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Kwara Gov, WHO Canvass Better Funding for Primary Healthcare

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From Alfred Babs, Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday sought improved funding for primary healthcare and easing of legal logjams militating against effective running of what the governor described as the bedrock of healthcare worldwide.

Speaking at the opening session of a one-day meeting on improving primary healthcare delivery attended by Commissioners of Health and Executive Secretaries of the Primary Healthcare Development Agencies (PHCDAs) from 22 states governed by All Progressives Congress (APC), the Governor said more attention ought to go into primary healthcare because of its significance for the society.

“At the moment primary healthcare caters for less than 20% of potential patients in Nigeria.

This explains why enough resources and multi-stakeholders’ collaboration must go into this key area to change the narrative,” he observed.

“I acknowledge and commend the policy of primary healthcare under one roof. But the success of this policy depends on how much political will and resources we are ready to muster. We will also need to clear some constitutional impediments standing on its way.  I expect that experts and sector players at this event will give a breakdown of these challenges and offer sustainable solutions.”

The Governor, who said the administration inherited a poorly funded PHCDA and collapsed infrastructure in the state, said Kwara has since turned the page through constant payment of counterpart funds and implementation of other strategies to improve access to quality basic healthcare.

 “For the first time since the establishment of primary healthcare agency in the state, we have recruited and deployed 42 new health workers. A process to recruit additional 155 is underway. We have renovated and equipped 27 PHCs across the state. We have conducted refresher trainings for hundreds of healthcare workers this year alone on life saving skills, patient care management, basic emergency obstetric care etc. I have also approved the engagement of 200 Community Health Influencers Promoters Scheme (CHIPS) agents to strengthen basic healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

“We have promptly paid and will continue to pay counterpart funds to ensure that necessary health care interventions are available to our people. The implementation of Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) has taken off in the state, with 158 facilities so far cleared and equipped to enrol in the scheme. 

“We have set up and adequately funded the State Emergency Routine Immunisation Coordination Centre. And just recently, the State Emergency Maternal and Child Health Intervention Centre was activated to revamp maternal and Child Health intervention services across our PHCs.

“We are also activating the Community Health Influencers Promoters Scheme (CHIPS). Approval has been given for immediate recruitment of 200 CHIPS agents to strengthen basic healthcare in our state,” he added.

World Health Organisation Country Representative Dr Walter Mulombo said Nigeria has been making commendable efforts to deepen public access to primary healthcare over the past few years, adding that such efforts had resulted in the primary healthcare under one roof policy and the basic healthcare provision fund.

“The rapid scale of these interventions in addition to the revitalisation of 10,000 primary healthcare centres by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari attests to the selfless leadership and commitment by the current government to the people of Nigeria,” Mulombo said.

Director-General of Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman said the meeting was part of the plan of the APC controlled states to produce a policy framework on primary healthcare development agency with a view to ensuring uniformity in addressing issues of maternal health and nutrition.

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Tinubu Honors Buhari, Renames University of Maiduguri after Late President

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By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.

“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.

The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.

Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.

“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.

“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.

Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.

He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.

“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”

Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.

The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.

“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.

“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.

Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.

He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.

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C’River First Female NUJ Chairman Describes Tenure as Trial Period

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The first female Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Cross River, Archibong Bassey has said that her first tenure in office was a trial period.

Bassey, who was returned unopposed in council’s election, made the assertion in an interview on Thursday in Calabar.

The Bassey- led executive was first elected on 9th May 2025, to complete the tenure of Nsa Gill, who was then appointed as Chief Press Secretary to Gov.

Bassey Otu.

The chairman, who thanked the members for keeping faith in her and her team, said that she would improve on her achievements while correcting any mistakes she might have made in her first tenure.

She pleaded that any member who she must have offended in the course of her leadership should forgive her as she was not perfect and called for unity among members.

“Let’s leave any form of rancour behind, I need all your support;push me from the back, support me as you can.

‘’Tell me your ideas of moving the council forward and not what someone told you about me; I am asking God for the spirit of humility and love, to enable me lead the council well.’’

Earlier in his goodwill message, Dr Erasmus Ekpang, Cross River’s Commissioner for Information, had commended the union’s unity in electing its new executives.

According to Ekpang, they will continue as a government to give the Cross River Council of NUJ what it needs and all the necessary support to enable it carry out its functions objectively.

“I want to thank you for your unity, it’s better to come unopposed, I believe one day, the Cross River Council will emerge as the best in the nation,” he said.

Other executive members who were returned unopposed are Mr Sunday Inah of the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC) as Vice Chairman, Michael Abang of Business Day as Secretary.

Others are Kingsley Agim of the Cross River Ministry of Information as Assistant Secretary, Mrs Achiane Adams of the Ministry of Information, Treasurer, and Benedine Tete Anam of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Auditor.

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Gov Makinde Confered With Prestigious Chieftaincy Title of Aare Omoluabi of Akure Land by Akure Kingdom

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The Akure Kingdom will today bestow a prestigious chieftaincy title, Aare Omoluabi of Akure Land, meaning President of the Respectable People, upon His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

The conferment ceremony, which will take place in Akure, Ondo State, marks a significant recognition of Governor Makinde’s exemplary leadership, integrity, and contributions to the advancement of Yoruba culture and national development.

The title, one of the highest honors in the Akure Kingdom, celebrates individuals who embody the virtues of respect, dignity, and service to humanity.

Governor Makinde’s conferment reflects his outstanding commitment to good governance, infrastructural development, and fostering unity across Nigeria.

The ceremony will be attended by traditional rulers, dignitaries, and government officials, underscoring the significance of this historic event.

This honor further strengthens the bond between Oyo and Ondo States, fostering mutual respect and cooperation for the progress of the Yoruba nation and Nigeria at large.

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