The Enugu State Government on Wednesday sealed unregistered hospitals and pharmaceutical stores in Enugu and Nsukka areas of the state to safeguard public health.

The health facilities were sealed during a two-day Monitoring Exercise of the Expanded Joint Inspectorate of the State Ministry of Health, Regulatory Bodies and Associations of medical health groups in Enugu.

The Director, Medical Services, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Sam Egwuonwu, said the
exercise was to fish out hospitals that had not registered with the state’s Ministry of Health but were operating.

He disclosed that the operation also involved those who had not renewed their annual registration fee.

According to him, the monitoring yielded fruits as they sealed more than six private hospitals and health institutions.

“It was joint inspection of all the stakeholders in the health sector in Enugu such as the Nigeria Medical Association, Medical and Dental Midwifery, Laboratory Councils, Association of Nurses, Pharmacists in Enugu, Civil Society Organisations, Police and Media.

“We have two teams, one in Enugu thencapital and another in Nsukka. The idea is to make all the private health facilities in the state legal and ensured they register with the Ministry of Health.

“And if you register and did not renew, your operation that year is illegal and by making them register will reduce quackery in the state and generate revenue for the government, Egwuonwu explained.

He assured of the prioritisation of people’s health, adding that the task force would ensure that hospitals in the state practice according to approved standards.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, said the exercise was to optimise healthcare delivery and reduce fatalities linked to illegal operations.

Obi added that the team would inspect healthcare facilities in both urban and rural areas.

He urged residents to verify the status of any health facility before patronising them.

Comrade Innocent Ejike, an official of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Enugu Chapter, said the association also checked if the nurses and other medical personnel were qualified and registered.

“On our own, we check if they have registered nurses and practicing licenses and if hospital is operating without nurses, we seal it.

“If they are operating without doctors, we seal it, same thing goes to the medical laboratory,” Ejike said

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, says the Federal Government will soon finalise N1.5 trillion road concession project.

Edun made the statement during a meeting with some private sector investors in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the government was on the verge of finalising the landmark N1.

The minister said that the initiative aimed to involve private sector partners in the reconstruction and management of nine major highways across the country, spanning approximately 900 kilometers.

He said that the partners had almost completed all arrangements for the highways, which they would finance, rebuild, and maintain under 25-years concession agreements.

Edun said that the concessionaires were expected to recoup their investments through tolling fees.

“We met the concessionaires who have virtually concluded all the agreement arrangements for nine roads, nine major highways, which they are contracting to refinance the rebuilding of and to recover their funds from tolling fees under 25-year or so agreements.

“And we met them to iron out the remaining administrative obstacles for the kicking off construction of these roads,” he said.

Edun said that the substantial private sector investment would bridge budgetary gaps.

He added that it would also allow investors to undertake revenue-generating projects, leveraging their expertise and resources for long-term implementation and maintenance.

“Thereafter, it will be a question of signing the addendums and moving to the site.

“As you know, already the 125-kilometer Benin–Asaba Highway concession agreement has been signed. The addendum has been signed.

“All arrangements have been finalised, in fact, the ministry of works have handed over the road to the concessionaires.

“They have already started the preliminary arrangements for reconstruction of that road in place of a 10 lane highway.

“It is an investment, it’s a project and an initiative that will reduce the travel time between Benin and Asaba right up to the Niger Bridge,” the minister said.

Edun said that the Benin–Asaba Highway project, which has already commenced, is expected to reduce travel time between Benin and Asaba from four hours to one hour, significantly enhancing productivity and efficiency in the region.

He described the HDMI, launched in 2021, as a strategic programme by the federal government aimed at attracting private sector investment to improve Nigeria’s federal road network.

Edun said that the initiative seeks to address the challenges of inadequate funding and maintenance by leveraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to develop and manage road infrastructure.

Under the HDMI, 12 highways were initially selected for concession, covering a total of 1,963 kilometers.

These roads include Benin–Asaba, Abuja–Lokoja, Kano–Katsina, Onitsha–Owerri–Aba, Shagamu–Benin, Abuja–Keffi–Akwanga, Kano–Shuari.

Others are Potiskum–Damaturu, Lokoja–Benin, Enugu–Port Harcourt, Ilorin–Jebba, Lagos–Ota–Abeokuta, and Lagos–Badagry–Seme roads.

The minister said that the initiative was projected to generate over 50,000 direct and 200,000 indirect jobs, contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth and development.

The Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi who joined the meeting virtually reassured the private sector partners on the HDMI of the federal government commitment.

He said that everything possible would be done to resolve the contending issues, adding he will soon be back to address all pending issues.

One of the concessionaires, Mr Kola Karim, representing Shoreline, emphasised the need for right and enforceable documents stipulating the takeoff and handover dates, which would attract investors to invest their funds.

Other private sector partners also requested for the addendum to the original agreement to be signed that would enable toll sections of the completed highways while work was in progress on other sections.

They noted that each concessionaire has unique challenges that should be dealt with accordingly.

Also in the meeting were Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, and the Director General Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr Jobson Ewalefoh

 In a bid to accelerate Artificial Intelligence adoption across industries, Huawei says it has launched AI Data Lake Solution, to deliver high-quality datasets and speed up model training.

Speaking in a statement on Wednesday, Mr Peter Zhou, Vice President of Huawei, emphasised that being AI-ready required being data-ready, noting that the industry digitalisation relied on converting data into actionable insights.

He explained that the AI Data Lake Solution combined data storage management and resource allocation with AI tools, enabling businesses to leverage AI effectively.

Zhou also highlighted the importance of data management, noting that Huawei’s Data Management Engine (DME) provided data visibility, manageability and mobility across regions.

He said that the DME helped customers eliminate data silos and unlock the full potential of their data.

He noted that the DME platform integrated the Omni-Dataverse, enabling customers to efficiently process data and retrieve information from over 100 billion files in seconds.

“Furthermore, the AI Data Lake Solution features resource management capabilities, including efficient xPU resource pooling and intelligent scheduling, powered by virtualisation and container technologies.

“This enables enterprises to boost resource utilisation, create an exceptional operation and maintenance experience with AI-powered applications, ” he said.

Zhou’s underscored the significance of data infrastructure in driving industry intelligence, and Huawei’s commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions.

He said that the AI Data Lake Solution was poised to accelerate AI adoption across industries, enabling enterprises to harness the power of data and drive business success.

Zhou noted that with its technology and innovative approach, Huawei was set to make a significant impact in the AI landscape, empowering businesses to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

“The launch of the AI Data Lake Solution is a testament to Huawei’s dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction, and its potential to transform industries and drive growth,,”Zhou said.