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Bill for Establishment of Additional Specialist Eyecare Centres in Nigeria Pass Second Reading

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By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has passed through second reading, a Bill seeking to amend the National Eye centre Act, 2004, to provide for the establishment of more specialist eye care centres.
The proposed legislation was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Hon. Babajimi Benson and 5 other lawmakers on Wednesday at plenary.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Kalu noted that the bill seeks to enhance access to qualitative eye care services across the six geo-political zones of the nation.
According to him, the proposed amendments seek to address the pressing need for more specialist eye care centres to cater for the growing population and address the rising cases of eye diseases in the country.
Making reference to reports, he lamented that preventable and treatable eye conditions are a leading cause of disability in Nigeria, with cataracts, glaucoma, and refractive errors remaining prevalent in many parts of the country, especially the rural areas where access to specialized care is limited.
He expressed optimism that the proposed amendments will rectify this situation by expanding the establishment of National Eye Centres to strategic locations across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He added that by doing so, we aim to provide a framework that will enhance and improve access to quality eye care, ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind due to geographical barriers.
Kalu said, “I rise to lead the debate on the general principles of a Bill for an Act to amend the National Eye Centre Act, Cap N38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which seeks to enhance access to qualitative eye care services across the six geo-political zones of our beloved nation. The proposed amendments seek to address the pressing need for more specialist eye care centres to cater for the growing population and address the rising cases of eye diseases in the country.  The Bill was read for the first time on Wednesday, 20thDecember, 2023.
“As we are all aware, access to quality healthcare services, especially in specialised areas like eye care, is crucial for the well-being of our citizens. The statistics reveal that preventable and treatable eye conditions are a leading cause of disability in Nigeria, with cataracts, glaucoma, and refractive errors remaining prevalent in many parts of the country, especially the rural areas where access to specialized care is limited. Unfortunately, the existing National Eye Centre in Kaduna, though commendable in its efforts, is unable to adequately meet the eye care needs of our vast and diverse nation. This inadequacy has led to disparities in access to eye care services, particularly for those in remote or underserved areas.
“The proposed amendments, thus aim to rectify this situation by expanding the establishment of National Eye Centres to strategic locations across the six geopolitical zones of the country. By doing so, we aim to provide a framework that will enhance and improve access to quality eye care, ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind due to geographical barriers.  We hope to ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of location, can access quality eye care services. This is not just a matter of healthcare; it is a matter of equity and social justice. This Bill which seeks to enhance and improve access to quality eye care in Nigeria has the following key provisions.
“The creation of 5 additional Specialist Eye Care Centres spread across the remaining 5 geopolitical zones of Nigeria not originally covered by the principal legislation which only provided for an Eye Care Centre in Kaduna, North West Nigeria. The establishment of separate Boards to govern each centre and academic committees to oversee academic affairs. These bodies will not only ensure effective management and coordination of the Centres’ activities by overseeing their day-to-day operations, but shall also drive research and educational initiatives in ophthalmology, thereby fostering a culture of excellence and innovation in eye care. In presenting this bill, we are reaffirming our commitment to the visual health and well-being of every Nigerian. By establishing additional centers, we can decentralize eye care services, reduce travel costs for patients, and ultimately protect and preserve the precious gift of sight for all citizens. Honourable Colleagues, I urge you all to support this Bill as it represents a significant step towards improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria, particularly in the critical area of eye care. Together, let us illuminate the path to a future where quality eye care is not a luxury but a fundamental right for every Nigerian.”
Thereafter the bill was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Rep Tajudeen Abass, who presided over the session and it was passed and referred to the committee on speciality Healthcare.
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Hon Nnamchi Grants 500 Youths Scholarships To Universities

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Five hundred youths drawn from various communities in Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency of Enugu State have benefited from Hon. Professor Paul Sunday Nnamchi’s scholarship scheme.

The scholarship scheme was instituted by the Federal lawmaker who represents Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives to cater for indigent constituents in the constituency.

The beneficiaries who are currently on admission in various universities across the country are pursuing the following disciplines; microbiology, biochemistry, human physiology, and human anatomy.

Others are studying mass Communication, Business Education, Education Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry Computer Science and Civil Engineering among others.

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Their school fees amounting to millions of naira have already been paid by Professor Nnamchi for the current academic session not withstanding the challenges some of them had encountered in their performances.

The scholarship scheme was in fulfillment of Rep Nnamchi’s campaign promises of empowering of the youths of Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency.

The scholarship according to him was to help those desiring to study at the tertiary levels but lacked the wherewithal to further their education after secondary schools.

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Trump’s declasification of JFK, MLK assassination files opens window into US most shocking crimes

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A trove of long-classified government documents concerning some of the most politically charged killings in modern American history — including the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy — could finally be made available to the public.

But that’s just the start of the latest saga surrounding the killings, which have sparked fascination, conspiracy theories, and history-changing debate for decades.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at declassifying government documents related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. The order essentially requires the nation’s security organizations to create plans to release the records.

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The full findings of the government investigations into the three killings have been hidden for decades, sparking wide-ranging speculation and preventing a sense of closure for many Americans. All three men were national and international icons whose assassinations — and the theories swirling around them — became the stuff of books, movies, controversy, and the pages of history itself.

“A lot of people were waiting for this . . . for years, for decades,” said Trump in signing the release of the documents. “Everything will be revealed.”

JFK assassination, Nov. 22, 1963
The shock of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 still echoes more than half a century later.

Kennedy, known for both his glamour and steering the country through the closest it ever came to nuclear war, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was shot and killed as his presidential motorcade brought him along a downtown city street and as he waved to adoring bystanders from the open-roofed car.

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Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald less than an hour later. But Oswald himself was killed on live TV just two days later as police were transferring him to a county jail.

Oswald’s killer, Jack Ruby, acted alone on an impulse, the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known as the Warren Commission, concluded. The commission ruled that Oswald also acted alone.

The JFK assassination sent the nation into mourning and shook it to its core, as Americans searched for answers. Hundreds of books have been written and documentaries produced, with bits and pieces of information emerging to this day.

Many regard the commission’s work as a government-orchestrated coverup and doubts have been raised over who killed John F. Kennedy have persisted. Conspiracy theorists lay the blame on everyone from Cuba – at the heart of the nuclear missile crisis – to the CIA itself.

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The wide-ranging theories over Kennedy’s death – how many shooters were involved, how many bullets – became so ingrained in popular culture that they made it onto the comedy series Seinfeld.

MLK assassinated in Memphis, April 4, 1968
King, whose work furthering the Civil Rights Movement is honored with a federal holiday, was killed on the balcony outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Atlanta preacher was visiting the city to march alongside striking workers. On the evening of the assassination, he was preparing to leave for dinner at the home of a local minister.

He stepped outside to speak with colleagues in the parking lot below and was shot in the face by an assassin. James Earl Ray, a 40-year-old escaped fugitive, later confessed to the crime and was sentenced to a 99-year prison term.

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But Ray later tried to withdraw his confession and said he was set up by a man named Raoul. He maintained until his death in 1998 that he did not kill King.

A Memphis tavern owner and a former FBI agent both also claimed a figure named Raoul was behind the killing, according to the Department of Justice.

Loyd Jowers, a former Memphis tavern owner, claimed 25 years after the murder that he participated in a mafia-linked conspiracy to kill King. Jowers also linked Memphis police and Raoul to the assassination, the Justice Department said.

Donald Wilson, a former FBI agent, also claimed in 1998 that after King’s assassination he found some papers in Ray’s car that mentioned Raoul as well as figures linked to the Kennedy assassination.

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Wilson said the papers were stolen from him by someone who later worked in the White House, according to the Justice Department.

RFK killed in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968
Robert F. Kennedy never achieved the political heights of his older brother. But he was no less a beloved figure for his championing of civil rights.

He served as his brother’s attorney general and as a senator. He was killed in Los Angeles where he had gone for the California Democratic primary, just months after declaring his presidential candidacy.

The younger Kennedy spent the evening of the election at a suite at the Ambassador Hotel awaiting election results. He eventually went down to a hotel ballroom to thank supporters, then went through the hotel kitchen after being told it was a shortcut to a press room.

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An assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, killed him as he shook hands with a hotel busboy. Sirhan remains in prison.

But some believe the same elements behind the older Kennedy’s assassination also killed the former senator.

The presidential candidate’s son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, has long maintained that Sirhan didn’t even shoot his father. The Trump cabinet pick believes Sirhan missed and that instead his dad was shot by a man linked to the CIA.

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Nigerian military silences 25 bandit gang members

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigerian troops have silenced at least 25 members of the gang led by notorious terrorist Bello Turji, the military said Wednesday.

Turji’s second-in-command Aminu Kanawa and about eight other commanders were killed as troops raided terrorist camps in the northwestern states of Sokoto and Zamfara from Monday to Tuesday, Edward Buba, the spokesman for the Nigerian military told a press briefing.

Buba said “the camp of Turji is in disarray” following the killing of Kanawa and dozens of others.

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“The death of Turji’s second-in-command, close allies, commanders, and combatants was a significant blow to the terrorists’ network in the northwestern part of Nigeria, as well as their fighting capabilities,” Buba said, noting this group of terrorists was responsible for numerous kidnappings and terrorist attacks across the region.

“Overall, troops are not relenting until these terrorists are destroyed,” said Buba.

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