The Nation Newspaper

Tag: facilities

  • ‘UNTH has state-of-the-art facilities’

    ‘UNTH has state-of-the-art facilities’

    Ihemegbunem Okafor is an Enugu-based journalist. Recently, he had some health challenges regarding his heart. He was treated at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla. Okafor in this piece narrated his experience at the UNTH.

    He volunteered to make his experience public as a response to some newspaper publications, particularly by a columnist with a national daily who wrote that UNTH lacked most basic facilities “that are found even at the small private clinics elsewhere.”

    Okafor said: “After reading the article, I wondered if the excellent medical services and equipment at UNTH where I underwent open heart surgery in March last year had become so bad by September as the article tried to paint. I am not holding the fort for UNTH or trying to say that there are no minor lapses at UNTH which operates within the Nigerian environment.  Continuing, he said: “As a beneficiary of UNTH’s good medical services and equipment at the highest level (open heart surgery), I think it is necessary for me to let Nigerians know that UNTH is quite on track as National Cardiothoracic Centre of Excellence. And this is what necessitated this rejoinder to Mr. Ezechukwu’s article.

    “In February this year, I woke up one morning and discovered that my breathing was not normal as my heart was beating faster and louder. I went to UNTH; Ituku/Ozalla to know what has gone wrong with me.

    “On arrival at UNTH, I met an efficient workforce. After the necessary protocol of registration and obtaining a card, the doctor I met at the General Out-Patient Department (GOPD) referred me to the Clinical Measurement Unit for echo and ECG examinations.

    At the hospital’s echo room, I met a highly dedicated cardiologist, Dr. Emmanuel Ejim, who attended to me efficiently. And through the accurate and sophisticated echo machine at the hospital, it was discovered that I had a tumour (growth) inside one of my heart chambers (left atrium). The tumour is called myxoma. According to the doctor, it was like a time bomb waiting to explode since it could occlude the mitral valve or cause stroke or sudden death without notice.

    “The only treatment, according to the doctor, was surgical removal of the tumour. So, I was asked to go for heart surgery. Luckily for me, UNTH is the only hospital doing open heart surgery in Nigeria.

    “I was admitted for the open heart surgery on March 13, last year. 1 had no choice of ward where I would stay for my heart surgery but I was given a suite at the hospital private suites and this was where I stayed till I was discharged from the hospital on March 27, 2013 after a successful surgery.

    “While I was in the hospital being prepared for the open heart surgery, the doctors, nurses and other medical personnel that had anything to do with me took very good care of me so much so that I had to direct my younger brother, Akachukwu who came to stay with me in the hospital to go home.”

    Mr. Okafor while he was in the hospital, he was in good hands and was treated like a king to the extent that the hospital dieticians took record of his choice of food. His private suite had everything to make him comfortable, even as he said there was a refrigerator, a plasma cable television, an air conditioner and a ceiling fan. The windows and doors had mosquito nets while there was a big electricity generating set that supplied light to the hospital anytime there was public power outage.

    “While I was being prepared for the surgery, the consultants, doctors and nurses attended to me as and when due. The porters were ever ready to go on errands for me; hence there was no need for any of my relations to stay with me.

    “One week after I was admitted in the hospital, doctors confirmed that I was fit for the surgery both mentally and physically.

    So, on March 20, 2013, I was wheeled into the ultra-modern cardiothoracic theatre.

    “The cardiothoracic theatre at UNTH Ituku/Ozalla has state-of-the-art equipment that can compare with the best in the world. A visit to the theatre is like a visit to the best heart hospitals in Europe or America.

    “With the help of God Almighty, the UNTH Consultants, doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists and physiotherapists who displayed rare professionalism successfully carried out open heart surgery on me on March 20, 2013.

    He said: “After the surgery, I was wheeled into Thoracic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UNTH, Dr. Chris Amah came personally to congratulate me on the successful heart surgery.

    “At the ICU, 1 was treated like a newly born baby as the doctors and nurses handled me like a fragile object. The physiotherapists were very much on hand to teach me how to walk again.

    I will like to say here that with the help of God, the quality of care and medication I received at the ICU helped me to recover very quickly. My recovery was very rapid so much so that after four days of the surgery, I was moved back to the private suite.”

    He said the nurses and other hospital personnel at the private suites celebrated his comeback to the ward as shouts of Alleluia and praise God rented the air. The Matron of the private suites was so excited that she embraced him while dancing, waving hands and thanking God for his successful surgery.

    Mr. Okafor noted that since his recovery was very rapid, on March 27, 2013, two days after he came back to the private ward, a consultant, Dr. O. C. Nzewi came to his suite and after examining him, declared him fit to go home after signing his discharge papers.

    As he prepared to go home, Mr. Okafor said he felt nostalgic as he felt he was already missing good friends. The nurses on duty gathered to wish him well. As they waved at him, they asked him to always say hello to them anytime he goes there for his health checks.

  • Students lament poor facilities

    Students lament poor facilities

    Students of the Department of Theatre and Media Studies, University of Calabar (UNICAL) have called on the school management to provide them with the necessary production facilities.

    The students made the call when they were on a rehearsal section of a play entitled: “The Gods Are not to Blame,” by Ola Rotimi.

    While some complained about inadequate directorate and production equipment, others complained about lack of finance. They further enumerated the importance of Theatre arts and pleaded that the school management should come to their rescue.

    Geoffrey Ovuoba, a 300 level student in the department who is also the Technical Director of the production and Victor Ejen who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE on behalf of the production crew, said that lack of production equipments is a big drawback to the students.

    Geoffrey narrated the challenges faced by the department to include renting of costumes and Light. According to him, “few Light can cost up to N 50, 000, Lights like sport light cost N50, 000, smoke generator N16, 000, etc. These are equipment the students cannot afford”.

     

  • Students protest poor facilities in Ibadan

    Students of the Federal College of Agriculture and the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday protested the poor condition of social amenities on their campuses and poor sanitation in their hostels.

    Both institutions are situated on the same premises with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), an arm of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), in Apata.

    As early as 7am, the students barricaded the main entrances of the colleges, preventing people from going in.

    They decried the lack of water and electricity in their hostels.

    The protest caused a gridlock on the Ibadan-Abeokuta expressway. Policemen from the Apata Divisional Police Headquarters were on the scene to prevent a break down of law and order.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) met with principal officers and student leaders of the colleges for about three hours to resolve the dispute.

    After the meeting, the managements of both institutions closed the campuses pending the resolution of the issues raised by the students.

     

  • ‘We need right facilities to compete with people on horses’

    Pupils of Daniel Akintonde Model School for the handicapped Children, Adigbe, have appealed to the Ogun State government to provide them with hostel, transport facility, security and specialised educational materials to make their learning easier.

    The pupils – 229 in number, comprising of the deaf, dumb and mentally challenged, said though performing well in their studies, they were competing with “people on horses,” apparently referring to the normal children in conventional schools.

    The handicapped children communicated their needs to the state government through their Assistant Head Teacher, Mrs Babatunde Grace, when the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Hon. Mufutau Ajibola visited the school to monitor the conduct of the Unified Examinations for public primary schools in the state.

    They said: “We are trying to improvise. It is too tough for us. We are competing with people on horses but we are performing more than expectations, our teachers are making efforts to ensure that we perform better.”

    If the government could make facilities available to them, the pupils said it would enhance their intellectual output, and boost their morale and ability to interact with others.

    Responding, Ajibola who commended the school management and pupils for their cleanliness, expressed satisfaction with their conduct during examinations.

    On the pupils’ request, the SUBEB boss urged them to document their needs and submit to the government through his office.

    He assured the pupils that the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in the state would look into their matter with urgency.

     

  • OOU SSANU pleads for facilities

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago – Iwoye, has urged the state government to assist the institution in improving her infrastructural facilities to foster better working condition, teaching and learning.

    SSANU said the ongoing infrastructural renewal projects by the government – “road construction and building of model schools,” are laudable but added that similar gestures should be extended to OOU. He said the university needs well constructed road network and a Senate building, as well as hostel facilities for the students.

    The OOU-SSANU Chairman, Comrade Taiwo Egberongbe, who made the appeal at the 44th meeting of the Western Zone of the association hosted by the university, said it is regrettable that 30 years after, OOU cannot boast of a befitting Senate building and other basic necessary infrastructure, urging government to do something about it.

    According to him, the said infrastructure when provided would make teaching, research and learning easier.

    Egberongbe urged the government to increase the subvention to the institution and strive to also take up its entire salary bill, stressing that a situation where the state government shared the wage bill burden between her and the varsity in the ration of 70:30 is killing the institution.

    The meeting which was attended by delegates from 18 branches that make up the SSANU Western Zone was declared open by the university Vice-Chancellor, Prof Saburi Adesanya.

    Also, SSANU Chairman, Western Zone, Com. Alfred Jimoh, appealed to OOU management to look into the issues raised by their colleagues and find ways of addressing them – particularly delay in payment of salaries, outstanding arrears, to ensure peaceful academic environment.

     

     

    The Vice-Chancellor who was represented by his Deputy, Prof Adewale Sule-Odu, said the university would continue to take measures capable of fostering better working environment for all stakeholders.

    He urged SSANU to treat students and alumni with respect whenever they come for registration, clearance and certificate collection, saying they are veritable source funds later for development of their alma mater.

     

  • Fed Govt plans better facilities for private, chartered jets

    Fed Govt plans better facilities for private, chartered jets

    THE Federal Government will provide more facilities at the nation’s airports for the use of private and charter jets, aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah has said.

    She spoke in after inaugurating the General Aviation Terminal for private operators at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

    She said the need to upgrade such special facilities for charter and private jets stemmed from the rise in charter operators, which had risen to 50 and is projected to increase before the end of the year.

    A new template, she said, was being packaged by theMinistry of Aviation and other aeronautical authorities to improve operations.

    This, she said, would involve the terms of operations of such operators, which would smoothen the grey areas.

    The minister explained that as operational facilities are upgraded at airports, it is expected that more private operators would take advantage of this to facilitate the movement of persons and their businesses.

    Oduah said no limit had been set for the private jets operating in the country, as the new rule to be rolled out would bring about an increase in that arm of the air transportation.

    She said at no time did the government roll out any regulation set a limit on the number of private jets.

    Oduah spoke of the government’s plans to continue to upgrade airport infrastructure to accommodate more players either in the scheduled or charter category.

    She said: “The truth is that we had to have a General Aviation Terminal which supports aviation business. That wasn’t in existence yet the business is growing. Government would like the business to grow far more than what we now have and the only way we can achieve that growth is to provide infrastructure, the policy and the procedure to drive such a business.

    “That is what we have done. We have also finished the general aviation policy.Hopefully by next week, we will have a meeting with private jet operators. There, they would know the policy that guides what they are supposed to do, how they are supposed to do it.

    “We do have a lot of grey areas in our general aviation policy but we will remove all the grey areas in the policy and make them operational.

    ‘’Currently, we have about 50 private jets. We are estimating that by next year, we are tripling that number.But if we will do that, then we need a larger General Aviation Terminal larger than this. We are looking at cost in the margin of about five hundred million naira.”

    She also spoke of plans to intervene in the challenges of aviation fuel, affirming that soon the product would be available at airports at competitive prices.

    Oduah said: “We would work in conjunction with the NNPC as part of the way forward. We have selected approved vendors who would guarantee us and allow us to benchmark the purchases. You have to buy fuel in advance; that means there must be a certain a buying process. This takes time because the people you are buying from have to agree. More infrastructure have to be put in place too. If you don’t put all these in place, it wouldn’t work. For instance, if you are in Yola, there should be a depot there to have guaranteed stock to replenish on time. This gives you price control.

    “Nigerians should look forward to more competitive pricing system that would ensure they pay what they are supposed to pay. Nothing more, nothing less.“

     

  • Uniuyo students protest poor facilities

    Students of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) yesterday protested the lack of basic amenities on campus.

    The students, who will start their second semester examination on October 26, said there was no electricity on campus.

    They blocked Ikpa Road and accused the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Comfort Ekpo, of insensitivity to their welfare.

    They said instead of improving facilities on campus, the management is planning to increase tuition and accommodation fees.

    The students said they would resist the management’s plan to increase the fees when they return from holidays.

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof. Eno Ibanga, said there was no electricity on campus because the generating set serving the hostels broke down.

    He said a new one has been installed, adding that the protest was uncalled for.

    Ibanga said: “We are not God, even machines break down. When students asked for electricity, we bought and installed a new generating set for them. We are working on the generating set that broke down. We have a dedicated generating set that pumps water to the hostels and are working towards renovating some of the rooms in the hostels.

    “The N8,500 paid per student multiplied by 600 students in M2 is N5.1 million and we repaired that hostel with about N60 million. We are trying to make things work, but some people are trying to sabotage our efforts.”

  • Hajj leader praises airport facilities

    Justice Umaru Abdullahi,Amirul Hajj and leader of Katsina State delegation to this year’s Hajj has expressed satisfaction with the facilities put in place at the Umaru Yar’adua International Airport, Katsina.

    Justice Umaru Abdullahi made the expression shortly after he led other members of his delegation to inspect facilities at the airport.

    He was particularly happy with report that Katsina International Airport has the best landing and take-off facilities in the country.

    While commending the state governor for his foresight in appointing capable hands in the delegation, the Walin Hausa promised to do their best to ensure the successful Hajj operation.

    Conducting the Amirul Hajj round the Airport, the Head of Operations, Alhaji Saddiq Gusau said the management of the airport is putting in place security network to ensure a hitch-free airlift of intending pilgrims.

    He lauded the state government for supporting the authority in an effort to make this year’s airlift a success.

    Meanwhile, government officials to this year’s Hajj in Katsina State have been called upon to work hand in hand to ensure success of Hajj exercise.