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Obasanjo To FG: Prioritise Welfare Of Health Workers To Prevent Collapse Of Sector
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said Nigeria’s health sector is at the brink of a total collapse, urging governments at all levels to prioritize the welfare of health practitioners.
With specific reference to the “japa” syndrome, which is the compelling factor behind Nigerian doctors’ migration to foreign countries in search of greener pastures, Obasanjo pointed out that the trend is very alarming, stressing that such could lead to complete brain drain in the country.
Obasanjo spoke at the 44th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) held at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Delivering his lecture at the event themed: “Evolving Roles Of Doctors In Healthcare Management and Nation Building”, the former president represented by the FMC’s Medical Director, Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu, lamented that the present economic crisis has contributed to health practitioners seeking greener pasture outside the country.
“Resident doctors constitute the bedrock of whatever medical services any country is offering its citizens and Nigeria is not an exception
“It is therefore very necessary for the government at all levels to ensure that there are good welfare packages for the doctors without whom it will be impossible to render any meaningful service.
“Having seen the amount of work resident doctors are offering in our hospitals, I therefore appeal that we should see to their welfare.
“The rate at which Japa syndrome is affecting our health sector is alarming, a lot of our sub specialties are now under lock and key. We can’t operate in these offices again because the specialists have left the country.”
Governor Dapo Abiodun appreciated the doctors for their contribution to the society irrespective of the challenging environment.
Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, urged doctors to protect the environment, pointing out that 30% of environmental problems worldwide are caused by medical waste.
“We doctors need to start paying attention to the environment from the statistics I heard last week, healthcare waste and activities contribute to 30% of environmental challenges across the globe.
“So if we don’t start doing something about the environment then what planet are we leaving for our children? So, I want us to think about our waste, how we can recycle it, how we can go back and be innovative in what we use,” he said.
Earlier, the president of the association, Dele Olaitan stressed that doctors are the backbone of the healthcare system, urging his colleagues to redouble by offering highest standards of medical service to the patients.
General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has assured that all security challenges facing the nation will be effectively addressed by the year’s end.
This statement was made during the launch of attack drones and the demonstration of locally produced bombs, developed by a homegrown technology firm.
The event was attended by security specialists and senior government officials, as General Musa showcased the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the audience.
Accompanied by Ajao Adewale, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, and Caleb Mutfwang, the Governor of Plateau State, General Musa emphasized the ongoing bureaucratic obstacles in acquiring military equipment from abroad.
Governor Mutfwang stressed the urgency for decisive measures against insecurity, calling on leaders to prevent any entity within the nation from possessing military capabilities.
The operational features of the UAVs were also demonstrated, with General Musa expressing satisfaction with this advancement, labeling it a pivotal step in combating insecurity in the country.
The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
It held that issue of leadership was internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.
It proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP got being unmeritorious.
Details shortly…
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has resigned from his position, According to Daily Trust.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) resigned two weeks ago.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed as special adviser on political matters to Shettima in September 2023.
Baba-Ahmed is the elder sibling of Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.
Baba-Ahmed served as chief of staff to Bukola Saraki, former senate president, from 2017-2019.
CONFRONTATION WITH MATAWALLE OVER NEF
In April 2024, Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, described the NEF as a “political paperweight” after the group stated that the north made a mistake voting Tinubu in 2023.
In his reaction to Matawalle’s remarks, Baba-Ahmed said it would have served the Tinubu administration better if Matawalle had listed his achievements as minister — and the achievements of the other northern appointees — instead of attacking NEF.
“Scathing criticism of NEF by a junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised. He could have done a better job for this admin if he identified contributions of especially northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North,” Baba-Ahmed said.
In a riposte, the minister said any appointee must defend and promote the administration they work for.
“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) is well-known,” Matawalle said.
“The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat up the polity for myopic reasons.
“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owes the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.”
He added that northern appointees must defend the government or take their exit.
Matawalle is a native of Zamfara while Baba-Ahmed hails from Kaduna.