Projects Must Address Needs Of People, Wike Insists

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has formally laid foundation for the 950 beds, Sokoto State University Teaching Hospital at Kasarawa.
The governor said while laying the foundation stone, that development projects would be meaningless if they were not beneficial to the people.
He advised leaders to always take into cognisance that developmental needs of the people differ.
“Therefore, efforts must be made during project conceptualisation to ensure projects are targeted at addressing the pressing needs of the people who are the intended beneficiaries”, the governor stated.
Wike noted that the decision of the Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, to build the University Teaching Hospital estimated to cost over N6.6billion, must be commended as the project would be of immense benefit to a vast majority of the people of the state.
The governor, who had earlier commissioned the Semi Urban 1.5million gallon per day water scheme at Bodinga, in Bodinga Local Government Area, said to be worth N430million and flagged off the dualisation of Waziri Abbas Road in Sokoto City, stressed that the projects would help improve the lot of the most vulnerable in society and enhance economic activities in the state.
“So many people do not understand that development differs. What is important is: what do the people need. What the people of Rivers State need may not be what the people of Sokoto need, and people do not understand that. For you to carry out this water project in virtually all the local government areas, you have done well for the people of Sokoto,” he said.
He called for Nigerians to remain united, and urged the people of Sokoto State to continue to support Governor Tambuwal to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
Also speaking, the state Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, explained that investments in the teaching hospital became imperative because the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country this year exposed the weakness in the Nigerian healthcare system.
The governor said that the 950 beds hospital was intended to make quality healthcare accessible to the people of the state.
In addition, he said it would also help in the training of medical students of the University of Sokoto, make the state a Medicare hub, and reduce the amount spent by Nigerians on medical tourism abroad.
He further explained that the Semi Urban water projects have been completed in 20 out of the 33 local government areas of the state.
In his remarks, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammad Ali Inname, said that the hospital was designed to possess all relevant departments, units and clinics in line with the policy for the establishment of tertiary health institutions in the country.
According to him, there would be a total of 258 offices, 950 beds, and 17 clinics.