contemporary society.
“A professional counsellor is a highly trained individual who is able to use a different range of counselling approaches with their clients to resolve personal, social, or psychological issues. They are trained to counsel clients in trauma, abuse, addictions, family, and relationship issues, problems and many more,” she said.
Egbochukwu hinted that in a bid to upgrade its standard, the association, founded on the November 15, 1975 had on March 14, 2019, gone back to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to update its certificate of registration, while the trustees previously registered on the April 22 1996 by special resolution, had reconstituted its Board of Trustees.
She listed the members to include Professors Frank Carew, Ayo Hammed, Mohammed Ibrahim Yakassai, Bulama Kagu, Olaniyi Bojuwoye, Daniel Denga, Ibrahim Kolo, Elizabeth O. Egbochukwu, Roibito Ekanem and Dr (Mrs) Pat Nwamuo.
Meanwhile, the following members according to her were duly appointed in the early days of the association trustees namely Professors Olu Makinde, C.G.M. Bakare, M.P Mallum, Frank Carew and Dr (Mrs) C.C Achebe.
Commenting, Dr. Olayinka Modupe Ayannuga, Chairperson, Counselling Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Bill into law.
“With the establishment and passage of CASSON’s Act 2022, ‘the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria’ is now in a position to offer much more service to the country’s educational sector”, she said.
CASSON President also said that Counselling has been centrifugally a school-based activity, helping learners to actualize their academic potential and make appropriate career decisions.
Dr Ayannuga added that counselling is needed in the society by everyone for a better understanding of self, discover their potentialities, grow to the best of their abilities and overcome a difficult situation.
“These goals remain central to the core professional focus of the Counselling Association of Nigeria.”
