Doyin Okupe, the former director general of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has reportedly received an apology from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for their “mistake” in holding him in custody.
Okupe was detained by Department of State Services (DSS) personnel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State, and then turned over to the EFCC, which had earlier “asked for the action.”
For medical reasons, the former presidential adviser was traveling to London, United Kingdom.
Remember that the former PCC DG for the Labour Party resigned in 2022 after being found guilty of money laundering by a court. However, after complying all the requirements, he was given bail.
When asked about Okupe’s detention, DSS Spokesman Peter Afunanya said: “Doyin Okupe was intercepted by the DSS at Terminal 1 of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC.
He has long been handed over to the Commission which requested for the action. Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic.”
Meanwhile, the former aide on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, through his official Twitter handle, @doyinokupe stated, “I was arrested & detained @ the MM int airport, Lagos this morning 12th Jan on my way to UK for medicals yrs of my passport being withheld by the FHC Abuja.I hv just left the efcc office where snr officers in lagos& Abuja appologised to me for the error. OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARD abi?”
Reports indicate that one of Okupe’s lawyers, Tolu Babaleye said that the DSS asked him to provide court processes where he paid the fine option following his money laundering conviction by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
“When will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Doyin Okupe? As at today, the man has no case to answer anywhere, I hereby demand that the DSS should release my Client immediately as this is a violation of his freedom of movement, right to liberty and dignity of human person. This is unfair as man ‘s health is fast failing!,” Babaleye quizzed.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced the sale of 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry (DE) application document for Nigeria and foreign centres.
Application from appropriately qualified people is requested foradmission to Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2023 academic year.
The period for registration for UTME candidates including those from foreign countries is from Saturday 14, 2023 to Tuesday 14 February, 2023.
PIN vending for UTME end on Tuesday 14 February 2023, while registration closes on Friday, 17, 2023.
Registration period for direct entry only: Candidates are to have valid and functional personal e-mail address before commencing the process.
Direct Entry application would commence from Monday, 20 February, 2023 to Thursday 20 April 2023. Registration for DE would only be at the Board’s State and zonal offices.
General entry requirement: The general requirement for admission into first degree, National Diploma (ND), National innovation Diploma (NID) and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme are five (5) o’level credit passes including English Language. In addition to credit in Mathematics is required for law and science-based and social science programmes. Direct Entry
Candidates with any of the following qualifications may be considered for admission: A minimum of O’level pass in five (5) SSSC subjects at not more than two sittigs with two prescribed subject for each programme. Two passes (in prescribed subjects for each (,programme) course of study at the A’level Examination awarded by IJMB, Cambridge, JUPEB or institute of Baccalaureate with 3 credit passes in the SSSC.
Credit passes in two major subjects in NCE with 3 other credit passes in SSSC, NTC/NBC (mainly for technical and education programmes). Minimum of credit grade in University/National Diploma or Nation Innovation diploma with the appropriate O’level.
***Reached 17 States with Sensitive/Non-Sensitive Materials
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stressed on Tuesday that the dates of February 25 and March 11 for the presidential/national and governorship/state assembly elections, respectively, remain sacred and that no changes to the schedule of the 2023 general election are being considered.
While delivering the final list of registered voters to all 18 registered political parties vying for seats in the 2023 elections in Abuja, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the electoral commission, closed the window for any modifications.
Additionally, he took use of the opportunity to separate the commission from a claim that the poll may be threatened with cancellation owing to security issues, which was made by a director of the commission.
Prof Yakubu hinted that the position presented by the staff does not reflect the position of INEC. and hence should be disregarded.
Stressing the sanctity of the scheduled dates for the polls, the INEC chairman disclosed that already substancial quantities of both sensitive and and nonsensitive materials have started arriving the various states with 44 days left to the opening of ballot on February 25.
He stressed that the commission has never had this kind of forward looking preparation, coming 44 days to commencement of poll.
According to him:”Already, substantial quantities of sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been deployed to various locations across the country. The last batch of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been received while the ongoing configuration of the critical technology in readiness for elections will soon be completed.
“In the last two days, we commenced the airlifting of other sensitive materials to States across the country. Already, some of the materials for 17 States in three geo-political zones have been delivered. Furthermore, 13,868,441 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) have been printed, delivered to States and are being collected by citizens as new voters or by existing voters who applied for transfer or replacement of cards as provided by law.
“Similarly, following the display of the voters’ register nationwide and the conclusion of claims and objections by citizens, a new national register of voters has been compiled. In short, at no time in the recent history of the Commission has so much of the forward planning and implementation been accomplished 44 days ahead of a General Election.
” Therefore, the Commission is not contemplating any adjustment to the election timetable, let alone the postponement of the General Election. For the avoidance of doubt, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday 25th February 2023 while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold two weeks later on Saturday 11th March 2023″.
He said the commission is further boosted by “the repeated assurance by the security agencies for the adequate protection of our personnel, materials and processes, insisting that the ” 2023 General Election will hold as scheduled. Any report to the contrary is not the official position of the Commission”.
In all he said that a total of 93,469,008 registered voters, made up of 49,054,162 (52.5%) male and 44,414,846 (47.5%) female, will decide the fate of the presidential candidates, assuring of a credible, transparent and free and fair elections
“I would like to reiterate our commitment to transparent, credible and inclusive 2023 General Election. We will continue to take every step to protect the sanctity of the votes cast by citizens and to deal with infractions, including the arrest and prosecution of persons that attempt to perpetuate illegality at Polling Units on Election Day, be they underaged voters or vote buyers”. . In his reaction the Secretary of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantale while commending INEC Chairman for elaborate organization made ahead of the elections lambasted the unseen hands he said have been working secretly to thwart the efforts of the Commission.
Dantale assured that IPAC as a body will collaborate with INEC to ensure and insist that votes count.
“The next election is going to be an election that its kind has not been witnessed in the country because it is going to be the first time that technology would be deployed to accredit voters and to also transmit results. We are aware that some politicians have been working secretly to undermine the efforts of INEC, but we must ensure that power truly returns to the people.
“We will ensure that the anti-democratic forces don’t have their way. The use of the special device must be encouraged because it will discourage vote buying and the issue of writing results”,he stressed.
The Supreme Court has set January 13 as the date for its decision on the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Jigawa state.
Umar Namadi had won the lawsuit at both the Federal High Court in Dutse and the Court of Appeal Kano Division.
Farouk Aliyu, on the other hand, is appealing the November 4, 2022 verdict of the Court of Appeal Kano Division, which dismissed his earlier appeal and affirmed Namadi’s election as the APC’s governorship candidate in Jigawa state.
On Wednesday, a five-member panel of Supreme Court Justices chaired by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun set the date for decision.
At Wednesday’s sitting, a five-member panel of Justices of the apex court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun fixed the date for judgment after taking arguments from parties in the appeal filed by Aliyu, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
The panel also heard a cross appeal by Umar Namadi, the current Deputy Governor of Jigawa state.
It would be nice, that a three-member panel presided over by Justice Ita Mbaba, in the November 4, judgment, unanimously dismissed Aliyu’s appeal against the September 13, 2022 judgement by Justice Hassan Dikko of the Federal High Court, Dutse, for lacking in merit.
Justice Dikko had, in the judgment, held among others, that Aliyu lacked the locus standi to approach the court and added that he failed to prove his case with credible evidence.
However, in the cross appeal filed by Lateef Fagbemi SAN, Namadi is challenging a portion of the Court of Appeal judgment which upturned the trial court’s decision that Aliyu lacked the locus standi to have filed the suit which did not qualify as a pre-election case.
Adopting his client’s brief on Wednesday, Fagbemi on behalf of Namadi urged the panel to dismiss the appeal by Aliyu and allow his client’s cross appeal. Fagbemi argued that the Appeal Court was wrong to have exercised jurisdiction over Aliyu’s appeal, which arose “from an action improperly constituted.”.
Lawyer to Aliyu, Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN objected and prayed the court to allow his client’s appeal.
Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Nigerians to support candidates with appropriate expertise, a track record, and knowledge of the best methods and policies to implement in order to bring about the necessary change for a better Nigeria.
Speaking at an endorsement/sensitization rally organized by the Lagos State Chapters of the National Association of Education Secretaries of Nigeria (NAESN) and Association of Primary School Heads of Nigeria (AOPSHON) on Wednesday at the Agege Stadium, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, offered the advice.
He praised the organizations for their efforts and for endorsing the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, emphasizing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s expertise, competence, and audacity , adding that he has the antecedent of selecting the right people and team that can put the nation on the right pedestal and build the Nigeria of our dream.
“We need a person who is experienced, competent, bold and brainy, who can look and pick the right people for the good of our country and citizens and Asiwaju is the one. He is experienced and competent”
Commenting on achievements made so far by his administration, the Governor said he has performed greatly well. Citing the education sector, he said, the state government has so far employed over 3,000 teachers; built schools; equipped her teachers with tablets which have made teaching easy, good welfare packages for teachers among others.
He, therefore, advised that political candidates should stop lying to Lagosians as the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has performed creditably well in all sectors and deserves a second term.
The Governor charged them to ensure that they mobilize and sensitize all the citizens to vote massively for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the February and March 2023 elections to ensure progress for Lagos State and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Akeem Amosu, Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of NAESN, earlier in his welcome address stated that his association in collaboration with the state chapter of AOPSHON put together the rally, to lend a supportive voice to the aspirations of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the 2023 general elections owing to their antecedents and performance in governance.
Describing the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the father of modern Lagos who has left his footprints in the sands of time, Amosu added that the associations hold a strong conviction that if he emerges as the next president of the country, it will be a turning point for Nigeria and an end to the economic doldrums as well a bright and new beginning for the country.
Comrade Olukayode Edun, Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of AOPSHON, said they are supporting the APC Candidates to appreciate the contributions of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration for massively investing in the education sector and teachers in the State.
He, therefore, charged all members of the associations to ensure that they mobilize and ensure that APC candidates win at all levels during the 2023 general lectures.
Comrade Akintoye Hassan, Lagos State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), stated that Lagos State has been on a very solid foundation since 1999 and any attempt by anyone or group to disrupt the progress of the state should be resisted.
He urged teachers not to hide their faces at this time considering the good gestures they have benefited during the Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
He highlighted that “monthly salary has never failed, promotion of teachers has been steady, brand new cars yearly given to teachers to mention a few of the privileges they enjoy”. He, therefore, enjoined the teachers to come out and vote for APC candidates during the elections.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has pleaded with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to permit it to substitute candidates for various elective offices in accordance with court orders just weeks before the start of the February 2023 general elections.
The party further emphasized to INEC that the Electoral Act supersedes the Commission’s rules on the deadline for candidates’ final submission.
On Wednesday, Rufai Alkali, the national chairman of the NNPP, told reporters in Abuja that the party had asked the court to interpret the electoral act and that the decision had been in its favor.
He disclosed that NNPP has forwarded the correspondence to INEC “but INEC said no and instead they went to appeal the matter and we also won.”
Alkali explained that “We have already written a letter to INEC and we are waiting for them to respond so that we can validly nominate candidates from the party.
We also have another case which came about two or three days ago, which is about 300 House of Assembly candidates and in such an issue you have to substitute them because you cannot force anybody to be your candidate.”
While commending the electoral body for timely preparation ahead of the poll, he said, “We appreciate the enormity of the assignments before INEC, we however believe the Commission should continue to implement Court rulings, the better for our Country.”
He further added, “We have invited you members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to brief you on activities involving our Party, NNPP, especially our court matters with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Our party has reasons to take INEC to court over disagreements on the issue of uploading and submission of names of some of our Candidates.”
This is even as he commended the judiciary, adding that “Our great party, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) wishes to use this medium to express our appreciation and gratitude to Nigerian Judiciary for being the last bastion of hope for the people and a pillar of democracy and democratic processes particularly leading to the 2023 general election.
“Our party, NNPP particularly, has benefitted immensely from the sound judgments of the Federal High Court and Appellate Court which were delivered with dispatch in spite of the court’s overcrowded dockets plates for Candiality.
“We also wish to use this medium to most especially appreciate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the able leadership of amiable Patriotic Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for its sense of responsibility to the promotion of rule of law and commitment to conducting the most credible election in 2023.
“In the same spirit, we most humbly urge the Commission to urgently comply with the Court orders expeditiously delivered by the courts so as to further build up confidence of the Political parties and general public in the Commission’s unflinching and unwavering commitment to conducting free, fair and credible election in the 2023 General Election.
“We want to use this opportunity to assure Prof. Mahmood Yakubu of our confidence in him and his Commission to deliver a sound election that will stand the test of time. We therefore pledge our unflinching support for him and INEC.
Speaking on the crux of the issue between the electoral umpire and the party, Alkali said, “On the first set of candidates, the lower court gave us a favourable judgment, about 80 National Assembly candidates were to be substituted
“Subsequently, we had a separate case of two senatorial candidates who purchased our forms and were screened and nominated after the primaries. One was senator Ibrahim Shekarau from Kano and the other one from Taraba State. Also one of our deputy governorship candidates from Yobe state who just suddenly from nowhere sold the position. I understand he collected N500m.
“There is another House of Assembly candidate from Potiskum, Yobe State. You know the place of a deputy governor, no governor can run without a deputy. So when somebody is withdrawn, he has to be substituted
In the case of Senator Shekarau, he even wrote to INEC telling them that he has withdrawn, while the one from Taraba State went to court to swear an affidavit that he has left the party and the ticket. So we approached INEC about the situation, they said as far as they were concerned, the people were not dead, they were still in the list of candidates of our party.”
***Says 20 Persons Abducted Not 32 As Earlier Announced
The government of Edo State has threatened to confiscate any facility where terrorists or kidnappers are discovered in any community throughout the state and has warned traditional rulers and community leaders of the repercussions of harboring terrorists in their territory.
This information was revealed shortly after it was initially reported that 32 people had been abducted during the Saturday train attack at Igueben Train Station.
When providing an update on the Saturday attack on the Igueben train station, Chris Osa Nekhihare, the commissioner for communication and orientation for the state of Edo, revealed to reporters that Philip Shaibu, the state’s deputy governor, read the riot act to the royal fathers and community leaders during his visit to the area on Tuesday.
According to Nehikhare, the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, has meet with Igueben community leaders, heads of security agencies to assure residents of measures to check crime
“Shaibu informed the people of what government is doing to give morale boost to troup on ground and also review the security strategy.
“The deputy governor warned the people of the consequences of harbouring terrorists in their domain, while telling the royal father’s within the area to sit up because if government found out that they let out their facilities to be used by the kidnappers, such facilities will be confisticated”
The Communication and Orientation Commissioner however disclosed that only 20 persons were kidnapped in the Saturday train attacked at Igueben Station, and not 32 as earlier announced.
With the rescue of seven hostages in the kidnappers dean, according to him, only 13 persons are in custody of the abductors.
Nekhihare who said the latest information was gotten from security intelligence also explained that from intelligence report, the kidnappers only took 20 hostages as against 32 initially reported.
He quoted Shaibu as saying that the government is strengthening security to check crime and criminality, vowing that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration will make the state unsafe for kidnappers and other criminal elements to thrive.
He said the deputy governor was joined at the meeting by other top government officials, including the Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator. Clifford Ordia and the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun, where he called for calm among residents of Igueben LGA, urged members of the public to provide useful information that will aid rescue efforts by security agencies.
Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the governor of Kano state, said on Wednesday that the state would repeat the 1993 election, when it supported a Southern candidate and rejected a Kano resident.
While on a campaign tour for the All Progressives Party (APC) candidates running for various positions in the upcoming general elections, Dr. Ganduje spoke at Kibiya during a courtesy call on the District Head, Sunusi Abubakar Ila. He explained that Kano politics believe in national Integration and competence.
The Tinubu ally stressed “That showed political maturity and dexterity of Kano citizens. We voted for Chief MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and rejected Bashir Othman Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Because we all believed in national integration and competence.”
He said that, the APC Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had in the previous past supported Northerners on different occasions to clinch the presidency.
Dr. Ganduje noted that, “Tinubu was an instrument behind making Atiku Abubakar to become the presidential candidate of Action Congress (AC). He also provided another platform for Nuhu Ribadu to contest for the presidency under the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).”
He explained further that, “as rotational as it is, the presidential contest in the country, provides that, power rotates from North to South and vice versa. “
Ganduje stressed that “Asiwaju Tinubu worked very hard to maintain the equation. Hence, his support for Northern Presidential candidates in the past. One good thing deserves another. We have no other option now, than to support his candidature.”
He noted that, “the only deserving and most competent presidential candidate in the forthcoming election, is being supported by the North because of his (Tinubu) firm belief in nation building, all-encompassing pedigree, firm belief in human and national development among other factors.”
Ganduje had during the state APC rally at Rano introduced all other candidates vying for the positions of Senator, membership of House of Representatives and State Assembly and gubernatorial and deputy gubernatorial positions.
He, however , assured that, “I am presenting to all, our most competent and deserving contestants, who cannot be mates to all other contestants from all other opposition parties.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, commonly known as Jandor, has guaranteed locals that if he wins the upcoming general elections, he will lead an inclusive administration that prioritizes the needs of the general populace.
Adediran made this commitment while touring the wards in the Ikorodu Local Government Area and meeting with representatives from the many communities he visited.
He claimed that the reason he chose to move around the state and visit the various wards and communities was because the residents were deserving of his time. He did this to determine the challenges each community was facing, to have first hand information about the challenges facing them.
The governorship candidate said that he takes note and record the challenges and if he elected in the forthcomin gelecton, he would find solutions to those problems, stressing that people of Lagos State have been in servitude for years because, some politicians deceived them in the past and failed to deliver on the promises made to them.
He noted that,he chose to run for the post of governor to liberate the people of the state
According to him: “Let the opposition party do any thing they like,even let them go and borrow money to run election,they will not win, we will run masses government, I chose to go round the state,to see those we want to rule over.
“We have noted the challenges facing each community we visited,. I shall return to those communities to do the necessary corrections.We will tour all the 19 wards in Ikorodu Local government.”
Speaking about reason he chose his running mate, Funke Akindele,who is an Ikorodu indegene, said “It was a promise he made to my mentor, Princess Adenrele Adeniran- Ogunsanya,that if i succeeded in getting a ticket, my running mate would be from Ikorodu, and must be a female. The decision was taken long ago, ever before I joined the PDP.
Jandor, therefore, urged his audience to ensure they vote the PDP candidates in all the elections, pointing out that the presidential election was paramount to his victory in the governorship election, because if Atiku Abubakar emerges victorious in the presidential election, his victory in the governorship poll would be easier.
Adediran urged the electorate to shun those who want to add sentiment to voting, and advised them to vote for merit, which the PDP presidential candidate stands for.
Akindele in her remarks urged the electorate to vote the PDP because the major reason she and Adediran are in the race was to correct the anomalies and remove hardship that the party in power in the state has brought on the people.
“We decided to run to bring change and development, you should all get your Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and come out en mass to vote, because we need to change the party in power by voting for the PDP and your votes would make the difference, it is not by violence,” she said.
The leaders of the various communities visited, complained that so many politicians visited them in the past during elections and made promises to them, but had always reneged on such promises.
Some of the community leaders also indicted those in government for neglecting them by failing to provide social facilities.They complained that, their roads are bad, they don’t have public schools, and neither do they have markets nor clinics.
They complained that they had to resort to personal efforts to keep their roads in order, and that, the situation gets worse during raining season.
At the Okaka Primary Health Center, Ineresimei Odor, a 27-year-old nursing mother, voiced concern about “the potency of the polio vaccine health officers provided on our children.”
I always worry that it will injure my baby, I say.
Because there isn’t a refrigerator at the PHC and the officers always carry the vaccines from the Secretariat of the local government, I just have a bad feeling about the polio vaccine. Some of us are worried about how it is being stored,” she stated.
Mrs Faith, a volunteer at the Okaka PHC corroborated Odor’s views over her fears about the status of the polio vaccines being administered.
“One of the major problems we have here is that the refrigerators to store vaccines. On immunisation days which are usually on a Wednesday, we bring the vaccines from the local government headquarters and when we are through, we return the ones left, until the next immunisation day. The fears over the storage of the vaccine are very genuine”.
Our correspondent found her dread after a visit to the Kpansia Primary Health Center (PHC) in Kpansia, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, to confirm the account of Odor among many others.
It was a Thursday at 1pm, and the center’s doors were tightly closed. Around the center, no health officer could be seen. The Doctor was present in the morning, but had closed and left, according to a woman who introduced herself as Mrs. Helen and whose house is directly across from the Center.
When asked if this was how the Doctor typically left the PHC, she replied in the yes and added, “He is the only one here. On occasion, if he works in the morning beginning at about 9am, once the once the crowd thins out by 12pm- 1pm, he closes and goes home.”
The pathetic situation at the Kpansia Primary Health Centre is replicated across the eight local government areas of Bayelsa State namely, Yenagoa, Ekeremor, Nembe, Brass, Ogbia, Southern Ijaw, Sagbama and Kolokuma/Opokuma.
Shortage of manpower, corruption, lack of electricity, absence of security, lack of water, low staff morale, nepotism, political considerations, lack of capacity and poor facilities have been identified as some of the problems militating against the optimal efficiency of PHCs in Bayelsa State.
In 2018, the then governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Henry Seriake Dickson had during the Maternal and Infant Mortality Summit and Launch of Safe Motherhood provided a cheque of N1.2 to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health and the Primary Healthcare Board out of the N3 Billion earmarked for the construction of healthcare facilities in each of the 105 political wards in the state. He also directed that the building of the health centres be completed by December that year.
A year after the deadline set by Mr Dickson, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Paraba Newton Igwelle announced that 83 of the health centres have been completed while the remaining 22 were 80 per cent completed. Investigations revealed that the PHCs have since been completed.
However the completion of the PHCs across the state has not been able to improve health care delivery in the state owing to the problems bedevilling it. For instance one of the noticeable problems with the PHCs is the absence of security to safeguard the staff and property of the PHCs. The high level of insecurity in some parts of the state makes it mandatory to close early leaving patients at the mercy of patent medicine stores. In some of the PHCs especially in coastal communities, most of the equipment procured have been looted.
At the Amarata community PHC, the wheelbarrow used by a water seller welcomes guests to the centre. A middle-aged woman lay on the bed using a newspaper as a hand fan due to lack of electricity. The Community Health Officer (CHO) who identified herself as Ms Sorbei listed lack of security, lack of water, electricity and space as problems of the centre.
She said, “As you can see with the Mairuwa( water seller) that we don’t have water here and depend on water sellers. Also there is no electricity and there is no generator to light up the centre. Lack of security is also a major problem. Hoodlums around this area usually harass patients and most times dispossess them of valuables. It is a terrible situation we are in here this has discouraged nursing mothers from bringing their children for Polio immunization.”
Dr Caleb (not real name for fear of being victimised) who works in the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health and has been involved in designing operational plans for PHC in the state identified corruption, shortage of staff and inexperience as the drawback for PHCs in the state.
“For me the problems of PHC in Bayelsa State include corruption, shortage of staff and inexperience. Those appointed to head were not on merit but on political grounds. They lacked experience and capacity. PHC only engages people on casual jobs. We have graduates of College of Health Technology trained to fill the gap of manpower. They trained them but would not employ them. There was money allocated for employment but they refused to employ. Money was released but was diverted. In most PHCs, you have just a staff. How can one person work as malaria focal person, HIV focal person, Tuberculosis focal person, NTD focal person, Measles focal person, Cholera focal person?
According to Dr Caleb, the broken system in PHCs in Bayelsa has affected advocacy in the area of vaccinations.
“PHC were supposed to be involved in advocating and creating awareness for vaccination to be effective. But they lack manpower to do it. They went to Public Health to ask for assistance especially Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to help with advocacy with households. But in the end they could not even provide logistics. So in that vein how can people accept what they do not know? In our society before people take vaccinations they should have been properly briefed. So how can people accept what they don’t know? Even when you explain to people, they are still reluctant to take it not to talk when there is no awareness. So in order to siphon money they did not engage those to help with advocacy as it has greatly affected vaccinations,” he added.
Mr Amabawei (not real name for fear of being victimised) also a staff of the Ministry of Health who has worked with the World Health Organisation ( WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Funds( UNICEF) said though the office of the deputy-governor, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo recently “approved 200 community health workers on temporary basis and posted to various PHC”. This he regrettably said “has not addressed the shortage of manpower.”
He lamented that in Ofoni, Agbere and Edebebiri communities all in Sagbama Local Government Area, PHCs have been turned to residential and community meeting venues. Aside, he drew attention to the lack of stocking taking of drugs which leaves more for racketeering of drugs and vaccines.
“I have been to several PHCs, but most times they are not around even when we tell them they are coming. There should be somebody in charge of stock- taking; those drugs donated by partners should be accounted for. Vaccines are not properly kept. Racketeering of vaccines and drugs thrives. PHC are supposed to be open 24 hours but in Bayelsa by 1pm, most of them have closed,” Amabawei said.
A former member of the Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Board, who craved anonymity, as he is still a serving civil servant, blamed the government for the sorry state of PHCs in the state.
“The State government is not giving PHC the proper attention it deserves. To be sincere with you, it is being used as conduit to siphon funds. As a result of that, people were taking advantage of the situation to divert funds. The state government is not sincere with PHCs. It is not sincere in terms of financing, management of funds and prioritising the interest of the people.
“Because of the mismanagement of funds, there is a shortage of staff. PHCs lack manpower. Some of the PHCs built have been locked up like the one in Aduku community, Sagbama Local Government Area. The state government is only interested in media headlines. The core of what is expected of them has been left undone. Most staff of PHCs are not at their place of work. But you can’t blame them because there are no incentives. The same way government hospitals are being run is the same way PHCs are being run, most of the revenue generated goes into private pockets.”
During an investigative hearing conducted by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly Joint Committee on Health, Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Development in November 2021, stakeholders bemoaned what they described as the “moribund state of primary health care” across the eight local government areas pointing out “shortage of equipment, medical and health personnel.”
A lawmaker, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku- Obiyai said “Over 80 per cent of primary health care facilities are not functional because we have not drawn from the pool of available manpower, thereby avoiding brain-drain”
In early 2022, the Bayelsa State Government partnered with a leading commercial bank, Sterling Bank, Zipline, a global leader in instant logistics, Drugstoc and Health Spaces to revolutionise the state healthcare system through Health Supply Chain Consortium.
The Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) which the State Governor, Mr Douye Diri personally signed and which PHCs were to be the ultimate beneficiaries involves Zipline establishing a distribution hub in Bayelsa State for the introduction, operation and maintenance of a just-in-time instant logistics solution to ensure that essential drugs, blood and a selection of other life-saving medical supplies are available to the state health facilities in Bayelsa State.
“We envisage that this partnership will remain one of the most significant ways of removing the access barriers that mitigates easy delivery of medical commodities to our health facilities,” Mr Diri had said on the occasion. However 11 months after the signing of the MoU, nothing significant has been achieved and the people are still at the receiving end of the poor state of the PHCs.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Pabara Igwelle has assured that the state government is committed to revamp the PHC in the state. According to him, the state government is deploying drones to help in drug distribution in remote areas of the state. Part of the government effort, he insisted, was the provision of N12.526 billion in the 2023 Appropriation Law.
Bayelsans are weary and no longer interested in yapping; they now look towards the sky and hope for quality healthcare through PHCs.
