Over the weekend, Mpape community leaders protested to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) about miscreants and suspected criminals reclaiming tourism sites that they had previously removed.
The Crush Rock Spring Water is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation’s capital, a spectacular untapped tourism property with the potential to generate enormous annual earnings.
When they met with Comrade Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to FCT Minister, the community leaders conveyed their concerns.
They expressed their delight in having a peaceful environment free of traffic jams and marauding street urchins following the recent clean up.
They added that their joy of having a serene environment, void of traffic gridlock and marauding streets urchins, after the last massive clean up exercise embarked on in Mpape by the FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation had been cut off.
However, Mpape’s Paramount Ruler, Chief Musa Ahmadu noted with dismay that all the places where the Taskforce dislodged illegal occupants, had been fully rebuilt against their wish.
He express regret that the miscreants had even deepened their criminal activities at the tourism sites, and were scaring would-be tourists from visiting the Area.
He, however, appealed to FCTA to immediately send its Taskforce to come back to the community and remove the illegal market extension and all the lodges of the criminals within the tourism sites.
Responding , Attah hinted that it was unfortunate that few people had continued to force government to waste scarce resources on demolishing illegal structures.
According to Attah, “If government is forced to expend public funds to come back to Mpape, the clean up exercise will be very brutal.
“The miscreants who are illegally retaking the tourism sites will be arrested and prosecuted, he affirmed that the traders who are rebuilding the illegal extension may lose their goods.
” FCT Administration had expected that all residents would have heeded the warnings and stop promoting illegalities, as a way of helping the government save resources for better development”.
He, however, assured that the demolition bulldozers would soon return to Mpape Community to sustain the clean up exercise.
Attah also warned the miscreants and all the residents who have disregard for extant laws, and are rebuilding the demolished illegal structures to desist from it.
…Promises to Address Journalist Harassment, Build Capacity
On Saturday, Mr Jide Oyekunle, a distinguished photojournalist/reporter with the Daily Independent newspaper in Abuja, was elected Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Correspondents Chapel, a moment of delight and expression of hope and excitement.
Mr. Oyekunle served as the Union’s Secretary General for two terms, serving under two different chairs in the process.
The ace journalist, who informed colleagues of his determination to combat security operative harassment of journalists as well as wage war against fake journalists in the FCT, ran unchallenged alongside his Vice, Ms Grace Ike of the Silverbird Group to succeed Mr Philip Nyam of the New Telegraph, Abuja Bureau, and Huram King of Gotel television respectively.
Both Mr. Oyekunle, the new chairman and his Vice, Ms. Ike cover the National Assembly alongside, with the latter currently chairing the House of Representatives Press Corps.
Out of the four-man executive elected and inaugurated on Saturday, the House Press Corps produced three, including the Treasurer, Mr. Emmanuel Ehijene of Plus TV Africa while Raphael Oni of Diplomat Magazine emerged as the Secretary.
Speaking shortly after their inauguration, the Chairman said himself and the outgone Exco had to “rescue the Chapel three years ago from the hands of those who wanted to trade with it and bring the image and reputation of our noble profession into disrepute.”
According to him: “But today we did not regret any of our action because we have brought the Chapel on the path of honour.
“I am proud and happy to tell you today that we are one of the vibrant, active and performing Chapels in the FCT Council.
“We have organised and participated in different novelty football matches and table tennis tournaments and won medals, though we did not win the trophy.
“We have organised intellectual programmes such as lectures, symposia, correspondents roundtable, medical check-ups and health talk for our members. We achieved these within 3 years despite the scourge of Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
While listing out his agenda for the new executives, the Chairman said the Chapel under his leadership will focus on training and capacity building for members, just as he expressed determination to stamp out fake journalism and tackle acts of violence targeted at journalists by security operatives in the territory.
“Attacks and Impunity on crimes against journalists under this government has been on the increase because of their intolerant posture to criticisms and dissenting voices.
“Our members have become subject of attacks in the hands of security operatives while carrying out their statutory and constitutional duties,” he said.
Oyekunle stressed that “Journalism is not a crime. Journalism is about development and positive change of any democratic society,” adding that “we will not abdicate our responsibility to uphold the fundamental objectives of the directive principle of the state policy irrespective of intimidation and harassment. Because if democracy is about good governance, accountability and transparency then, the freedom of the press should not be curtailed in anyway.”
The new executive according to the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche, has a 90-day window to organize a bye election into the offices of the Assistant Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Auditor.
This was due to the inability of the contestants to scale through the screening exercise, as they were disqualified on various grounds in conformity with the NUJ constitution.
Reducing maternal mortality in rural areas is currently one of the most important unmet public health needs in Nigeria. It is not only a matter of equity and gender equality, but it is also one of the human rights and social justice.
Having a child anywhere in the world is by no means easy. From the stress of carrying a baby for nine months to the stress of actually giving birth, it’s a lot for any woman to handle in Nigeria.
Mrs Hadiza Musa, 39, years- old shared her experience with her first pregnancy and after carrying the baby for nine months she lost the baby due to out of pocket expenses for maternal health, that her husband could not met the demand from the health facility that is two hours away from her resident.
Poor maternal health indicators have been reported in Nigeria since the 1990s. Advocacy and awareness programs have been carried out and many maternal mortality interventions have been implemented to reverse the trend.
Health experts have continued to call on the Federal Government to address these factors through adequate budgetary provisions, programs to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for maternal health, adequate staffing and training, innovative methods of transportation and male involvement are critical in efforts to improve rural women’s access to skilled pregnancy care in primary health care centres in the country.
Corruption, inadequate funding and administrative Bureaucracy are some of the key reasons Nigeria’s health system has remained unimproved.
A lack of political will however stand as the biggest obstacles to improving the nation’s health system. Any progress will be inadequate until the country’s brimming population living below the poverty line have access to quality and affordable healthcare without financial burden, health experts said.
This is the twenty-third year of Nigeria’s uninterrupted democracy – in the fourth republic – after 33 years of military rule. The health sector under this era has evolved but remains weak, inequitable and dysfunctional in faring for citizens.
The COVID-19 pandemic that hit Africa’s most population nation in February 2020 further exposed the country’s weak and inefficient health system.
Players in the health sector have long linked the problem to poor funding, mismanagement, and lack of political will. They say successive governments have failed to prioritize health.
Politicians across party divides know this, and Nigerians have been expecting health and health security to feature prominently in political speeches and media appearances.
As the 2023 general elections draws closer, health advocates are calling for a change in what should be in top political discussions especially by aspirants. They say health and education should take centre stage.
However, given other competing national priorities such as food and insecurity, to get health at the top of political issue might still be an uphill task.
Insecurity is still a major problem in many parts of the country, just like fragile and incomplete democratisation and fiscal weakness. These trends have complicated progress towards improving the health system.
An analysis by civil society organization BudgIT shows that nearly half of the states are struggling to pay workers’ salaries and fulfil election promises such as roads construction and job creation, issues that are absorbing the attention of many governors more than improving the quality of health centres that already exist.
But Nigeria’s staggering health indices cannot be undermined in the dynamics of priorities.
Nigeria is ranked the forth worst country with maternal mortality rate. Nigeria is also the most dangerous place to give birth in the world. One out of every five pregnant women in the world who dies in pregnancy (or within six weeks of childbirth) is a Nigerian woman. Yet some pregnant Nigerian women put safety pins on their cloth for “protection”.
According to experts, The real reasons why pregnant women die in Nigeria: Unsafe abortions, High Blood Pressure in pregnancy; Convulsion from high blood pressure,;Lack of proper antenatal care; Heavy Bleeding during pregnancy,Heavy Bleeding during/after delivery; Infections during pregnancy/after delivery.
Life expectancy of a Nigerian according to Union Nation world population prospects is 55 years , Egypt is 72, Tunisia is 77, many other African countries including Ghana, Togo, South Africa have higher.
Chronic diseases, a high infectious disease burden, and an ever-present risk of epidemics of Lassa fever, meningitis, and cholera, present additional challenges.
Further compounding these issues, population health has not been highly prioritised in national and state budgets throughout the country’s modern history.
The list is endless.
Stakeholders familiar with this trend point to a lack of political will as the chief denominator, faulting citizens’ inability to hold leaders to account.
It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the political will to deliver “health for all”, including universal health coverage, has been grossly inadequate, due, partly, to the limited ability to effectively demand improved health services in the country by citizens.
As next year polls approaches, many Nigerians are calling for the creation of a new social contract that redefines the relationship between citizen and state.
They argue that health has been neglected by successive governments and must be prioritised as a vital investment in the population, one that will reap political and economic benefits.
Last month, a citizen-led health agenda during a stakeholders workshop organized by the UHC 2023 Forum in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat and Chatham House was unveiled.
The health manifesto is aimed at shaping the health policy direction of the major political parties and their flagbearers in the forthcoming general elections.
It also contains clear health goals based on national priorities and international benchmarks, and also identifies strategic policy shifts that should be prioritized by the political class toward achieving the health goals.
Dr Gafar Alawode, a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) expert and Project Director, Prevent Epidemics Project called on the political class to incorporate the citizen-led agenda into their manifestoes and ensure they are implemented.
A recent Institute of Economic Affairs report makes the case that Nigeria could do more to partner with high-income countries to secure investment, and do more to attract global investors and international financial institutions to finance its healthcare systems. For healthcare workers to want to stay in the country, they must be supported by better working conditions, training, equipment, and insurance related to workplace risks, and remuneration.
Human Right Activist, Mr Femi Falana started; Issues are not being raised, we are not being told, ‘If this man wins his party primary and the national elections, he will address insecurity, unemployment, illiteracy or remove 16 millions young people from the streets.’
Falana recalled that at a time, Nigeria was the envy of other nations, and witnessed lots immigrants coming to the country to work, but the situation has changed, as the country has retrogressed.
Mrs Gift Phillip, a mother of two, said her experience at a primary health centre during delivery is an urgent reason for revamping the system.
“The PHC, here cannot attend to women with my type of problems. Healthcare is more than an antenatal care, and women giving birth cannot do so in the health facility that does not have all inclusive,” she said.
Philip, who is also a Resident of Waru community in the FCT, said that everyone has an important role to play in helping prevent pregnancy-related deaths in the country.
She said that she was not ready to vote for any politician or political party that has no health on its agenda.
“Political actors have been speaking on issues of unemployment, insecurity, Association of Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike and economic downturn, and they have practically ignored health, forgetting that health is wealth. We need to a live to be able to vote.
“The 18 political parties should agree to put improving the health and wellbeing of Nigerians at the core of their party’s priorities and recognise it as the main challenge across the country.
“Maternal mortality in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world. I wonder what proportion of mortality is attributable to the Nigerian obsession with giving birth like the Hebrew woman, ” she said.
According to her, birth Rate surpasses Death Rate leading to overpopulation in Nigeria.
Ebere Okereke, Senior Technical Adviser, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) said political manifestos should consider healthcare priorities.
Okereke, who is also a Public Health Expert, said that politicians should be made to recognise that health goes beyond National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“With improvements in life expectancy flatlining and health inequalities widening, improving public health and prevention should be a high priority in Nigeria’s politics.
” Any politician that is serious about improving health will prioritise public health, leveraging on lessons learned from the COVID-19.
” Genuinely supporting population health and wellbeing requires more.
“If a politician wants to see people’s health improve, Nigerian need to see bold action, using all the levers politicians have at their disposal to improve the health and wellbeing of the population,” she advised.
She said to shift the dial, manifestos could exemplify a ‘health in all policies” approach, look out for commitments to supporting the best health systems for the children, and more.
“The health and care systems need clarity and certainty on funding, and all the parties must be clear about how much money they will provide for the NHIS, social care, public health, the workforce, and capital budgets.
” It is right that the public should be able to understand and compare these commitments,” she said.
It is not necessarily an entirely bad thing if discussions about health are become dominant during the campaign.
Political parties should find common purposes around the challenges that lie ahead around health reform and commit to collectively to help Nigerians better understand them.
This involves being honest about the tough choices that lie ahead.
… Create Awareness for People to Engage in Physical Activities
… As NCDs Kill 41 Million People Each Year
Dr. Walter Kazadi, the World Health Organization’s Country Representative, has said that the worldwide burden of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is increasing due to a lack of physical activity.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) claim the lives of 41 million people each year, accounting for 71% of all deaths worldwide.
More than 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 die each year from an NCD, with 85 percent of these “premature” deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
Low- and middle-income nations account for 77% of all NCD mortality.
Kazadi gave this hint during the third edition of the of walk the talk: The Health for All Challenge” organized by the World Health Organization Nigeria office in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, partners and public.
According to him: ” Today, we are here to create awareness for people to engage in physical activities. To bring everybody to know about NCDs and it’s effect.
“Globally, the burden of Non Communicable Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and chronic disease are growing due to lack of physical activities.
“We do it once a year on the side to kick off World Health Assembly. Health Assembly that is starting tomorrow. We want to add our contribution to that global campaign for everyone to become active as part of our effort to beat NCDs.
“This is what we should be doing everyday for at least half an hour if we are to beat NCD”, he said.
It is worthy of note that, the Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.
The main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
NCDs disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries where more than three quarters of global NCD deaths – 31.4 million – occur.
Detection, screening and treatment of NCDs, as well as palliative care, are key components of the response to NCDs.
Tensions are mounting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as some residents of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) have barricaded the FCT’s main entrance gate, preventing FCTA workers from entering the secretariat premises.
Residents protesting the administration’s decision to postpone the swearing-in of the newly elected council chairmen and councillors said that the administration is attempting to deprive them of their mandates by using a kangaroo judgment to extend the tenure of the departing chairmen by one year.
The protesters who were visibly seen chanting ‘FCT Minister you must swear in’ carried placards with inscriptions, ‘You cannot access your office if you do not handover,’ ‘Please release our victory’ ‘Give us our AMAC mandate today’ ‘You took an oath before, you cannot take another one again,’ amongst other inscriptions.
Hon. Shekonlumi Yakubu Adamu, one of the FCT youth leaders who led the protesters to the FCT minister’s gate explained that as indigenes of FCT, everyone knew that an election was conducted in February this year and the PDP won three area councils, while the APC won the rest councils.
“The chairmen were supposed to be sworn in today, but to our surprise, we woke up on the eve of yesterday, to get a press release from the Minister that the swearing-in will not hold today again. We do not know the reason behind that.
“The only reason was that there was a court order restraining the minister from swearing the new chairmen because of tenure elongation.
“So, we want to know the reason why the swearing cannot take place today because the election has been conducted and won under the 2010 electoral acts. The election that brought in the outgoing chairman was the 2010 electoral Act and even the oncoming chairmen were also the 2010 electoral Act.
“So why will they now come at the eve of the swearing-in and tell us that it will no longer hold because of tenure elongation. We are saying no to that and we are insisting that the swearing-in must take place today. We are not leaving this place until the needful is done, because we do not want any breakdown of law and order,” he said.
He said that they are peace-loving people and anything that happens in the FCT today affects them that is why they are pleading with the minister that whatever kangaroo arrangement that they have for this chairman not to be sworn in, please it should be reverted and look the way of peace.
“That judgment to suspend the swearing-in is faulty and fraudulent. We need a clearer explanation of why the judge went ahead with the judgment without taking into consideration all the parties involved,” he said.
Also, Mr. Joshua Yohanna, a PDP stakeholder described it as worrisome that the FCT High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Ibrahim Mohammed would allow itself to be used to a point where it can give a judgment that the judge knows or ought to know is illegal as no law can be made retroactive.
“We are cautioning the outgoing Chairmen and Councilors whose tenure under the 2010 Electoral Act upon which they were sworn in will effectively come to an end by the effusion of time on Friday, May 20, 2022, to steer clear of the respective Area Council offices from that date, they want peace to reign,” he said.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has informed indigenous Abuja residents on Friday that the planned removal of shop attachments in Karu village, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), will have no impact on them.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah made this known at a meeting with the leadership of the Karu Gbagyi Development Association in Abuja,
According to Attah, the purpose of the proposed demolition was to move certain shop attachments and other illegal structures away from the roadside and beneath Electric High Tension.
The minister’s aide remarked that the FCT Administration was a partner with indigenous people and communities, and administration was grateful with the cooperation and support of the indigenous community.
According to him: ” We are grateful that all indigenous communities have given us enough cooperation to build this city And we must be internally grateful.
” And we are not mindful of the fact that we should treat the indigenes very specially not because other Nigerians are not special but because of the fact that we met them at the point of exist from Lagos to Abuja that give them very special privileged among the leagues of other ethnic nationalities and communities within the FCT.
” What we have discussed over the issue and further engagement to go and check will be carried out. I want to assure the Chief that we will not go for the operation until we have concluded All engagements.
” Indigenous houses will not be affected you can go to sleep with that. What we want to do is to shift the shops attachment and others a little back,” Attah said.
He also solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure that the operation is carried out successful.
Meanwhile, Chief. Yunana Bawa, Sarkin Yaki(Bhazhe) Karu Abuja, commended the FCTA for initiating the idea to sanitise the area of illegal shops and attachments.
” We are very happy the way you have accepted and cooperate with us that we have some basic place that must go and there are other ancestors place that we will look at it all together.
” So that our own side will not be hurt and nobody will be hurt. So I want to say well done for the exercise. We have been hearing about flood and if not with the help of the FCTA human being sometimes we are very stubborn.
” What the administration will do will help us and saves our lives because some people will go and built by the Rivers side and block the water side.
” And when rain falls it will be a disaster. So I want to also commend the government for initiating the demolition so that people will be put in their toes to avoid infractions.”
Also, the Chairman, Gbagyi Development Association Abuja, Mr Dangana Jimiko, said the the recent removal of attachments and illegal at Karu market “was a blessing to us because we have been battling with those structures for more than three years.”
” As you know the market people need force and the sanity of that place now has really help us.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) bulldozed over 30 structures built on flood plains at Trademore Estate along airport road on Thursday in Abuja.
This, according to the administration is an effort to prevent additional loss of life and property.
The FCT Ministerial Taskforce Team, which is led by Comrade Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to the FCT Minister said over 100 houses have been marked for demolition.
During the demolition exercise, Attah made this known while fielding questions from newsmen.
According to him, “This is ongoing removal of illegal structures on the flood plain at the Trademore Estate along airport road. This estate has been a theatre of flooding very intensive flooding here and we have been engaging them for years and they have come to terms that this area is very dangerous to their lives and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, directed the removal of all illegal structures on the flood plain. And that is what the machine behind me is doing.
“There has been excessesive development on the flood plain in Trademore Estate of some persons and these is very worrisome. All the houses that are going down were marked and some have been marked as long as three years ago, some were marked at foundation level, window level, roofing level. The final marking was about 4 days ago. And we gave them 48 hours and even gave them additional 24 hours”.
“For now 30 houses are going but over 100 were marked but we are still engaging critical stakeholders around there. After removing the first 30 houses, we will engage with them, we look at how we can use land solution act to find solution.
“Like what some of them are saying that the Developer of Trademore Estate should be charge to court , they have the locus standing to take him to court.
“We are very keen in getting the structures out so that water can pass and lives are saved in the city” .
He also reiterated that the administration won’t compensate anyone because there was no building plan, no approval, no allocation on the flood plain.
“We are not going to give any compensation because there was no building approval”, he noted.
One of the residents, Sadat Bankole, who has been leaving in that area for over 10 years, said if the demolition will save and prevent further loss of lives, then she is in support.
Her words:”What has been happening here is not palatable . Why is flooding constant in this area in the last few years. My view is that if people’s lives are involved then demolition should take place so that the place would be free from flooding.
“My first experience of flooding here was about 7 years ago and then it stopped but in the last 3 years there has been constant flooding everytime it rains. When the rain starts you cannot come out and you cannot go in”she said.
She, however, called for the prosecution of the Developer of Trademore Estate, for flood diversion, “Yes, there is a diversion of the flood plain, i was told where the developer build houses are the roots of the water and the water was diverted.
“The person who diverted the flow of water should be ask questions and be sanctioned. The Developer must be asked questions , why is the Developer walking free. He should be prosecuted. There was a time I had to sleep outside. The bridge was just constructed. Lives were lost and it is criminal act, he killed people. It is the innocent buyers that are suffering now”.
Also, Ike Emmanuel, a resident asked for the Developer to be taken to court for the criminal act.
He also urged the government to force the Developer to accept responsibility for loss of lives and selling water plain properties to Nigerians.
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, WHO’s 2020-2021 Results Report highlights the organization’s important accomplishments across the globe.
The report, which was released ahead of the World Health Assembly next week, highlights accomplishments such as the COVAX facility’s delivery of over 1.4 billion vaccine doses, the recommendation for widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine, and WHO’s response to 87 health emergencies, including COVID-19.
From 2020 to 2021, WHO led the largest-ever global response to a health crisis, working with 1600 technical and operational partners to assist mobilize the world’s largest, fastest, and most challenging immunization program. The Organization spent $1.7 billion on essential materials for the COVID-19 response.
WHO Director-General , Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said , “Even as WHO has responded to the most severe global health crisis in a century, we have continued to support our Member States in addressing many other threats to health, despite squeezed budgets and disrupted services.
“As the world continues to respond to and recover from the pandemic in the years ahead, WHO’s priority is to invest even more resources for our work in countries, where it matters most,” he continued.
“Ensuring WHO has sustainable, predictable and flexible financing is essential for fulfilling our mission to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.”
The ACT-A partnership delivered over 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by January 2022. The global rollout of crucial health materials included nearly US$500 million worth of personal protective equipment; US$ 187 million in oxygen supplies, US$4.8 million in treatments and 110 million diagnostic tests.
However, much remains to be done for the world to get on track for WHO’s target of each country vaccinating 70% of its population by July 2022. WHO’s performance beyond pandemic.
The Results Report reveals noteworthy achievements beyond the pandemic. Mandatory policies prohibiting the use of trans fatty acids (a hazardous food compound linked to cardiovascular disease), are in effect for 3.2 billion people in 58 countries.
Among these countries, 40 have best practice policies, including Brazil, Peru, Singapore, Turkey and the United Kingdom. WHO’s REPLACE initiative aims for a world free of trans-fats by the end of 2023.
Thanks to implementation of measures mandated by WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, tobacco use is decreasing in 150 countries, saving lives and livelihoods.
Due to efforts to scale up life-saving interventions guided by WHO guidelines, 15 countries have achieved elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis.
And WHO’s recommendation of widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine (RTS,S) has been delivered to over 1 million children. It is expected to save 40 000 to 80 000 lives a year, when used with other malaria control interventions.
A voice for health equity The report demonstrates WHO’s crucial role as the world’s global health guardian, speaking up for health equity in a world of widening inequalities.
The grave costs of the pandemic were felt everywhere. The report portrays a world which is clearly further off track to reach crucial global health goals. Due to myriad disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have fallen behind on WHO’s “Triple Billion targets” that provide critical pathways to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Progress on Universal health coverage and healthier populations are at about one quarter or less the pace needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and no country was fully prepared for a pandemic of such scale.
COVID-19 also caused huge disruptions to health services: 117 of 127 countries surveyed reported disruption to at least one essential health service because of COVID, whilst the average disruption across those countries was a staggering 45%. Going forward, fulfilling the triple billion targets will be WHO’s overriding goal, as a measurable means of reducing health equity gaps.
Key role of sustainable financing The Results Report details WHO’s efforts towards transparency and accountability, providing details of expenditure. The WHO Programme Budget for 2020-2021 was $5 840.4 million. In fact, financing reached US $7 916 million, due to COVID-19 emergency operations. The surplus was thanks to the generosity of donors, including 12 Member States which contributed approximately 71% of the total financing.
Nonetheless, the largest share of WHO financing is earmarked by donors through specified voluntary contributions. Flexible funds constituted only 20% of total financing in 2020-2021.
If WHO is to play its full role in achieving the SDGs, delivering on universal health coverage, reducing the burden of ill health and protecting 1 billion more people from health emergencies, the share of regular, stable, predictable financing must increase.
The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, has encouraged state governments across the country to release their grasp on the ideal functioning of local governments, which has been muscled and squeezed to near oblivion.
During the current study visit of the council by participants of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, Jos’ senior executive course 44, 2022, the Chairman laid the charge at the Council Secretariat in Bwari, Abuja, on Tuesday.
“The importance of local government in the roots and fabrics of excellent and people-oriented governance cannot be overstated,” Gabaya says. ‘The People’ is the government that is closest to the people.
Aside this, local government councils perform a number of unique and indispensable functions, such as: providing services and developement activities at the grassroots in response to local wishes and initiatives; facilitate the exercise of democratic self-government close to the grassroots; mobilize the enormous human and material resources at the grassroots for national developement; as well as serving as a two-way channel of communication between the grassroots and government at the State and Federal level.
“The present practice whereby local governments councils are muscled and squeezed into a near state of oblivion by States Governments all over the country constite serious hindrances and impediments to the attainment of true democracy and good governance in Nigeria. Infact, it is a heinous crime against democratic and self-government.
“The voice and the work of this great Institute commands great respect, regards and attention among scholars, policy makers, technocrats, administrators, politicians and people in leadership positions across the nation and beyond. I am therefore very excited and hopeful that your study and report at the end of this course and tour will add more weight to the cry and quest for true autonomy for local governments in the country” , he added.
The Director General of NIPSS, Prof. Ochoche then lead a delegation of the participants to the palaces of HRH, Alhaji Awal Musa Jakuro, Sarakin Bwari and HRH, Danlamin Yaro, the Etsu of Bwari respectively, where the participants asked questions about the role of traditional rulers in administring their subjects, with the view in mind that the have no constitutional role, and how they get their funding.
The traditional rulers responded that the solve the security issues and conflicts between their subjects and asked to be given control over land too.
While speaking on the issue of funding a staff in the Area Councils Service Secretariat, FCT Administration takes care of salaries and welfare of the 17 graded chiefs in the six Area Councils, while the Area Councils take care of the district heads and village chiefs, via statutory allocation from Federal Government, 10 percent from FCT Internally Generated Revenue and quarterly funds Department of Outdoor Advertisement and synerge (DOAS).
The Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Social Development Secretariat (SDS) has raised worry about the recent influx of beggars into the territory.
The Secretariat described the situation as “overwhelming,” blaming it on the never-ending insecurity in numerous northern regions.
Sani Amar, the Acting Director of the Secretariat’s Social Welfare Department, said this on Tuesday during a visit by participants of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies’ senior executive course 44, 2022, to the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Bwari.
Amar also frowned at the United Nation’s human rights act which prohibits the detention of arrested persons beyond three days, noting that such provisions has also served as catalyst for the swelling number of beggars in the city.
The Director, however, explained that the secretariat has been struggling to keep the streets of Abuja free of beggars and destitues lately, but noticed that its efforts has not yielded the desired result.
He expressed concerns that before now, its officials usually arrest between 20-25 beggars during their routine sanitation exercise. The situation he added, has changed drastically as officials of the Secretariat now arrest over 100 beggars and destitutes in one single operation.
While calling for the need for government and the council of states to act fast by pushing for a legislation that will criminalize begging, he added that if punitive actions are meted at those who hide under the cover of begging to defraud innocent Nigerians, the menace will stop.
He, therefore, called on neighboring states of the FCT, particularly those at its northern borders to put in place policies that will discourage the brewing of street begging as the FCT ends up being at the receiving end of the consequences of the menace.
According to him: “What we notice, the recent influx of beggars in the city is so overwhelming. In a day before, when we go round, we apprehend about 20 people, but now in one spot we arrest 100 plus”
“And our major problem is the United Nations human right act that says you can’t detain human being beyond three days and then couple with the fact that their feeding is cost, so this people have made it just like a business.
“The insurgency, banditry, in the North generally is too much. The beggars now are not people with disability. Majority of them are able bodied, with their women and children. I think there is need for government to see if the council of states can do something about this influx, so that states responsible can provide succour for the beggars”
“So what we are trying we are trying to do now is to advise the authorities if they can explore any law/act that will at least make it deterrent to anybody because so many of them were apprehended with huge amount of money.
” Some with 120,000 naira, 200,000 nairaand they are yet begging”.
