Category: SouthEast

Determined to end quackery in the health sector, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Edo State chapter, is collaborating with Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS).

Edo NMA Chairman, Dr. Udoka Imoisili, yesterday in Benin, during an interactive session with reporters, said the association, through its 2023 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference (AGM&SC), would begin to assist Edo government to institute modalities to get into a health insurance social contract with citizens of the state, in order to improve the health indices of the state.

She said Edo NMA was committed to ensuring that residents had access to quality health care.

The NMA chairman said: “Out-of-pocket payment for health care services, particularly in the face of the current economic challenges, drives most residents to patronise quacks, with the attendant untoward effects of preventable morbidities and mortalities.

“Quackery flourishes in the absence of a well-coordinated and implemented health insurance, to the detriment of the people, the health care practitioners and the government.”

Imoisili said the poor health indices in the state and the country were multifactorial and could largely be attributed to the inability of the masses to afford health care, lack of good health seeking behaviour and poor availability of health information.

She said Edo NMA had done an appraisal of the prevalent health challenges, along with the impediments, to achieve universal health coverage, while saddling itself “with the task of providing answers to this hydra-headed menace of poor health indices and quackery ravaging the society.”

Edo NMA chairman said: “We have committed ourselves to collaborate with Edo State government in developing a strategic plan, and with actionable recommendations, to reposition the health insurance pack (EDOHIS) in the hearts of the people.

“Providing permanent solution to the health challenges of the people is not only the responsibility of government, but collaborative efforts between government and stakeholders.

“As the custodian of the health of the most-esteemed citizens of Edo, it is a professional and moral burden on us in NMA in the state to be at the forefront of the battle against poor health indices, quackery and ensuring the best quality of health for Edo residents. We are confident that, although the factors militating against access to good health in the state are enormous, they are very surmountable.

“We must pay the price now to emancipate the people with whom the government entrusts their health into our hands.”

Imoisili also stated that in a bid to check the activities of quacks and quackery, the association would sponsor a bill at the state’s House of Assembly to ban the advertisement of medicines.

She said: “Quackery in our communities has become an organised crime, and syndicate that appears difficult to cure this cancer, thereby ripping patients off their health and finance, with its attendant effects on the government.

“Edo NMA continues to stand up to the task to develop a framework to halt the growth of these serious health challenges by making health affordable and accessible. It has been suggested that increased access to insurance reduces the burden of diseases and quackery.”

The chairman of NMA in Edo also admitted that out-of-pocket payment for health was expensive for the vulnerable poor in the society, while calling for the implementation of health insurance scheme, by making an urgent social contract between the government and the people a legal reform, and to ensure that all residents of Edo were enrolled in EDOHIS with ease. 

She said: “The health insurance scheme will curb patronage of quacks, no matter how they brandish themselves. No resident will leave where he/she can access ‘free’ medical care to meet with a quack.

“The singular act will promote good health-seeking behaviour, eliminate quackery and integrate health insurance into the attitude of the people.

“Currently, it is mainly the public sector workers that have bought into the health insurance scheme.”

Imoisili urged the Godwin Obaseki administration to raise awareness about EDOHIS, in order to facilitate uptake by the informal sector, in a bid to achieve good health for all, in fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Akwa Ibom State Government has decried the rising cases of extra-judicial killing commonly referred to as ‘jungle justice’.

It has threatened to arrest and prosecute perpetrators.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Uyo, a board member and Head of Logistics and Maintenance, State Ethical and Attitudinal Reorientation Commission (EARCOM), Mr. Tommy Enodien, described the act as barbaric and unacceptable.

He condemned reports of setting suspected thieves ablaze in different parts of the state, including Okopedi, Okobo in Okobo, Use Offot and Ibiaku villages in Uyo and Ikot Oduot in Ibesikpo Asutan local governments in recent times.

He warned citizens against executing extra-judicial punishment and called on the police command to arrest and prosecute perpetrators.

Enodien said: “Some innocent persons have suffered death, grave injuries and irreversible bodily harm through jungle justice in the past.

“Although the public can apprehend suspected criminals, the law provides that such persons, when caught, should be handed over to the police immediately for proper investigation and possible prosecution.”

He stressed that only the courts could convict a suspect of crime, as the laws presumed the accused person to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“EARCOM therefore calls on traditional rulers, community leaders, village councils and particularly youth leaders to sensitise their people and curtail the rising cases and gory sights of extra judicial mob killings in the state, which demean our common humanity,” he said.

Enugu State Government has received relief materials worth over N80million for victims of flood and other disasters in the state.

The relief items came from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), for persons and communities affected by the 2022 flood disaster across the local governments.

Presenting the items to Governor Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu, the Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Ngozi Echeazu, who represented the NEMA Director General, Mustapha Habib, said “the relief intervention by the Federal Government through NEMA is not a compensation, but rather a fulfilment of the Federal Government’s responsibility to support the welfare and well-being of Nigerians wherever they live, especially when the capacity of their state and local government authorities are exceeded.”

Echeazu, who was represented by a management official of the agency, Amaka Chidi-Aroh, noted that “upon the escalation of the 2022 flood disaster, NEMA Southeast Zonal Office carried out damage/need assessment in six major selected local governments, namely Enugu South, Enugu East, Nkanu East, Awgu, Udenu and Uzo Uwani to determine the level of the flood disaster, damage caused and needs of the affected communities. “Appropriate recommendations were made in line with the agency’s mandate to ensure that affected communities were provided with necessary short, medium and long term support to enable them recover from the disaster.”

According to her, the relief materials which included livelihood items were expected to help the affected persons stand on their feet and return to normal life.

Receiving the items on behalf of the state government, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, stressed that the relief materials would not only serve as succor, but would also help the affected persons to settle down by reactivating their means of livelihoods.

He hailed NEMA for its partnership with Enugu State Government, expressing happiness that the partnership had always yielded positive results and would be a continuous collaboration.

He said the data from NEMA had also assisted the state government in its planning, adding that the support would help in rebuilding the victim’s economic base.

Onyia expressed confidence in the credibility of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Enugu State branch, led by the Nkanu East Local Government Chairman, Okechukwu Edeh.

He said the items would be properly distributed to the affected persons.

Activities marking 2023 Leboku International Festival in Yarkurr Local Government of Cross River State kicked off yesterday with a news conference at Umor-Otutu palace in Ugep.

The event, described as one of the largest cultural festivals in Africa, has as its theme: ‘Ugep International Festival, an agro tourism event and a panacea for post COVID-19 economy.’

Governor Bassey Otu said the globally-known festival had come to stay as agro tourism.

Otu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Emmanuel Ironbar, said the government would continue to invest widely and wisely in Leboku Festival, to keep the event on the world map, especially as it represented a celebration of love, peace and fertility for the people of Yarkurr, Cross River State and Nigeria.

“This is the season of sweetness and the sweetness will sweeten the activities of Leboku this year.

“The sweetness of the activity will be seen in the colourful event of the activities on August 20 and 21,” the governor said.

Regretting that the event in the past four years never took place at the stadium, which served as venue of the event, Otu said Leboku would continue to grow from strength to strength, to enable the community get more recognition, adding that the event would continue to create vistas of opportunities for investors nationally and internationally.

The Paramount Ruler of Yarkurr and Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ofem Ubana Eteng, said: “The event takes place after four months of planting, hence it is considered as a celebration after the hunger period.”

He said the date of the celebration is not changed, as “Leboku Festival is not marked by Gregorian calendar, but follows our traditional calendar.”

“Leboku will continue, there is no year it will not hold. It is our major celebration. Even if you schedule elections for August 20, we will still hold Leboku.

“For me not to do Leboku, I better die because Leboku is a period when people leave hunger period to a period of plenty where foodstuffs are gotten.”

Obol Eteng, who disclosed that Leboku has many benefits, including getting new wives, drawing community members in the diaspora to home, and the availability of food in the area, also said: “Those who hardly eat pounded yam can be sure of one during the event.”

Regional Manager, MTN Calabar, Chibuzor Akuchie, said the service provider had in the past years embarked on health, educational and infrastructure development of the area, adding that for this year, it would drive more on financial inclusion.

The National Coordinator, South South Reawakening Group (SSRG), Mr. Joseph Ambadekerimo, has implored President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), led by Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, to complete its tenure.

He said this is to enable stakeholders of the oil-rich region hold it accountable.

Ambadekerimo said this yesterday at his annual birthday breakfast media chat held at Enerhen, Uvwie Council  of Delta State.

He said: “Political interference should be curtailed to stem the high turnover of appointment of members of the board of management. If this is not discouraged, then at what point do we now hold people to account?

“Therefore, it is my considered opinion that this current management team is allowed to continue to hold sway so that we can begin to hold them to account. Anything short of this becomes counterproductive to the development of the oil producing areas.

“At this point, President Tinubu is urged to stay the course on this matter of allowing this management team headed by Dr. Ogbuku to continue to complete its tenure and only appoint the board to complement the efforts of the management team.”

In a statement titled: ‘Political Interference in the NDDC has Stifled Achievements, it must Stop,’ Ambadekerimo noted that the current  leadership had shown commitment to build on existing achievements of the agency.

He said the commission is not a “complete failure” and should not be scrapped as hinted in the recommendation after the forensic audit initiated by Senate President and former Minister of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

According to the celebrator, though there exists a feeling of “indifference” among ‘Niger Deltans’ to the workings of the interventionist agency, the NDDC “can only win if it has the buy-in and support of the people if they collectively take ownership of the commission and join hands to achieve the Niger Delta of our dream.”

Ambadekerimo listed some of the successes recorded by the commission to include “roads that have cut through virgin forests, bridges built to access the remotest hamlets in far flung creeks, electricity and potable water, landing jetties and human capital development.”

He said the current leadership had also “shown the readiness to build on these achievements, going by the pronouncement of the policy direction of Dr. Ogbuku in cultivating the public-private partnership initiative to bring about the crystalisation of actionable programmes of the NDDC.”

The statement said: “The record has to be set straight, the people should be convinced beyond reasonable doubt with proof of the will power on the part of government to do things differently this time.”

The Niger Delta activist advocated more funding for the commission, given the present economic realities, so it can “meet the ever increasing demands of the oil producing communities.

“Amounts that are in excess of three trillion are short remitted to the NDDC by the Federal Government. The Federal Government is hereby urged to show magnanimity and release these funds to the commission as soon as possible.”

Other recommendations he gave are for the “President to immediately send an executive bill for the amendment of relevant sections of the NDDC establishment Act to increase its share of contribution to 25 per cent.

“The three per cent contribution from the oil and gas companies increased to 10 per cent. Ecological fund should be increased to 70 per cent. An appreciable percentage of gas flare charge should be paid to the NDDC.

“NDDC should be considered to benefit from the recent and future windfall of revenue shared to entities by the Federal Government.”

He said since NDDC reached the remotest communities that produced oil and gas that fuelled the Nigerian economy, “more funds should be ceded to the NDDC to continue to provide infrastructure and a better life to the inhabitants of these communities.”

Enugu State Government has said it would deliver about 1250-km of roads by May 2024.

Works and Infrastructure Commissioner Gerald Otiji, an engineer; disclosed this yesterday in Enugu when he held his first management meeting.

He said Governor Peter Mbah’s intention was to deliver about 1250km of roads by May 2024.

The commissioner informed his team of the need to ensure service standards were maintained, while zero tolerance for shoddy and low quality output would never be entertained.

Otiji, also a business management consultant with over 28 years of experience both locally and internationally, reiterated his plans to make sure the administration’s key indices were met in respect of the lofty ideas of Governor Mbah on road construction and maintenance, power development, infrastructure, among others.

He solicited the understanding of his management team to keep the ministry top in their mind, as there would be a paradigm shift so that positive and impacting achievements would be recorded.

He assured them of the governor’s support towards giving the state a major facelift.

The acting Permanent Secretary, Princess Nnaji, on behalf of the management, welcomed the commissioner and assured him of their preparedness to work as a team, to achieve the goals as mandated by Governor Mbah.

Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) lead counsel, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has restated that sit-at-home is dead in the Southeast, following the handwritten note issued by IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, stopping it.

He stated in his tweet yesterday that the handwritten note of the detained IPOB leader had done the magic.

According to him, “the criminal proponent of sit-at-home in Finland goes to work every Monday, including his child, while he tries to stop other children in Igboland from going to school on Mondays and parents from going out to seek for their livelihoods to feed their families, particularly at this period of economic hardship.”

He said Nigerians, especially residents of Southeast, should appreciate Kanu for demonstrating his abiding love for his people by ending the troublesome sit-at- home, which he noted the governors could not stop for about two years.

“We must all appreciate Mazi Kanu for demonstrating his abiding love for his people by ending the troublesome sit-at-home, which even our governors could not stop for about two years.”

Ejiofor said had the IPOB leader been released all this while, the unfortunate deaths and needless destructions recorded over the past turbulent two years in Igbo land, would have been averted.

 “It took only a handwritten note of about 50 words to end the criminality of a rogue in faraway Finland. This is a proof that had Mazi Kanu been released before now in line with the Appellate Court’s judgment, the tragic and unfortunate deaths and needless destructions recorded over the past turbulent two years in Igbo land, would have been averted, because his endeared people listen to him.

“This shows that those behind the insecurity in the Southeast and benefitting from same are the same people obstructing the release of Kanu,” he said.

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blamed Chief Timipre Sylva for the spate of bloody attacks in a Bayelsa community last weekend.

A-yet-to-be-confirmed number of persons were reportedly killed and others maimed in the attacks, which were carried out in Opu-Nembe community.

At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, alleged that the attacks were sponsored by Chief Sylva.

Sylva, who until recently was the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa governorship election coming up on November 11. 

According to Ologunagba, the attacks were carried out by heavily armed political thugs in military uniform and that they were lodged in a hotel owned by an associate of Sylva. 

The PDP spokesman said the attacks were targeted at PDP supporters with a view to intimidating and preventing them from coming out to vote for the PDP on election day.

He said: “It is clear that the intention of the APC in this invasion and killing in Nembe is to intimidate and instill fear in the people so as to prevent them from freely exercising their democratic right to vote a governor of their choice, having realised that there is no way their candidate, Chief Timipre Silva, can win in a peaceful, free and fair election in Bayelsa State.

“The PDP is alarmed by pictorial and video evidence of the gruesome murder of promising Nembe youths, including the only son of a widow by the APC thugs allegedly led by one man, who on February 15, 2023, killed three youths in a bid to subdue the community for openly expressing their rejection of Chief Sylva for neglecting and allegedly unleashing violence on their communities over the years.

“Reports in the public domain have it that the thugs are usually lodged in a hotel allegedly owned by Chief Sylva’s ally from where the assailants periodically launch gun attacks on the communities for rejecting the APC.

“Nigerians have already seen the videos of Opu-Nembe women crying, protesting the invasion and killings in the community by the thugs, while insisting on their resolve not to support Chief Sylva for allegedly unleashing terror on their community at every election circle.

“This recourse to violence is reported to be a consisted pattern by Chief Sylva who was alleged to have engaged in such heinous activity in previous elections in Bayelsa State, including the 2019 governorship election when similar violence was allegedly unleashed by his thugs on the peace-loving people of Nembe with the connivance of certain high-ranking security operatives”.

The party called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene in the situation in Nembe and indeed Bayelsa State. 

It urged the IGP to, as a matter of urgency, launch an investigation into the alleged connivance of certain police officers in the invasion and killing in Opu-Nembe community.

The party also urged the IGP to invite Chief Sylva for questioning as well as to investigate the petitions already filed to his office by the people of Nembe with a view to apprehending the killer-thugs.

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has inaugurated the ninth Abia Traditional Rulers Council, with a charge to participate in the implementation of government’s agenda, to boost rural development.

Speaking during the event in Umuahia yesterday, Otti said the government was determined to work with people that shared in its vision to rebuild the state.

The governor hoped that the new leadership of the council would live up to expectation and prayed that their tenure would be devoid of rancour.

He said the government was determined to facilitate even spread of development across the state and urged traditional rulers to work in partnership with the state to achieve its rebuilding agenda.

“We can no longer afford to have traditional rulers that are ignorant of happenings in their communities.

“The state government has commenced a security initiative called ‘Operation Crush’ and has spent huge resources to ensure that the initiative is a success.

“All our commitment to security will come to naught if the traditional rulers do not join forces with government to fight crimes.

“Government will unleash the full weight of the law against any traditional ruler found aiding and abetting any criminal,” he said.

Otti added that the government was desirous to build a society, where improved access to basic amenities would not be the exclusive preserve of people living in urban areas.

According to him, plans are underway to ensure that people living in the rural areas will not have to travel outside their locality to access quality education, health care, steady power supply, potable water and other social amenities.

Otti called for the support of traditional rulers, which he described as very critical to enhancing rural development in the state and urged them to “brace for the task ahead.”

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Uzor Nwachukwu, described the inauguration as a landmark event, as it had formed part of the foundation for building the new Abia.

He said the new leadership of the council would be carried along in the scheme of things as active participants in implementation of the government’s rebuilding agenda.

Eze Joseph Nwabeke, the former chairman, said he was confident that the newly inaugurated council would perform creditably and prayed God to grant them a successful tenure.

Nwabeke, represented by Eze Harry Ugwuala, thanked the state government for approving the payment of five per cent of the local government allocation to traditional rulers, as stated in the constitution.

He added that this was a first of its kind in the history of the state.

The Chairman of the council, Eze Linus Mba, thanked the governor for giving them the opportunity to serve the people of Abia.

He said they would do their best to pilot the affairs of the council and remain committed to supporting the present administration in its bid to transform the state.

Other members of the council include: Eze Nelson Nmerengwa, First Deputy Chairman, Eze Franklin Nwosu, Second Deputy Chairman and Eze Uwakwe Ukaegbu, Third Deputy Chairman.