News
Reps Committee Seeks Collaboration to Enhance Specialised Healthcare
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has called for partnerships to support the implementation of a Legislative Activity Framework aimed at improving specialised healthcare services across the country.
Chairman of the House Committee on Specialty Healthcare, Rep. Alex Egbona, made this appeal during a stakeholders’ roundtable in Abuja on Wednesday.
He highlighted key focus areas for collaboration, including mental and brain health, trauma care, and obstetric fistula treatment. Other priority areas include oral health, ear and eye care, blood transfusion and management, as well as anaemia treatment.
Additionally, Egbona emphwelsed the importance of advancing traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine, alongside innovations in specialised healthcare.
“In the course of our legislative duties and committee activities, we discovered some cross cutting challenges faced by all specialised healthcare providers and institutions in Nigeria.
“They include infrastructural decay, lack of requisite medical equipment, poor electric power source/ supply and poor / inadequate funding.
“The committee sadly notes that the specialised hospitals and healthcare centres serving the nation as referral hospitals on specialised health emergencies are the lowest funded in the health sector budgets.
“The Committee therefore invited you all here today as professionals and experts to review the Draft Legislative Activity Implementation Framework, make your observations, contributions, interventions and inputs on the document,” he said.
Rep. Egbona said that the expected outcome include improved legal and legislative framework for robust legal environment that enables the deployment of secure and efficient e-Health systems.
The reps said that enhanced digital healthcare access, increased adoption of digital health technologies to improve patient outcomes and access to care was expected.
“It seeks Improved Mental/brain Health Services for better allocation of resources to underserved areas and addressing gaps in service delivery.
“It also seeks increased awareness and reduced stigma for greater societal understanding of mental/brain health, leading to reduced stigma and better utilisation of mental/brain health,” he said.
In his remarks, Country Programme Manager of Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Mr. Michael Idah, called for greater attention to be given to the elderly and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), emphasizing their frequent exclusion from essential services, particularly healthcare.
He stressed the need for stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the framework, noting that this would prevent the need to restart efforts in the future.
Similarly, Rev. Fr. Sebastian Sani, who is the Executive Director of the Justice, Development, and Peace Commission (JDPC), an agency of the Catholic Church, expressed the commission’s support for the initiative. He reaffirmed the church’s commitment to caring for people with special needs, particularly the underprivileged in society.
“Currently, we have up to 100s of people with disability that as a church, we are paying for their health insurance.
“This gathering and meeting with stakeholders, will further encourage us to do more,” he said.
Sani called for the establishment of Specialty Healthcare Trust Fund that cooperate and private individuals will contribute to in support the sub sector.
The Deputy Chatman, FCT Association of Integrative Medicine Practitioners, Dr Jackie Ikeotuonye called for a regulatory council.
She said that regulation of alternative medicine especially traditionalist who inherit some form of skills from their mentors or parents was imperative.
Ikeotuonye said that there is need to regulate and determine dosage as people are made to drink all sort of concentrated mixtures.
“You see the way the world is moving now, there is need to put some regulations, especially like where a traditionalist is telling you go and pluck some leaves.
“What leave? What Quantity? Who is directing who? Of course, there is been a lot of abuse in that sector, people drinking all manner of our war with different things, killing their kidneys and all that.
“So this is timely, and we strongly believe that part of the outcome of this, what the committee is doing is to ensure that there is a council, which I we are told, is already on the President’s table, waiting for assets,” he said.
The committee gave stakeholders 10 days to further peruse the legislative activity implementation framework and submit memoranda for implementation.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Embassy of Belgium in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening diplomatic relations with the country.
Belgian Ambassador Pieter Leenknegt stated this during a courtesy visit by the Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DICAN), led by its Chairman, Frederick Idehai, at the embassy in Abuja.Discussions centered on fostering collaboration, particularly in capacity-building initiatives for DICAN members and other areas of mutual benefit.
Addressing the delegation, Ambassador Leenknegt also commented on the ongoing discord between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Kogi Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing it as an unnecessary distraction, urging key stakeholders to promote dialogue and reconciliation in the interest of national stability.
Speaking further, Ambassador Leenknegt has some reservation over what he described as “sloppy journalism” among Nigerian Journalists which needs to be corrected.
This unpalatable adjective, according to the envoy, stems from an experience he had when he visited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
“It was a fruitful meeting I had with the FCT Minister with key areas of interest well highlighted.
“However, the next day I was surprised to find in over 13 print and online media that the meeting the previous day, was between the outgone Ambassador of the Embassy and with his photograph attached.
“This was a meeting I personally attended so how could they attribute it to my predecessor and attached his photo?
“That’s terrible and what it meant was that one person goofed and others copied from the original source without due verification,” he lamented.
Earlier in his remarks, DICAN Chairman, Comrade Idehai Frederick emphasised that the partnership will enhance cultural exchange between Nigeria and Belgium.
He said the role of media in promoting democracy, good governance and bilateral relations cannot be overemphasized.
“We will provide your country with the needed support in the area of quality and credible reportage for the sake of humanity,” Idehai said.
The visit also touched on the upcoming DICAN Diplomatic/Security International Conference, scheduled for June 19, 2025, in Abuja to brainstorm on how to make the world a better and safer place.
“We want to enhance bilateral relations through our engagement and agenda setting.
“When governments across the nations of the world know that journalists are interested in monitoring their programmes, they wake up and address their challenges,” Idehai stated.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has strongly condemned the recent killings of about 16 Nigerians, mainly northerners, by an armed group in Edo State.
In a statement signed by Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, Minority Whip, Rep. Ali Isa JC, Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Aliyu Madaki, and other leaders of the caucus on Saturday, the caucus described the attack as “barbaric” and “reprehensible,” warning that if such violence is not curbed, it could threaten national peace and unity.
“We find such brutal killings of innocent Nigerians in any part of the country by lawless mobs very reprehensible, and if allowed to fester without being put in check by responsible organs of the federal government, such actions could threaten the peace and unity of the country,” the statement read.
The lawmakers urged Nigerians to avoid taking the law into their own hands and instead seek the intervention of law enforcement agencies when faced with security concerns.
The Minority Caucus called for swift action, and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“We implore all Nigerians to never resort to such jungle attacks on their fellow citizens but to always implore the services of lawful authorities whenever they notice any issue of concern.
“In the face of this grave incident, which is already setting emotions on edge in parts of the country, we hereby call on the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to direct the security agencies to investigate this matter and bring all those involved in the killings to book in order to prevent its recurrence. And also adequate compensation should be paid to the affected families,” they demanded.
The caucus also appealed to Nigerians to remain calm and allow the government to handle the matter.
“We also call on all Nigerians to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding and allow the federal and state governments to get to the root of this matter in the interest of justice,” the caucus stated.
The lawmakers extended their condolences to the families of the victims, and assured Nigerians of their commitment to ensuring justice is served.
“We express our sincere sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims even as we assure them and all Nigerians that we, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, will remain eternally vigilant until justice is done on this matter,” the statement continued.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Suspected gunmen abducted a landlord and his daughter in the Ijede area of Ikorodu in Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos police spokesperson, said the kidnappers abducted the victims on Wednesday.
Hundeyin added that on Saturday, the command rescued the kidnapped victims unhurt and handed them over to their family members.
According to the police spokesperson, the command has launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.
“The police received information that some kidnappers invaded Ijede community and kidnapped two persons,” the statement reads.
“Upon receipt of the report, police operatives were mobilised to the scene where it was observed that the kidnappers forcefully gained entrance into the house of a 40-year-old man, killed the security dog and kidnapped him.
“The kidnappers equally forced their way into the nearby house and kidnapped the landlord’s 25-year-old daughter.
“With the collaborative efforts of both the police joint task force and other stakeholders, the kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt and handed over to their family members.
“The area is relatively calm and being closely monitored, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the wanted suspects.”
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