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RSG Unveils Private Hospitals Aid Scheme …Says No Plans To Kill Public Hospitals

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To ensure that more residents of Rivers State have access to quality healthcare, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike on Wednesday flagged off the private hospitals loan scheme.

The first batch of the scheme shall witness 37 hospitals in the state access N500million to upgrade their facilities and improve their service to the people.

Seven of the beneficiaries are non-indigenes, while 30 are from Rivers State.

Flagging off the Private Hospitals Loan Scheme at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike urged the private medical practitioners to apply the loans judiciously.

He said that the state government will pay the interest on the loans on behalf of the beneficiaries, while the beneficiaries will pay the principal sum.

The governor said: “This loan is for the private hospitals to improve their facilities. It is not meant for the owners of the hospitals to solve personal problems.

“Private hospitals are critical to healthcare delivery in the state, hence our decision to create this loan scheme to support their improvement”.

He noted that the beneficiaries of the N500million loan will form the first batch, pointing out that their successful application of the funds will lead to another batch.

In his remarks, Rivers State Health Commissioner, Dr Theophilus Odagme lauded the governor for his investment in the health sector.

He said at present 17 general hospitals are being rehabilitated by the Wike administration, while majority of the resolutions of the meeting the governor held with the Nigerian Medical Association.

The commissioner appealed to the private medical practitioners to pay back the loans, so that others can benefit.

Representative of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ibitoru Korubo, said that the governor’s intervention will help in reviving the health sector in the state.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Dr Sunny Obele of Sonabel Medical Centre, Eleme said that the Private Hospitals Loan Scheme should be emulated by other states and the Federal Government.

He said that the intervention was relevant because 80 percent of Nigerians access healthcare through private health facilities.

Meanwhile, some experts in the health sector in Rivers State have given their support to the new Rivers State Government loan to private hospitals in the state.

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike announced a N500 million loan scheme for private hospitals last two months after meeting with stakeholders in the health sector.

Chairman State Primary School Board, Prof. Princewill Chike, told The Tide in a chat that the scheme will boost health care services as against the view that such loan should have been channelled to public hospitals.

Chike said, “This kind of thing has never been done in the country before and this is how India overtook many other countries in health care delivery today.”

The professor of medicine argued that since the country has huge manpower in the health sector, such loan scheme will help boost facilities, research and encourage the private practitioners to improve their services and even reduce their charges on the public.

With improved services and facilities in the private hospitals, Chike maintained that pressure on government hospitals will also be reduced.

He, however, pointed out that the scheme introduced by Wike administration will challenge the Federal Government to meet its statutory obligations of funding health care, while revealing that since this year health care centres in the state have not received federal funding, except the ones remitted by the state and local governments.

Chike submitted that, “the present government has the interest of the people at heart. So, for me, the gesture the governor extended to the private hospitals is not to kill public hospitals but will rather aid them to meet standards and services they offer.”

Chairman of the Private Hospital Loan Scheme and Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Prof Blessing Didia, explained that what the Wike administration has demonstrated is to replicate what obtains abroad.

“If you travel overseas you will discover that most of the hospitals there do not actually belong to the government even in Dubai where most of us go to take treatment. So this loan scheme will ensure that many Nigerians don’t travel abroad again,” Didia stated.

In the light of this, Didia held that government has provided a platform for private hospitals to raise their services and standards, assuring that if the pilot scheme succeeds then a second batch of private hospitals will get the loan.

He explained that the beneficiaries about 37 of them are to get moratorium of three months before paying back, as the state government has taken care of the interest already.

Meanwhile, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Theophilus Odagme, has ruled out political considerations in the selection of hospitals which benefitted from the scheme.

He told The Tide that a careful selection process was carried out and that, “this loan was not given to PDP or APC members. There were no political considerations whatever because we had town hall meeting with the Nigerian Medical Association and nobody was asked whether he was APC or PDP.”

The commissioner promised that the loan will be utilized by the hospitals selected, and promised that when once the first batch ends, the second phase will kick off.

He also defended the scheme with the view that it will reduce pressure on public hospitals pointing out that most of the newly rehabilitated public hospitals will serve as referrals to the health centres in the rural areas.

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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo

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The Sole Administrator of Emohua Local Government Area, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo, has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to supporting community development, peace, and progress, describing it as his life’s calling.
Ajinwo made this known on when Okporowo Vanguard—a foremost association dedicated to driving sustainable development in Okporowo community—paid him a courtesy visit at the Council Secretariat, Emohua.

Speaking during the visit, the Emolga  Council boss advised the group to shun internal wranglings and leadership tussles, cautioning that such impediments could undermine their collective goals. He emphasized that unity is strength, and true power comes only from God.

Highlighting his ongoing efforts in repositioning standards within Emohua Local Government, Barr. Ajinwo commended Okporowo Vanguard for initiating plans to conduct large-scale skills acquisition training for young people in Okporowo. He assured them of his steadfast support towards such developmental initiative.

The former Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Rivers State stressed the need for selfless service, saying it is essential for achieving peace, unity, and development in any community.

He applauded the group’s vision of empowering youths through skills acquisition, aligning it with global best practices aimed at reducing dependency on white-collar jobs.

Earlier, the President of Okporowo Vanguard, Hon. Israel Emeji, outlined Barr. Ajinwo’s numerous and impactful contributions to the development of Okporowo community.

According to him, every family in the community has benefited from Barr. Ajinwo’s dedicated employment initiatives.

Hon. Emeji disclosed that during his tenure as Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA) and as NULGE Chairman, Barr. Ajinwo facilitated the employment of over five hundred (500) individuals from Okporowo community—a record that informed the association’s decision to honour him with the Excellent Leadership Award.

In a vote of thanks, the Secretary of the group, Dr. Okechukwu Godwin Amadi, praised Barr. Ajinwo’s outstanding leadership and unwavering support, both before and after his appointment as Sole Administrator.

He thanked him for the warm reception and appreciated members of Okporowo Vanguard for their strong turnout and continuous support for the present administration.

In their separate remarks, Barr. Kelvin Ajinwo, Chief Polycarp Ndala, and other dignitaries present prayed for God’s continued guidance and protection over Barr. Ajinwo, describing him as a divine gift to the Okporowo community.

They expressed hope that he would be granted even more leadership opportunities to further uplift the living standards of the people.

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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP  …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

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Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their  living conditions.

This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.

Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s

She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.

According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.

The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while  bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.

Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.

Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.

According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.

He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.

Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may  lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.

During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.

The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.

He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.

Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.

They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.

At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.

King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.

Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.

Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.

At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.

He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.

Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.

 

John Bibor

 

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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman 

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The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.

Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.

Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.

In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.

However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.

Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.

In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.

Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.

“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.

 

 

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