Rivers
NGO Moves To Resuscitate Health Centre
Seven years after operations came to abrupt end at Luawii Primary Health Centre in Khana Local Government Area, due to community crisis, a Non-Governmental Organisation,(NGO) under the aegis of the Association of Civil Society Organisations on Malaria, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) is collaborating with other stakeholders to ensure that services resume in the healthcare centre soon.
At a meeting organised by the NGO in the community recently, the State Chairman of ACOMIN, John Ihua Maduenyi, emphasised the need for the community people to see the health facility as their own and do everything possible to protect it and access its services for their own benefits.
Our correspondent who covered the event reports that traditional rulers, youths, women, religious organisations, the National Union of Road Transport (NURTW), and health workers, were represented at the stakeholders meeting.
According to Maduenyi, “Luawii has been a peculiar health facility in the community. There was crisis in the community and everybody ran away, workers in the facility were withdrawn and the place was locked up.
“Years after the crisis was resolved, they tried to access the facility but it was still under lock until our CBOs were sent to the area.
“They got there and continued advocacy visit with the community people. They were able to identify the cause for the lockdown of the health facility.
“Though due consultations were made to make sure that the facility was opened and cleaned, the issue of health workers was still outstanding”, he said.
Maduenyi noted that during further advocacy visits to the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) in the Local Government Area, he promised to send health workers back to the facility but needed assurances that there would be sustained peace, protection of the workers and preparedness of the people to access services in the health center.
“All these were done and there was agreement that the people would attend the facility. The surrounding that was bushy and unkempt was cleaned. We expect that very soon work will commence fully in the community,” he said.
Acting Paramount Ruler of the Community, Chief Cook Nwiepih, commended the NGO for its efforts towards ensuring that the facility comes back to life and assured that the people would be further mobilized to see that they enjoy services of the facility again.
At Beeri Primary Health Care Center, which the body inspected at the end of the meeting at Luawii, the NGO expressed satisfaction with the state of things in the area.
The State chairman, TB Network for Rivers State, Messiah Fynface Musan, said, “it was remarkable what the CBOs on ground achieved. Youths in the community were mobilized to clear the premises, pulled out a big tree that fell on a structure in the premises, and provide good security.”
Muzan advised the people of any community with such health facility provided to them by the government to see it as their own and protect it instead of letting it rot away.
The Nigerian Shippers Council has initiated moves towards Enhancing Service Delivery across the various Sea Ports in the Country.
This follows the validation of the Draft Set Minimum Service Delivery Standards for Shipping Companies/Agents at the various Sea Ports in the Country.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting organized by The Nigerian Shippers Council in conjunction with Ocean Serve, in Port Harcourt, Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Shippers Council, Barrister Pius Akuta Ukeyima said the initiative was aimed at making the Nation’s Ports some of the best in the world in terms of service delivery
He said it was the key Mandate of the Council as the Port Economic Regulator to Set and Monitor Standards of Service Delivery by Regulated Service Providers in the Ports, adding it was inline with this responsibility that the Council established minimum service standards for terminal operators and as well put in place appropriate mechanisms for monitoring performance against those standards.
Ukeyima who was represented by the Director, Regularly Services, Mrs Margaret Ogbonnah said the draft documents cover submission and verification of documents, cargo clearance operations, confirmation of declared contents and the use of electronic systems for data exchange.
According to him,”These are designed to position Nigerian Ports on the same pedestal as Ports that meet international best practices”he said.
Ukeyima said the Council will continue to work in synergy and collaboration with all regulated service providers to ensure the enthronement of global best practices in our Port industry.
“Our collective goal is to build a Port system anchored on transperancy, trust customer satisfaction and sustainable returns on investment for all stakeholders”.
Speaking in an interview, Mrs Margeret Ogbonnah who is the Director Regulatory Services, Nigerian Shippers’ Council said, The Nigerian Shippers Council, as the port economic regulator has a mandate to monitor and enforce minimum standard service delivery in the port sector.
According to her,”And for us to have that, there should be minimum standard, customers are expected to receive from the port.
“One of the things that has been affecting our industry is service failures, so when we have what we call the minimum expected service delivery, you the service taker in the industry will know the level of service you are expected to receive.
“As time goes on, the economic regulator will come up with a framework for consequence management framework.
“In other words, what are the consequences for service failure? In other sectors, like the aviation sector, for instance, there are levels of services.
“Not using Nigeria as a case study, but overseas,If an airline is supposed to lift you, and it fails to lift you, It has a responsibility as part of minimum service expected, to accommodate you in a hotel, pending when they are ready to pick you to your destination
“, At the port level, that’s what we are discussing today” she said.
Also speaking representative of Ocean Serve, Forwarder Eugene Nweke said the process which started years ago was to make Nigerian Ports to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of quality service delivery
He said the situation will reduce clogging at the Ports and check incessant ship diversion to other African Countries because of inefficient service at Nigerian Ports.
John Bibor
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