NIS lecturer harps on importance of healthy living

Folashade Airebamen, a lecturer at the National Institute for Sports (NIS), says healthy living is the “enduring” route to productive growth and development in the corporate and public sectors of the national life.

Airebamen spoke during the weekend at a virtual conference titled ‘health and well-being for corporate and public sector professionals’, which was organised by the Institute of Corporate and Public Sector Professionals (ICPSP).

The varsity teacher, who is renowned for her passion for training and empowering the youth, said only a healthy nation could be prosperous.

“Health is paramount and non-negotiable because aside being vital to building national economy, it also guarantees emotional and spiritual well-being,” she said.

“To talk about health is to talk about well-being as both are inseparable. A healthy corporate organisation, therefore, would guarantee healthy workers with improved morale, strong engagement, less absenteeism, better output and improved productivity.

“Improved healthy environment in organisations would also naturally lead to prosperity as less funds would be expended on medication for the staff who would in turn enjoy improved mental health as well as ability to manage stress.”

Airebamen, who is the first female to study sports law in Nigeria, enjoined corporate organisations in Nigeria to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and other health providers with a view to ensuring that their workers get the best of well-being.

She also identified areas of shortfall in corporate organisations, saying some little details always counted for much.

“Positioning of furniture in offices and sitting arrangement sometimes matters. Even the positioning of air conditioners should be considered because the cool air from it is capable of posing adverse effects on the workers’ heads, chests and knees if they are directly exposed to the device,” she said.

The conference is aimed at creating awareness that could be shared and entrenched in the interest of the well-being of corporate organisations.

Airebamen is a member of the National Association for Sports Law and also the Nigeria Society for Sports Management.

She is currently the life coach as well as member of the technical board of Bode Akindele Yield Initiative (BAYI), a non-governmental organisation which trains and empowers the youth.