By David Torough, Abuja

The Acting Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), Prof. Stephen Abah has promised a stronger collaboration with the Memorial Hospital, Ugbokolo for better health services to the people.

Prof. Abah stated this when he received a team of management of the hospital led by the Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director, Dr.

The Vice Chancellor expressed his profound gratitude and thanked the management of the hospital for the visit and described the CEO of the Hospital, Dr. Ogbodo as a long time friend who has a quest for excellence.

On his part, Dr Mark Ogbodo, who is a FUHSO Ambassador and the Immediate Past Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Medical Association, Benue State Branch as well as the Immediate Past Secretary of the Association of the Nigerian Authors, Benue State Chapter said that the visit was to congratulate Prof.

Dr. Ogbodo who described Prof. Abah as a great achiever and mentor to many and whose achievements are commendable, presented to him, on behalf of the Hospital, an Award of Excellence, in recognition of his exceptional achievements and contributions to academic and medical excellence in Nigeria, examplary leadership prowess and in appreciation of his countless courtesies extended to Lydia Memorial Hospital.

He added that the Hospital’s vision is to ensure a complete state of well-being of patients and promote healthy medical practices in all forms with the mission to provide affordable and easily accessible excellent healthcare services through God’s gifted hands in the purest forms is also poised to deliver the best healthcare services to the people.

Other dignitaries at the occasion were the University’s Bursar, Librarian, Registrar and other members of the university management.

The Benue House of Assembly presided over by its Speaker, Hyacinth Dajo has summoned the former special adviser to Gov. Hyacinth Alia on the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr Dennis Akura.

Akura is to appear before during plenary on Tuesday to explain and refund N1.

The resolution follows a motion moved by Mr Thomas Dugeri (APC/Kwande West) after a report of the ad-hoc committee that investigated the operations and financial records at the local government level covering the period June 2023 to June 2024 that indicted Akura.

Dugeri said that the house requested that Akura should refund the sum of N1.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the reactions of Akura on social media denigrated, maligned, and impugned the resolutions and integrity of the house by calling them unprintable names, claiming that he was not given a fair hearing.

He said that he labelled the house report as not being based on empirical facts and evidence.

Dugeri added that as representatives of the people and responsible house that believed in fairness, transparency, equity, and justice, he humbly requested that Akura should appear before the lawmakers.

According to him, the former adviser is to explain to the Benue people why he cannot refund N 1.78 billion funds he short-changed various local governments for security purposes and compromised the security architecture of the state.

He further stated that all the past local government chairmen who served from June 2023 to June 2024 should equally appear before the house.

The lawmaker stated that they were to appear alongside the directors of general services and administration, treasurers, and security officers of various local governments at the plenary as well to enable the Benue people to establish the veracity of the report.

He warned government appointees against disparaging and spewing unnecessary invective on honourable members who were carrying out their constitutional duties for the interest of Benue people.

They pointed out that in line with the Supreme Court Judgement on Local Government and Financial Autonomy, the house should initiate and accelerate the process of amendment of the Local Government Law.

According to them, doing so would curtail the powers and excesses of the Bureau of Local Government so as to promote the local government financial autonomy.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari once rejected an offer of land in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during his tenure.

Buhari’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

He was reacting to reports that a piece of land belonging to the former president was seized by the FCT authorities.

” As a person, the former president has a plot of land to his name in Abuja,” he said.

Shehu said Buhari rejected the offer of land when he and his cabinet members were invited to fill forms for allocation.

He said the former president had insisted that he already had land in the FCT, adding it should be given to those who did not have.

” President Buhari is personally not the owner of the said plot of land which is allocated in the name of “Muhammadu Buhari Foundation,” he stated.

Shehu said the foundation was itself floated lawfully by some ‘utilitarian individuals’ around Buhari.

The foundation, he added, was supported by some well-meaning persons.

He said the promoters of the foundation, however, ran into a ” roadblock” when the Federal Capital Development Authority gave them an ” outrageous” bill for the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy.

Shehu said the bill did not compare with the bills given to similar organisations.

“It may have been that this was not erroneous, but a deliberate mistake, making the revocation of land as no surprise to anyone,” he said.

He urged those engaging in speculation on social media to ” get their facts right and stop dragging down the name of the former president.” (NAN)