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Declare State Of Emergency In Health Sector, NMA Tells Buhari, Govs …. As 10,296 Nigerian Doctors Relocate To UK

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The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and state governors to declare a State of Emergency on the nation’s Health Care Sector in order to protect welfare of the citizenry.
This is just as the association described as alarming the high brain drain hitting the sector in the last seven years when 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria, left the country to currently practise in the United Kingdom.
The National President of the association, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, who spoke through the Ondo State Chairman of NMA, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, made this declaration at a press briefing in Akure to mark the 2022 Physicians’ Week.
According to Ojinmah, “Furthermore, let me inform you all that the Nigerian doctor is poorly paid, over worked, lack necessary work tools and has become a target for kidnap. We as Nigerian doctors have been taken from the lofty heights of nobility to nothingness by the neglect and possible disdain for the health sector by successive governments.
“The penchant of state governments for seizing or slashing our salaries and paying it piecemeal at their convenience without interest has become a subject of folklore and hence cannot be allowed to continue. On the need to review CONMESS, let me inform you that the ball is now in court of the government and they are foot-dragging.
“Let no one take our civility for weakness as we shall do all within limits of legality to protect the interest of the Nigerian doctor while the government continues in their “search” for obvious reasons behind medical brain drain.
“It is a heartbreaking situation for Nigerian doctors because review of CONMESS has been due since 2014 based on the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement we signed with the government which stipulated a review after five years.
“We hereby call on all well-meaning citizens and statesmen to intervene now and not blame doctors later.
“The theme of this year’s Physicians’ Week (Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery System and The 2023 Democratic Transition: A Time To Change The Narrative) is in tandem with the most important upcoming event in Nigeria while the sub-themes(Mitigating The Impact Of Brain Drain On The Dwindling Human Resource For Health In Nigeria and Health Sector Reforms In The Face Of Emerging Public Health Threats) were chosen as continued reminder to our Governments that things are falling apart in the health sector.
“The era of blind loyalty is over. Let us all patiently wait to hear the plans of the presidential candidates for Nigeria, especially in the health sector before pitching our political support tent. On the sub-themes; the issue of progressive depletion of human resource for health cannot be over emphasised.
“With the recent article from online Punch Newspaper of October 9, 2022 titled “200 Nigerian Doctors Move to UK in One Month”, the fact that checks on the website of the General Medical Council (GMC), the body which licenses and maintains the official register of medical practitioners in the UK, showed that the GMC licensed at least 200 Nigerian-trained doctors between August 31, 2022, and September 30, 2022 was revealed.
“The statistics also showed that between January 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022, about 1,307 doctors trained in Nigeria were licensed in the UK as Nigeria continues to battle one of the worst situations of brain drain in its history. ‘Overall, 10,296 doctors who obtained their degrees in Nigeria currently practise in the UK’.
“Dispersion of the emigration data for Nigeria trained doctors to UK is as follows: 233 in 2015, 279 in 2016, 475 in 2017, 852 in 2018, 1,347 in 2019, 833 in 2020 inspite of COVID Pandemic and 932 in 2021 during recovery from COVID.
“Currently, Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors working in the UK after India and Pakistan.
“Meanwhile, while we are losing our human resource for health in geometric progression, Lassa Viral Heamorrhagic fever, Malaria, COVID, Ebola, Marburg, etc are still very much available in the face of worsening incidences of Systemic Hypertension with or without complications, Diabetes mellitus with or without complications, osteoarthritis, etc.
“We call on our governments to quickly declare emergency action in Nigeria’s health sector for the sake of her citizens.
“Despite the national drawbacks, the Nigerian doctor has a lot to celebrate this week just for being alive. Let me also inform you all that we had a very successful outing in Berlin at the General Assembly of the World Medical Association (WMA).
“I’m glad to inform you that our past president, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has taken over as the president of the World Medical Association. We have confidence in his ability to lead WMA well and hence project Nigeria positively to the world,” the NMA boss concluded.
As part of the ongoing celebration of the Physicians’ Week, members of the State Executive Council ably led by the Chairman, Dr. O. Adeyemi-Osowe, visited the Ondo State Children’s Correctional Centre, Ondo Road, Akure; to share gift items and render medical support to the children with a promise to institutionalize a medical post at the centre.
Receiving the team was the officer-in-charge of the centre.

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FG To Seize Retirees’ Property Over Unpaid Housing Loans

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The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board says it has begun the compilation of list of retired civil servants who have defaulted on the full repayment of housing loans obtained.
Head of Information and Public Relations, FGSHLB, Mrs Ngozi Obiechina, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Obiechina quoted the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mrs Salamatu Ahmed, as saying that the move was aimed at recovering mortgaged properties from retirees who failed to meet their loan obligations.
Ahmed noted that the decision followed a recent memo issued by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to her, the memo reminded public servants of the mandatory requirement to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society as a precondition for retirement.
The Executive Secretary said that the board would take necessary legal steps to repossess properties where applicable, in line with the terms of the loan agreements.
She said this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, “ she added.

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FG Begins Induction For New Permanent Secretaries, Accountant-General

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The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
“The expectations are high, and the responsibility is immense. But with commitment and teamwork, we can deliver a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred public service.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she stated.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by a distinguished faculty, including Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
The induction programme will feature sessions on public sector leadership, policy delivery, ethics in service, digital transformation, and performance management.

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NNPCL To Undergo Forensic Audit Soon -FG

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The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will begin soon.
Edun revealed this at the ongoing Nigerian Investor Forum, held alongside the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The minister explained that the recent changes in the NNPCL management are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to clean up and examine the company closely.
While addressing top global investors, including representatives from J.P. Morgan, Edun shared key reforms the government has introduced to revive the economy and restore investor confidence.
He told the investors that the government’s bold economic steps have laid a strong foundation to attract private investment.
He stated, “Our goal is not just to maintain this momentum, but to accelerate it. We are targeting seven per cent annual growth, and we believe the policies we have implemented have laid the groundwork to achieve this.”
Edun highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has rolled out major reforms that are already making a difference.
He added that the Nigerian economy grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and recorded a 3.4 per cent growth for the year.
Edun further stressed the importance of the reforms, describing them as “unprecedented,” adding that, “We said we would do it, and now we have done it. This time, we’re staying the course.”
He pointed out signs of progress such as lower budget deficits, a better trade balance, and a more stable exchange rate.
He also said that the focus is now on growing key sectors, especially agriculture.
According to Edun, agriculture is at the top of the government’s agenda, with the aim of improving food supply and increasing productivity.
“We aim to close the food supply gap, not by importing more, but by enabling domestic producers to scale and innovate,” he said.
On infrastructure, Edun revealed that the government has rolled out 90,000km of fibre optic cable to improve internet access.
He said this move is crucial for supporting young Nigerians and tech startups.
He also noted that 4,000km of roads have been offered for private sector participation, with the first 1,000km already approved for construction.

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