The Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has described the medical outreach organised by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as a powerful demonstration of leadership and compassion.

Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.

The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.

“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.

He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.

He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.

According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.

He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.

Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.

He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.

“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.

He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.

“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.

The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.

Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.

According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.

He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.

The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.

Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.

The lawmaker representing Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State at the House of Representatives, Hon. Benedict Etanabene, has said many politicians are focused on impressing President Bola Tinubu than serving Nigerians.

Hon. Etanabene, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the claim during a live television interview at the weekend.

His remark stemmed from what he described as the rushed passage of the State Police Bill.

“Many politicians are more focused on impressing President Tinubu than serving citizens. They want to be praised by their leaders.

“When people gather, they want to be able to say ‘look at what I did to that person.’ Whether what they did was right or wrong is not their concern. What matters is getting the approval and praise of their leaders.

“Many opposition party members would have even voted for the executive version of the State Police Bill. But even at that stage, what we were concerned about is: can we debate clause by clause? Because, as opposition party members, we had the document.

“Don’t forget that this bill was passed some months back, and by the Wednesday of that week, we came and rescinded it. The life of that one that we have been discussing before came to an end, and one was introduced by the executive that Wednesday. And by Thursday, we have been told that we needed to pass it.

“Some of us didn’t sleep that night because we went clause by clause looking at it and trying to rush it, but that’s not how it is supposed to be. We’re just trying to see how we can meet up with the pattern,” he said.

Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, the spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, that former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has lost his political relevance.

Mr Okonkwo said Chief Wike’s claim that he had repeatedly defeated Mr Amaechi was not supported by facts, arguing that Mr Amaechi did not contest the Rivers State governorship election against Chief Wike in 2015.

Speaking while defending Mr Amaechi’s relevance to the Atiku-Amaechi ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election during a television programme, Mr Okonkwo described Chief Wike as a “local champion” for limiting his political assessment of Mr Amaechi to Rivers State.

“When Wike is talking about elections, can’t you see he restricts himself to Rivers State? Local champion,” Mr Okonkwo said.

He questioned how Chief Wike could claim to have defeated Mr Amaechi when the former governor did not contest against him in the 2015 Rivers State governorship election or seek any elective political office in the state in 2019.

“When he says I defeated him, please let me ask Chibuike Amaechi, did he contest for Rivers State governorship election in 2015? Did he contest for any political office in Rivers State in 2019? How did you defeat him?

“So, unfortunately, what he said was not the reflection of the facts. Chibuike has been very successful all through and as vice presidential candidate he is going to deliver again for his boss, Atiku Abubakar, for ADC and for the Nigerian people,” Mr Okonkwo added.