The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • Erosion: We’re afraid of sending our kids to school

    Achina, Onneh, Agbudu, Umuomaku, Ogboji and Enugwu-Umuonyia are communities under Amaiyi of Old Aguata Region of Anambra State, with serious gully erosion threats. Like many other communities in the state, the erosion menace in the area gradually assumed a frightening dimension rendering most roads in the area impassable. The affected communities, regrettably are mainly agrarian, producing majorly cassava, yam, rice and other food items.

    Predominantly peasant farmers, the locals lamented the difficulty they face exporting proceeds from the farms following the deplorable condition of the road. Some of the markets in the area are now ghost zones as gully erosion has sacked traders from their shops.

    Schools and churches are not left out of the scourge as roads leading to the schools have become death traps with pupils finding it difficult attending schools. Church attendance has also drastically dropped. Locals construct makeshift bridges to navigate the roads, including the ones leading to Ekwuluobia through Peter University, Achina and other adjoining communities, which have been torn by deep gully at different portions.

    The drainage constructed by past governments has been washed off, rendering some buildings along the road under serious threat, even as sand bags were used to protect the remaining portions of the road. Apparently fed up with the menace, members of the six communities, led by their youth leadership, took to the streets with placards to register their unpleasant experiences and displeasure with the government. They made a passionate appeal to the state government to come to their rescue, with particular reference to completing the construction of Achina-Onneh-Ogboji Road.

    According to them, the 7.3 km Achina-Onneh-Ogboji Road was awarded in 2014 by the present government. Those who spoke with The Nation, blamed the ugly development to the abandonment and uncompletion of road projects in the area. One of the residents, Mrs Christiana Okparanyim expressed disappointment over government’s neglect to the area despite the massive votes it got from the community.

    She said parents were always apprehensive that something unpleasant would happen to their children anytime it rained. She said, “Once it rains, we’re afraid allowing our children to go to school. Even those of us courageous enough to release theirs will be anxious until they return.

    ”You see some parents wait patiently at the erosion spots to ensure they cross their children over the gully with the assistance of the makeshift bridges.”

    According to the woman, residents have lost their property to the ravaging flood on several occasions, adding that it nearly swept away a little boy if not for intervention of passerby.”Once it’s election time, politians will start flooding this place, with bogus promises, asking for our votes. Once the elections are over, you won’t see them again.”

    A trader at Nkwo Ogbeh market Nkwelle Otu, Mrs Helen Ezechukwu, regretted that sales have drastically dropped, as people from neighboring communities no longer patronize them. Traders from Oye market used to come to Nkwo market to trade with us and we returned the gesture on Oye day. But since this road became bad,  the market has turned to ghost area as they have stopped coming,” she added.

    Another resident, Mrs. Chinelo Igwe, whose residence was along the eroding road, lamented the difficulty her children experienced in driving in and out of their residence ocassioned by the road’s deplorable condition.

  • NEMA: Anambra communities reluctant to heed flood warnings

    National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has expressed worry over adamant disposition of victims of flood disaster in Anambra State to relocate to safe and higher ground to avert impending disaster.

    The agency attributed most erosion flood cases in Nigeria to refusal of people living in riverine communities to heed warnings from relevant agencies in disaster management.

    Speaking after assessing the level of flood at Odekpe and Atani communities in Ogbaru council area, Acting Director General of the Agency, Air Commodore Akugbe Iyamu wondered why flood victims would insist on safeguarding their homes rather than fleeing for their lives.

    He maintained that it was only the living that could claim possession of abode.

    He said, “How will someone say it’s my ancestral home and wants to die there? This is not a time to defend whether the area is your ancestral home or not. To be able to push the narrative, you need to come out first and get saved before defending whether it’s your ancestral home or not.”

    According to Iyamu, the visit to the area was at the instance of the state government following predictions by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).

    “The agency has been following and closely monitoring the NIHSA predictions and having seen the level of the flood disaster, will take immediate actions,” he added.

    The acting DG described flood as a highly unpredictable natural phenomenon which is not peculiar to Nigeria, assuring victims of quick deployment of food and non-food items.

    “The US, since 1926, through its army engineers, have been managing flood and I don’t think it has gotten solution. The Mississippi is still a challenge to them.

    “The federal government is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that those affected by flood are given adequate attention,” Iyamu posited.

    Also speaking, Chairman of the Red Cross Society in the state, Prof. Peter Katchy, lauded the collaboration of the body with NEMA and other relevant agencies in times of emergency.

    Katchy, who presented an award of Commander of Humanity to the NEMA boss, commended the agency for supporting the body during emergencies.

    He pledged the organisation preparedness to work hard to combat situations that could lead to loss of lives, expressing hope of soon reception of relief materials.

    Earlier, Transition Committee Chairman for Ogbaru Council Area, Mr. Arinze Awogu, went down memory lane on challenges they faced annually during rainy seasons.

    He described the area as the worst hit by the disaster, regretting that twelve lives were lost last year to the flood.

    He said, “Last year, we recorded 12 deaths with over 11,280 IDPs in the flood that lasted more than two months.

    “We are always excited when we see government presence because we are sure of succour.”

    Awogu disclosed that the three holding centers created in the 16 communities in the area were all ravaged by the flood, appealing for additional centers.

    He commended Governor Willie Obiano for his prompt response to emergencies but requested for more holding centers in the area to accommodate the number of people affected.

    He also stressed the need to prepare the centres for human habitation, just as he appealed for medics as several children were suffering from various health challenges.

  • ‘We patronise spiritual homes because our health centre is dysfunctional’

    Expectant mothers as well as others with little cash in Abia State resort to prayer houses and traditional healers, among others, in the face of comatose health centres, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports that it is a national malaise  

    As labour sets in, the expectant mother seeks prayers from the local prophet. Sometimes she presents herself before a traditional healer, who promptly assembles his work tools and makes incantations, appealing to the spirits for hitch-free delivery. Other times, a traditional birth attendant takes charge.

    Sometimes, the woman is lucky and returns home with her bundle of joy. Other times, she returns empty-handed, or does not survive the ordeal of childbirth.

    Expectant mothers are not the only ones who turn to unorthodox means when they face health challenges. The poor across the country regularly call at the poorly regulated local patent medicine shopkeeper or the neighbourhood healer, or even help themselves to whatever they can prescribe or procure when they have anything from a headache to a swelling in some hidden parts.

    The reason for this scenario, as the reporter found out, is that some communities lack health centres while some which do, have them only in name.

    In Amaba, a community in Isuikwuato Local Government of Abia State, the only visible sign that a health centre exists is a signpost donated by an indigene of the town Mr John Akunna, an engineer. The centre has been dwarfed by a big tree concealing its existence. This same situation also applies to another centre in Otampa in the same local government.

    The Nation spoke to some of Amaba village leaders and residents of the area who said they resort to alternative means of healing as a result of the poor condition of the health centre.

    Those who are a bit well-off and those whose children can afford it resort to taking their parents from the village to the cities or to nearby towns such as Okigwe in Imo State or Umuahia, the Abia State capital, or Uzuakoli where reasonably good private hospitals exist.

    The President of Amaba Women Association, Hon Ngozi Ndubuisi lamented the state of the health centre and noted that the most basic things are lacking there. She confirmed that their women have resorted to alternative solutions such as the traditional birth attendants and churches to seek solution.

    According to her there is nothing to show that lives can be saved in this particular health centre apart from the signboard donated by a kind-hearted indigene.

    What can be done to turn the fortunes of the centre around?

    Ndubuisi said, “The building needs renovation as its ceilings are broken; roofs and floors are poorly ventilated as a result of poor construction. Currently there is no electricity as the health centre is billed N10,000 monthly and currently owes over N230, 000 to Enugu Disco because it is charged as a commercial entity. How on earth can a health centre in a village that is supposed to target the wellbeing of the poor be tagged a commercial outfit? Besides there is no water supply, we believe seriously that a borehole and a tank for constant water supply is one the critical needs of a health centre. We need Placenta Pit and related equipment to help in disposing health waste unlike what is obtainable here which can spell doom to the whole community in case of epidemic outbreak.

    “Furthermore, the government needs to provide alternative sources of power like inverters and generators. We need the centre to be fenced; it is so bare and poses a security risk both to the patients and medical hands when they are available. There have been cases of security breaches where some miscreants tried to force themselves into the clinic even in its poor state.”

    She regretted that as a result of the parlous state of the health centre a greater percentage of the people have deserted it, resorting to spiritual and other means to obtain healing. The women leader lamented that some basic and critical laboratory equipment to run simple test and others to check the blood pressure of the people are not available. She appealed to both the state and local government to come to their aid and put life in the centre.

    The politician insisted that these facts are verifiable if only the necessary government agency will take a visit to the centre and subsequently do the needful, noting that the centre can only be termed a white elephant project as it has refused to live to its billing.

    An officer in one of the PHC, who confided in our correspondent, said, “Ad hoc staff or auxiliary nurses are now in charge of many of our PHCs due to the acute shortage of trained personnel in the state.”

    Hon Ndubuisi further asked for the construction of staff quarters for a few of the medical hands and the posting of Youth Corps members who may be medical doctors, pharmacists and with other relevant qualifications so that patients will be adequately taken care off. According to her, this is what governance is about.

    Adding his voice, Chairman, Amaba Health Centre Committee, Mr. Samson Nnechi said, in fairness, the village health centre cannot be taken as one, as it looks more like a deserted colony. He regretted the poor construction of the building with poor ventilation, cheap roofing materials, broken walls and floors as against what the government promised.

    According to him, his people have deserted the place as a result of the poor facilities at the centre resorting to other means to achieve good health while those whose children can afford it take them away from the village.

    He lamented that his people do not feel the impact of government in the community, adding that the centre is not only porous, but also the absence of essential equipment and drugs that can handle the simplest ailment including the N10,000 monthly electricity charge by Enugu Disco as the centre is tagged as commercial with an outstanding of N230,000 as unpaid debt.

    On what he will prefer at the centre, he asked for the fencing of the centre, the remodeling of the building to show that it is a health centre, staff quarters so that emergency cases can be treated anything of the day, a functional generator, the posting of doctors, pharmacists and other health practitioners to the centre even if they are Youth Corps members.

    He said, “As a community we have tried within our little resource to provide security doors to discourage intrusion and ensure the security of the few hands providing skeletal services offered by the centre. We once again appeal to government to provide a borehole, water tank, fencing of the centre, provide delivery bed, placenta pit, incinerator, standing type BP apparatus”.

    On why the low patronage by the community he said nobody will want to visit for the sake of it when you won’t receive the needed treatment. Though he commended the few nurses who are working with almost nothing he advised the government to motivate her staff. He regretted a situation where a staff Nurse Midwife will be acting as medical doctor under very poor condition without pay for several months.

    Abia State is not an exception as we recall that many PHCs in the country are gradually winding down because government shows little or no interest in their operations.

    In Ogun State, many of the PHCs at Asa-Yobo, Ajanbata, Wasinmi, Arigbajo, Ajegunle, Itori, Egbado, Papalanto, Awowo, Obada-Oko, Igbin Ojo, Elere, Ibafo, Onigbedu and Olorunda, The Nation learnt, are in poor conditions.

    Recently, Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged to rehabilitate the centres. Commenting on the rot in the PHCs, the chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ismail Lawal said Nigerians embrace traditional medicine because of failed health care centres and poverty.

    Lawal said, “Majority of citizens access traditional medicine not only because of the failed PHCs, but because they are poor. The way out is health insurance that is affordable and of global standard. I am worried, we are worried.”

    In Abia State all eyes are on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to do the talk and provide easy access to health for the citizens.

    Sometime ago it was reported that his administration selected 290 primary healthcare centres to benefit from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, a Federal Government initiative.

    Ikpeazu made this known at a special party held in Umuahia for the elderly people of Abia.

    He was reported to have said that the state government was committed to evolving programmes aimed at improving healthcare services in the state.

    According to him, the programme is designed to provide access to healthcare services in various communities and would greatly boost the state government’s efforts in the health sector.

    He said: “By the time this policy gets off the ground, one could walk into the primary health centre and get good quality healthcare. Those above 70 years need special care and the state government intends to sustain the ongoing free House Healthcare Programme for the elderly”.

    Talk is cheap, it is said. The PHCs and communities in Abia State are waiting for the governor especially communities such as Amaba in Isuikwuato Local Government to walk the talk.

    A member of staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the skeletal staff which are only three in number are demoralised as a result of the poor condition of the centre, and the fact that their salaries are not regular. She said the last time they received salaries was in April and wondered how somebody in that frame of mind can put in her best, in addition to the fact that there are no tools to work with.

    She also confirmed that most of the women prefer to seek spiritual help rather than come to the centre. She appealed to the government to take assessment of the PHCs in the state and especially the Amaba PHCs to turn it around so that it can serve its purpose.

    A resident, Mrs Obioma Uche said that due to the poor position of the community health centre, pregnant women in the area resort to the use of traditional birth attendants for child delivery and other spiritual houses. She revealed that for the common ailments they resort to herbal alternatives. She regretted that the nearness of the health centre to the local government headquarters has not impacted on it positively and asked the government to see the whole state as one and work for the people that voted them into office.

  • Ihedioha explains benefits of partnering with American-based technology giant

    The Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has said that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Imo State and the American-based Exponential Launch Partners was aimed at establishing Technology Transfer Institute of Africa (TTIA) in the State.

    President of Exponential Launch Partners, Mr Manny Alia, said the initiative is aimed at transforming ideas to wealth.

    “The interest is to educate youths to find talents and big ideas, transform these ideas to companies built for the developing world and then fund the companies to generate value for entrepreneurs, investors and the society ultimately,” he said.

    Exponential Launch  African Partner, and Imo-born fintech expert, Chief Steve Uwazie who happens to be the pioneer Country Manager of IBM, stated that it is the scheme is the “birth of Africa’s Silicon Valley” in Africa, expressing excitement that it is starting in Owerri, Imo State.

    Read Also: Ihedioha vows to make Imo cleanest

    The Senior Special Assistant on Information Communication Technology and e-Governance to the Governor of Imo State, Abaa Chimaraoke  said the Imo governor  has the passion and commitment towards transforming Imo State into the epicentre of technology and innovation in the region.

    “Imo youths must be equipped with the skills for the future of work which is technology driven. The world’s richest men and companies today are mostly found in the technology space. Therefore, we are deliberate in our strategies and engagements towards harnessing the intellectual and creative energies that abound among Imo youths to create wealth and open Imo to the world,” he said.

    The Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Barrister Uche Onyeagucha, challenged the group to hit the ground running as the TTIA venture will open the doors for more investors to thrive in the area.

    The Special Assistant to the governor on Research, Ogu Bundu Nwadike said the introduction of TTIA in Owerri, Imo State is the first of its kind in Africa and will come with unquantifiable benefits.

    “This is because of the great potential in creating a generation of Imo people that are grounded in the workings of the very lucrative multipreneurship in the field of technology, particularly financial technology. The whole concept aligns very well with the electioneering campaigns promise of the governor that he will provide a lot of jobs and create wealth through the e-commerce and technology,” he said.

     

  • Be self-confident, NGO advises students

    Concerned about lack of adequate education for the girl child in Nigeria, the Truss Empowerment Foundation (TEF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has reiterated its commitment to ensure that the girl child is imbued with the requisite knowledge that will build her self-confidence and make her contribute to the country’s socio-economic growth.

    The foundation aims at empowering women and girls and providing supports for them in the areas of education, emotion, social, economic and political issues. It also aims at creating opportunities for them while addressing core issues that hinder the development of the female gender.

    “Well, no one prays for deviation from his or her main duty to less recognised one. So, the deviation of the Truss Empowerment Foundation from its main motive which is ‘creation of empowerment for the female gender’, into children’s educational funfairs with the topic ‘re-imaging education’, is a welcome idea.

    “The actualisation of any lucrative or innovative idea of a child depends on his readiness to discover whom he or she is and what problems he or she wants to solve in the society. Every child has the innate ability to explore one gift or talent if he or she finds a mentor or pathfinder that can encourage and guide him or her to the right path besides the formal education which he or she needs to learn through schooling.

    “In any society, the government is responsible for the education of the children. It is through this formal process that a child can develop self-esteem which is the only element that can bring confidence in portraying the gift; talent or passion endowed inside him or her.

    So, as the government has only introduced how a career could be chosen in the schools’ curriculum without proper orientation programme, the Truss Empowerment Foundation has taken up this career discussion as one of its responsibilities by inviting some young Nigerians whose talents or special gifts have really reinforced their academic qualifications, despite the stress they went through during the struggle, to have discussion with some invited students from schools in Lagos State,” she said.

    The event which held at Black Bell Restaurant; Adeola Odeku on Victoria Island Lagos State was a gathering of children across various schools. The speakers that attended the occasion engaged the children in talks that are life changing. The event was aimed at making the children to discover whom they are and to be guided towards achieving their goals.

  • Re-awakening the dream of a greater Lagos

    After a three-day retreat for Commissioners, Special Advisers and Permanent Secretaries, which was wrapped up penultimate Saturday, the new team begins to translate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision to re-awaken the dream of a greater Lagos, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    ‘’In our pursuit of a greater Lagos, we speak not of an empty dream, but a deep commitment and profound assertion of our intention to devote ourselves to making a difference not only for ourselves but our children.’’

    With these words, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu set an ambitious tone for his aides at a three-day retreat which was rounded off penultimate Saturday.

    Sanwo-Olu’s strides since his inauguration on Wednesday, May 29, as the sixth democratically elected Governor and 15th Governor of Lagos State, have left none in doubt of his commitment to make the state greater and better than he met it.

    In his inaugural speech, he said: “I know where I am coming from. More importantly, I know where I am headed. I have been a part of this progressive journey since its inception. I know first-hand the concerted efforts that went into planning so many of the innovations we now see and enjoy.”

    Believing Lagos not only to be Nigeria’s major economy, but also Africa’s fifth largest, Sanwo-Olu unveiled “THEMES,” formulated along strategic thematic areas, namely, Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance.

    These six pillars, he said ‘’represents our response to the yearnings of the people. They constitute the foundation that must be restored for future generations. And should we fulfill our promise and deliver on the pillars, we are most confident that we would have succeeded in setting Lagos on a new trajectory of economic growth and development that would be unprecedented in our entire history’’.

    Sanwo-Olu promised that his administration would ensure transparency, the rule of law and fiscal discipline as well as create the right environment that guarantees security and safety of lives and property of Lagosians.

    Kitchen cabinet

    Sanwo-Olu’s early appointments of a retired Head of Service Mrs. Folashade Jaji as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) excited many Lagosians, especially gender enthusiasts who regarded the appointment of a seasoned administrator who is schooled in the culture of the civil service as a blessing to the administration.

    Other appointments that resonated with the people is the Chief of Staff (COS), Tayo Akinmade Ayinde and Deputy Chief Press Secretary (DCPS), Gboyega Akosile.

    Ayinde, born on August 24, 1964, at Alausa, Ikeja, is the governor’s strategic clearing house. He attended St Peters’ Anglican Primary School, Alausa, Ikeja, Ogudu Grammar School, Ojota, Lagos, and was admitted into Federal Polytechnic, Anambra for his Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Banking and later the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy.

    He worked briefly with TELL Magazine as Account Officer in 1993. In the same year, he joined the State Security Service (SSS) and distinguished himself as a dedicated, loyal, courageous and trustworthy officer until his voluntary retirement in 2009.

    While in the SSS, Ayinde was Head of the Accounts Department, Shangisha Office, from 1993- 1999.

    He worked with the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Chief Security Detail.

    Ayinde holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Financial Management from Lagos State University. He also attended University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, for a course in Strategic Thinking Approach. He later attended the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School for a course on Study in Business Model Innovation.

    He was the Director-General for Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat’s Independent Campaign Group, and later Chairman of the Inauguration Committee after the March 9, 2019 victory at the gubernatorial election.

    A media executive in his own right, Akosile, an erstwhile Deputy Chief Press Secretary (DCPS), was later confirmed on Wednesday as the substantive Chief Press Secretary (CPS).

    Akosile holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Performing Art of the University of Ilorin between 1991 and 1996 and bagged a Master in Business Administration (MBA) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) between 2008 and 2010.

    Between 2010 and 2011, he was at Super Screen Television, where he directly supervised the daily news bulletins, supervised, coordinated and organised the members of the news staff and the news room, planned and produced the daily editorial schedules, among others.

    Unveiling of cabinet

    After much horse-trading among the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and power blocs, Sanwo-Olu transmitted the list of 38 aides, made up of Commissioners and Special Advisers to the Lagos State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa for ratification.

    On August 19, the state lawmakers confirmed 35 of the 38 nominees.

    The fate of the three who the Assembly refused to confirm: Obafemi George, Prince Olarewanju Sanusi and Adekemi Bembe were still hanging in the balance at press time, as the Assembly did not give any reason for the rebuff, but advised the governor to re-nominate them if he so desired.

    Despite the setback, Sanwo-Olu, last Tuesday, at an elaborate event, inaugurated the new State Executive Council, comprising old, new and youthful members, with a terse challenge to members to be diligent in their duties.

    He said: “We must accelerate the trajectory of growth and development of Lagos State as we can’t afford to disappoint Lagosians.”

    The list of commissioners and portfolios as announced by the Governor are: Water Resources and Environment, Tunji Bello, Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, Finance, Mr. Rabiu Olowo Onaolapo; Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Bolaji Dada, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Lere Odusote, Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN), Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, Establishment, Training and Pension, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle, Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu, Home Affairs, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Local Government and Community Affairs, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Lola Akande, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Olufunke Adebolu, Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Dr. Wale Ahmed.

    Sanwo-Olu, at the event said: “Today, you are inducted into an administration unique in its diversity–both of heritage and of creed – made up of technical and politically skilled men and women who understand the challenges of our state, grasp the grand vision of this new administration, and are sensitive to the yearnings of our people, the citizens of Lagos State whom we must ultimately serve to realise its vision for a greater Lagos.”

    He reminded the members of the Executive of his inaugural address on May 29, when he declared that “our ultimate goal would be to ensure that Lagos State remains one of the top destinations on the African Continent to live, work and invest in.”

    As they prepared for the challenges ahead, he urged them to imbibe the culture of transparency, accountability, fairness and value for money.

    “I therefore, implore you to earnestly commit yourselves to the agenda and vision of this administration,” he said.

    He also urged them to show commitment, diligence and exemplary leadership as the necessary virtues needed to achieve the greatness  desired for the state and to deliver the prosperity the people deserved.

    Undoubtedly, there are giants in the new Executive Council who are seen as highly experienced and likely to influence government’s policies and agenda in realisation of its goals. These include Bello, immediate past SSG in the state. He worked previously with First Bank of Nigeria, Concord Press Nigeria Limited, St. Petersburg Times, Florida USA, and has various publications to his credit ranging from business to politics. Bello is also a lawyer, whose wife is a Professor of Medicine

    Also in the team is Gbenga Omotoso, an award-winning journalist and former Editor (Daily) of The Nation Newspaper who has nearly 35 years’ experience in the media industry.

    The media guru, who graduated from the University of Benin, was adjudged winner of the DAME Informed Commentary in 2010, Nigerian Media Merit Award Editor, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

    Ahmed, a medical doctor- turned politician, became prominent when he was elected as lawmaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, where he served as Chairman, House Committee on Health and sponsored the motion for free treatment of accident victims within 24 hours which the Tinubu’s administration adopted.

    Lawal, is the immediate past Commissioner for Housing and a former Commissioner of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Lagos State. A seasoned security and development practitioner and socio-entrepreneur, he has deep understanding for political economy of development, especially in low and medium-income economies.

    Fatai had served as Operation and Sales Manager at different companies and he got his first public office experience in 2003 when he was appointed as Special Assistant to the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, now National Leader of the All Progressives Congress; a position he held until the expiration of the administration.

    A graduate of Political Science from the prestigious University of Ibadan, Arobieke’s foray into politics made her to serve in different offices as the first executive secretary of Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, LCDA in 2003.

    Her outstanding performance as lawmaker led to her appointment as Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, under the immediate past governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Benson-Awoyinka, a lawyer-turned politician, is currently the Assistant Legal Adviser, All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State.

    Fahm is a specialist in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and a former Commissioner for Science and Technology. He is also a Network Infrastructure expert.

    Segun Dawodu is the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development. He is a former Commissioner of Sports.

    Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a Pharmacist and politician is the immediate past Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment.

    New entrants that will add value to what is emerging as the Sanwo-Olu brand are: Salako, who has garnered over 20 years of experience in town planning, is the Managing Partner at Adesanya Salako and Associates, a town planning firm in Lagos.

    Salako, who was born in October 1968, is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) and President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, ATOPCON.

    Rabiu Olowo, who celebrated his 34th birthday in June, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, experienced Chief Audit Executive, Adjunct Professor and Authorised Trainer of The ACFE in West Africa, an anti-fraud organisation and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education.

    Before being appointed as Commissioner by the governor, Olowo, who had gained admission into Charisma University, British West Indies, TCI for his PhD in Forensic Accounting and Auditing, had served as an accountant in GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria Plc and others.

    Folashade is an educationist with more than 20 years’ experience in the sector. She is a Principal Consultant/CEO at Leading Learning Limited, a company she founded in 2014.

    Tasks Ahead

    Sanwo-Olu stressed, “Let me emphasise that this is not just our goal, it is what the people expect from us and we cannot afford to disappoint them.”

    Among the daunting tasks ahead are unlocking the perennial Lagos traffic, deplorable road network, such as Lagos-Badagry Expressway and Oshodi-Apapa gridlock, waste disposal and management, rocketing cost of health care, dwindling educational standard, wealth creation through employment opportunities, particularly for the teeming youths, rising cases of cultism, crimes and general insecurity that pervades the length and breadth of the state.

  • ‘How to explore investment opportunities in health sector’

    Because of its huge business opportunities, the Nigerian health care sector has been described as a largely untapped goldmine that should interest any good entrepreneur. That was the thrust of the message by Dr. Ademolu Owoyele, Managing Consultant with Harley and Wall Consulting, a health care and business consulting firm during this year’s investment and entrepreneurial retreat of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN).

    In the two papers he presented at the retreat, which held in Lagos recently, the medical doctor-turned management and business expert said it is possible to make great returns on investment in Nigeria’s health sector, which he described as Africa’s largest health care market. Delivering a paper on how to understand and tap from the huge investment potential in Nigeria’s health sector, Dr. Owoyele told his doctor colleagues and others in the profession that the first thing to do is to draw a line between medicine and health care, stressing that medicine is a profession while health care is pure business.

    He stressed that health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with almost 75 per cent of Nigeria’s health care transaction being private-driven (mostly for profit). The medical doctor-turned management guru also cited the example of United States where over $200 billion revenue was generated last year from health care industry alone.

    While imploring his colleagues in the health care industry to expand their worldview and be innovative in order to succeed, he added that it is a sad reality that many medics still suffer from having a myopic view of health care marketplace from the core medical perspective, despite a variety of career paths and investment opportunities available to them in clinical business.

    He urged medics and other potential investors to open their eyes to limitless business opportunities that abound in pharmaceutical medicine, health care consulting, managed care, laboratory and imaging diagnostics, stressing that the world of medical practice is now so wide and dynamic that investors can focus and specialise in any area and make a business success of it.

    With Nigeria as the largest market in Africa and by extension Africa Continent’s largest health care market, he said investment opportunities abound in the sector, especially now that the country is desirous of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) for its over 180 million population.

    This, he projected, will further open up the space for investors as the federal and many state governments would be embarking on a Private-Public Partnership (PPP strategy) to revitalise primary health care centres and build new ones, since about 80 per cent of health care needs will have to be taken care of at the primary level by the time UHC becomes a reality in Nigeria.

    While explaining the benefits accruable from diversified investment portfolios in the health care sector, he said medical tourism can be reversed through group practice, as chains of well managed primary level clinics may evolve to explore untapped opportunities to the benefit of investors and the people who need quality health care service. He, however, lamented that “many of us actually play within the red ocean than the blue ocean,” stressing that the latter is better for investors that really want to make a difference.

    The business management consultant said the red ocean strategy denotes all the industries in existence today or the known market space, with industry boundaries defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the game known to all players.

    According to him, this leaves companies trying to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of existing demand, with market space getting crowded and profits and growth increasingly reduced, leaving products become mere commodities, which often leads to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.

    In contrast, blue ocean school of thought envisages all the industries not in existence today or the unknown market space. Because it is untainted by competition, demand is created rather than fought over, leaving an ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid.

    “In the red oceans, as the market space gets crowded, profits and growth are reduced. Products become commodities, leading to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.  The blue ocean strategy is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand. It is about creating and capturing uncontested market space, thereby making the competition irrelevant.

    “It is based on the view that market boundaries and industry structure are not given and can be reconstructed by the actions and beliefs of industry players. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. A blue ocean is an analogy to describe the wider, deeper potential to be found in unexplored market space. A blue ocean is vast, deep, and powerful in terms of profitable growth,” he said.

    “Because competition is deemed irrelevant in an unexplored market space, which leaves vast potential for profitable growth, he advised investors to be creative.

    “There is a need to be innovative. Don’t just join the competition; study and analyse the environment, learn and make investment decisions. The investment world is made up of theories, not laws, and that is because human investors can, from time to time, make emotionally based decisions instead of fact-based ones that will alter market behaviours. However, using sound investment strategies and research, investment opportunities abound in the health care sector,” he said.

    In another paper he presented on how to run a hospital business profitably in an unstable political economy, Dr. Owoyele admonished professionals in the health care industry to expose themselves to business and management tips that work.

    First, would-be investors need to understand how Nigeria’s macro-environmental factors can impact on organisational performance, using pestle analysis, which allows new entrants into a market to identify, understand and monitor threats and weaknesses.

    He also urged hospitals to always strive for profitability, not just profits. According to him, profit is an absolute figure because it is what is left after expenses are subtracted from total revenue; while profitability is the metric used to determine a hospital’s profit in relation to its size. “Profitability is the ability to make profit from all the business activities of a hospital. Profitability is an index of efficiency. It shows how efficiently the management can make profit by using all resources available in the market,”

    To improve profitability, he said doctors should develop skills in pestle analysis, SWOT analysis, and five force models, which may require hospital managers to engage health care business experts in the aforementioned areas or seek expert skills in the management of hospital businesses.

    Dr. Owoyele listed causes of inefficiency in hospital business and what it means for the growth outlook or viability of the hospital as a business. According to him, inefficiency can result if there are leakages such as fraud and corruption, overuse or oversupply in materials management, technical inefficiency, unmotivated or unproductive workers in manpower planning, inappropriate hospital size or poor supervision as a result of poor governance or management as well as inappropriate admissions, length of stay, medical errors, substandard or counterfeit drugs.

    Many of these challenges can be addressed if the hospital eliminates waste and corruption through standard operating procedures and use of technology; improves governance and management structures and does away with unproductive strategies; institutes quality improvement protocols; designs an appropriate use of medicines and technology; improves communication, motivation and performance among management and members of staff; reduces medical errors through training, coaching and instituting clinical and non-clinical guidelines.

    He also warned hospital managers about the consequences or chain reactions of failure to develop a quality structure that can allow the hospital to thrive optimally, stressing that all hospital structures must support the ambience of a quality hospital for the facility to achieve its mission.

    “Quality is not just the building and ambience, but everything you do in total to meet and surpass patients’ expectations. Doctors need to develop the strategic thinking to continue to optimise every resource towards ensuring profitability.

    There are two ways to make profits–you either increase your revenue or reduce your cost. If you can’t reliably increase your revenue in a tough time, then you should be able to control your cost. If you can’t do it yourself, then seek expert advice or bring in a management who can,” he advised.

  • Oyetola and the policy of all-inclusive governance

    A somewhat melodramatic pose played out at a recent press briefing by the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, held in Iragbiji, the Governor’s country home.

    A question, reminding the governor of his promise to run an all-inclusive, all participatory government and seeking to know if that would literally translate to possible appointment of members of the opposition parties into his cabinet had put to test the brilliance and intelligence of a man with few words but mighty action.

    The questioner had, perhaps, misconstrued the notion of all-inclusive leadership to mean a direct involvement of the opposition or he merely intended to generate such as controversial news feast for his medium.

    On the faces of some came an expression of disapproval and you could hear them susurrating like the wind fingering the pines. Then, there was sudden silence and, of course, suspense, as all waited with bated breath to hear from the horse’s mouth. It was the first time the governor would speak on what the composition of his cabinet would be.

    Before then, there had been concerns over a fake list of commissioner nominees circulating on social media. In his remarkably calm, unruffled nature, the governor had decided to keep mum over the fake list and keep people guessing.

    But this time, Mr. Governor must clear the air. His terse response would later douse the tension. No member of the opposition parties would make the list of his cabinet already being prepared through the instrumentality and thorough scrutiny of party nominations from across the federal constituencies.

    What is curious is that this iconic image of purposeful and responsible leadership that characterises Oyetola’s diplomatic approach to governance in Osun State would easily give him away as a true party patriot who has the excellent mastery of bringing standard and finesse to the age long global democratic practices of appointing people to positions of leadership on the basis of partisan loyalty.

    His approach is simple: the party should nominate the best from their respective constituencies, since the ruling party itself, with a wide spread across the state, parades a membership of brilliant progressives who share the same manifesto with ability and compulsion to drive the good programmes of government for the people and take the land of virtue to greater heights.

    It would have been a disservice to the good people of Osun State for Oyetola to allow an incursion of strange fellows from the opposition parties with ulterior vision and selfish agenda to loot and further put their future and destiny on a repeating loop.

    To draw a thin line between the patronage system and his all-inclusive policy, Oyetola said his government would remain open to good ideas from the opposition on how to better drive his government’s developmental programmes. That is just an aspect of his pledge to make its government an all participatory one.

    Oyetola’s policies and programmes are driven by citizens’ needs, which were harvested during the “thank you tour/town hall meetings, where the people presented their yearnings and aspirations to the government. This responsible and all-inclusive approach has been validated in a report of the United Kingdom Department for International Development’s (DFID) funded Citizens’ Needs Assessment exercise in Osun recently submitted to the governor.

    The report recommends that the government should integrate citizens’ demands into the state’s planning and policy development and implementation frameworks. The report also recommends the need for the government to establish and strengthen the platform for feedbacks from citizens on project implementation. The last recommendation in the report centres on the need for government to build trust with citizens through fiscal implementation and accountability.

    Also contained in the report presented to the governor was a plethora of demands by the citizens of the state, including farmers, youths, women and children from Oyetola administration. Part of the short and medium-term demands of the citizens, according to the report, included sensitisation of adult citizens to parental responsibilities, creation of an enabling environment for business and setting up of monitoring team on waste disposal.

    Other needs include a direct dealing by the government, provision of infrastructure, irrigation facilities for farmers in the rural areas, improved security, improved water and power supply, among others.

    While receiving the report, the governor thanked the foreign agencies that conducted the exercise for further assisting the government in reaching out to the residents and citizens to know their needs.

    He assured that the government would implement all the recommendations in the report which he described as constructive and being in tandem with the plan of his administration for the state and the people.

    Since he received the baton of leadership in November last year, Oyetola had hit the ground running; offering the best at an appreciable pace, in spite of paucity of funds. Cabinet or no cabinet, commissioners or no commissioners, his achievements in the last nine months have been a quantum leap.

    From stemming the tide of insecurity, revamping the health sector, boosting the educational profile of the state to continuous infrastructure development, the race to greater heights has continued unabated.

    As the Chief Security Officer of the State, the governor’s efforts at securing the lives and property of residents and people of Osun State have been very rewarding, so much so that the Osun State has continued to retain, sustain and maintain its age long status of being the most secure and peaceful state in the Southwest if not in the country.

    An elder statesman and former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) attested to this during his visit to the state early this month with his Nigeria Prays Movement team. Another testimony of this feat is the just-concluded Osun Osogbo Festival, which pooled over one million participants, including tourists from different parts of the world. They all came, had a great time and left in peace.

    The success story continues in the area of education. With the newly established Ileri Oluwa Fulfilling Promises Educational Programme, educational sector now awaits a new phase of transformation. The programme, according to Oyetola, comes with a consolidated approach whose key elements are rebuilding, remodeling and total rehabilitation of existing school buildings and construction of new blocks of classrooms in a redesigned and repackaged approach to school infrastructure renewal, intended to reach every nook and cranny of the state within available human and material resources.

    As part of its educational support programme, the government of Oyetola also founded Osun Edu Marshals with core responsibility of enforcing discipline and regular attendance by pupils. It is believed that this intervention will substantially improve the profile of education and nudge it to the frontline among educationally performing states in the nation.

    Already, the government has commenced action on implementation of this laudable programme with recent inauguration of school projects at both Telemu Comprehensive Middle High School and Morinu Community Elementary School in Ola-Oluwa local government and Iwo local government areas respectively.

    What is more interesting in this government’s developmental programmes is its aggressive drive toward improving the health sector through the deployment of technology-based approach, to ensure quality and affordable health care delivery to the people. This administration had, on assumption of office, commenced work on the revitalisation of nine general hospitals and 332 primary health centres – one in each ward – across the state. About 100 PHs have already been completed, waiting inauguration.

    The government’s revitalisation programme is holistic. It comes with the use of technology to boost health care delivery, provision of modern equipment, training and re-training of members of staff for efficient health care services. The essence of this aggressive focus on health, which experts say is wealth, appears to be borne out of a resolve to power all the sectors of the state to deliver prosperity and good life to the people.

    In order to give prompt vent to this resolve, Oyetola executed the flag-off of the facilities in Ejigbo (Osun West) and Ifetedo (Osun East) Senatorial Districts, barely three months into his administration. Work has reached advanced stages on the two projects. They will be delivered very soon.

    A few days ago, the governor moved to complete the one-per-senatorial district revitalisation of hospitals with an expansion project at the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo as he turned the sod of 120-bed ward and 30 doctors’ quarters within the hospital, being the flagship of the facilities under the Hospitals Management Board.

    It is instructive to note that this administration had earlier carried out major works on the theatre complex, blood bank building, medical laboratory, trauma centre, hope clinic and the external wall of the hospital.

    This year, the government of Oyetola has executed six major campaigns and capacity efforts to boost impact and efficiency. These are maternal, neonatal and child week; immunisation plus days; exclusive breast feeding campaign; polio eradication campaign; net hanging campaign and facility level training for the activation of basic health care provision fund in Osun.

    And to cap it up, Osun State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (O’SACA) will soon start a project that will involve the introduction of incentives for expectant mothers who attend ante-natal clinic and have HIV test results.

    The story of Governor Oyetola’s all-inclusive approach to governance cannot be narrated in a hurry. The impacts of his administration are being felt by the people, both in the rural and urban settlements. Everybody is being carried along. His commitment to the welfare of workers (both active and passive) remains unshakable. Workers have been getting their full salaries as and when due while huge amounts of money are being released from the available resources, time to time, to pay the pension benefits of retirees.

    More than 500 kilometers of mechanically maintained roads are being constructed in rural communities across the state, with 228 kilometers already inaugurated while the remaining 306 are at various completion stages.

    These roads would aid easy transportation of farm produce from rural to urban areas. Eleven fully equipped fire service stations have been reconstructed across the state, with 14 fire fighting vehicles. Two of the fire stations were recently inaugurated by the governor in Ede and Ejigbo. All these, to mention a few, are in addition to the ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance of all existing roads within the state and the state’s huge contribution to the ongoing collaborative efforts of the states in the Southwest in building a formidable security network to fight crimes in the region.

    What is most amazing is how Oyetola has managed the available meager resources to achieve so much within the short time frame. And for him, the work has just begun. It is no surprise that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu described him as an encyclopedia of finance.

    Personally, I see him as a gift to humanity and a deserving blessing for the people of Osun State. It may appear too early to begin showcasing his score card, but those who can fathom the depth of the numerous achievements of his administration in the last nine months would quite agree that Oyetola deserves applause.

    • Oyekunle is Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Oyetola

  • Aide outlines Ihedioha’s accomplishments in first 100 days

    The special assistant to the Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, on Research Ogu Bundu Nwadike has said that no less than 20 accomplishments have been recorded by the state government in its first 100 days.

    Nwadike was reacting to the claim by former governor Rochas Okrocha that Ihedioha’s government lacked direction and has nothing to show thus far.

    But Nwadike said in the ‘First 100 Days’ of Ihedioha’s government, he has repaired the faulty foundation upon which the state was being run under the previous government.

    “Right from the beginning, Governor Ihedioha set up a Transition Technical Committee (TTC), which worked and provided the guiding template and framework for the rebuilding of Imo State.

    “The TTC comprised some of the best intellectuals, technocrats and professionals. The TTC was very thorough in providing the compass by which the new administration will be navigated. I am privileged to know that the governor and his administration have decided to religiously abide by the step by step guide of the recommendation by the TTC,” he said.

    He added that the government believes in following the due process of the law in awarding contracts. He said on September 4, the government would flag off the rehabilitation of 16 major roads in the three senatorial zones of the state after the diligent procedure has been completed in their award.

    He argued that in the first 100 days, every segment of the state has been touched, including floods and erosion control, water scheme, education, health and security.

    He said the state civil servants now receive full payment of their salaries while the verification of pensioners who were last paid in 2015, would soon commence after the government completed verification of their status.

     

     

  • Scandal in Imo Assembly over forged signature

    FRESH scandal is rocking the Imo State House of Assembly following allegations that the Speaker’s Chief of Staff, Mike Ohaka, forged his boss’ signature in a letter to Vice Chancellor of the Imo State University, Prof. Adaobi Obasi, requesting the employment of 46 persons.

    A source close to the Speaker said the Vice Chancellor, on receipt of the letter, called the Speaker to complain that the University was not recruiting and cannot employ the people he forwarded their names.

    The bemused Speaker, Chiji Collins, denied writing the letter, insisting that he did not recommended anyone for employment.

    Efforts to reach the VC were unsuccessful but the university’s spokesman, Ralph Njoku-Obi, denied knowledge of any such letter, saying such letters go to the VC directly.

    Read Also: Imo poll: the guilty are afraid

    Meanwhile, Ohaka insisted the letter was signed by the Speaker.

    He said: “Yes the letter was signed by the Speaker but the names were not anything close to 46. The Speaker asked us to write the VC to assist few people get a job in the University, and he was the one who signed the letter. I did not forge his signature”.

    Collins, however, denied any knowledge of such letter. “I am not aware of any such letter and I didn’t direct anyone to write to the Imo State University or any other institution in the state for job placement. He should show the copy of the letter, if he told you there was a letter I signed,” he said.