By Adamu Muhd Usman
One of the beauties of democracy is the freedom of speech but because of that privilege, we should not allow justice and truth to be killed based on the table of egotism, envy, hatred and ingratitude. To be candid, i have been thinking what Jigawa government under the watchdog of Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Talamis wants achieve by always attacking and discrediting Sule Lamido’s visible and pragmatic achievements in Jigawa in all works of life.
Instead of recognizing and appreciating what he did and continuing from where he stopped every time they keep belittling him by using some antagonists and counterfeits people to mislead general public who have not visited Jigawa state or heard of what Sule Lamido did in the state for the first time and even a wayfarer (traveler) through Jigawa can attest the work Lamido did in the state. Records and legacies don’t lie.
I advise people who attack Sule Lamido should consider what they think governance, achievements and justice require, and decide accordingly. But never give your assertion; for your assertion may probably be right, but your reasons and facts will certainly be wrong.
Their stand on this issue seems they are ignorant of the authenticity on ground and has proved for all to see that they are still out of touch with political realities, prudence leadership and democratic dividends in Jigawa under Sule Lamido and they are still again out to feather their own nest at the expense of their paymasters and against Jigawa people’s aspirations for peace, progress and rapid socio-economic development in the state.
Before the coming of Lamido’s administration in 2007, the health budget of the State was never above 5%. From 2007 there were gradual increase in the size of the budget reaching 15% in 2013 and this make the State only one in the nation to attain Abuja declaration.
In 2007 when Lamido took over as the governor of the state, he introduced a decentralized and integrated district health system known as Gunduma Health System, because he espoused the World Health Organisation’s scheme to improve access to healthcare and reach out to the rural dwellers within the limit of available resources and he succeeded.
Lamido’s vision in the initiating Gunduma Health System, is to have a healthy and productive population in Jigawa State also the mission is to promote the health status of the people of Jigawa State through improved integrated health care service, awareness on health and health related matters, to ensure good resource mobilization and practices with increased public – private partnership and effective participation and ownership to ensure that basic health services are made available, accessible , affordable and acceptable to the people of Jigawa State.
This came with a number of gains including: Revamping the Infrastructure, Improving Healthcare financing, Strengthening Human Resource for Health, Improving Health Service Delivery, Sustaining Drugs Supply and Equipment Provision and Promoting Community Participation and Ownership Jigawa State. Gunduma Health System was created to focus on improving health service delivery while the state Ministry of Health maintain its stewardship role for policy direction. Before Lamido became the governor in 2007, Jigawa state had the highest maternal and infant mortality rate in the country; the health sector then, was just a sham. The Gunduma Healthcare System he initiated was messiah for entire health sector in the state.
What baffles me most is, Jigawa government refused to recognize the medical personnel’s issue. When Lamido took over in 2007, his administration inherited only 21 doctors, 6 pharmacists and less than 200 nurses/midwives that undoubtedly shows and probed to a decaying health sector. Because workers are the engine of any institution, before Lamido handed over power in May 29, 2015 there were 160 doctors, 685 nurses/midwives, 34 pharmacists, in a healthcare system having 6,136 staff strength in different cadres. What a passionate, brilliant and a caring leader!
The health sector has witnessed improved financing options from the government since 2008.
The Percentage of state budgets allocated to the health sector has witnessed a sustained increase in budgetary allocation to the health sector from 9 % in 2009, 11 % in 2010, 14% in 2011 to 14% in 2012. This upward trend is due to implementation of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and Consolidated Medical Salary structure (CONMESS).
The only School of Nursing in the state was operating in a local government council secretariat for almost 19 years, but because of Lamido’s prudence, who knows the value of health sector, built a new brand one in Birnin-Kudu which is one of the best in the country.
Lamido built General and Cottage Hospitals, Primary Health Centres, Dispensaries and Health Posts, Basic Health Centres, Psychiatric Hospital, Tuberculosis and Leprosy etc. He also renovated and expanded the Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital and School of Health Technology Jahun among others. As at handing over in May last year, Lamido’s administration left behind a total of 676 functional Health facilities (Hospitals) in the state. And there were provision of high quality free and affordable drugs in all the hospitals (Medical buildings) in the state.
Jigawa government alleged that, Also, owing to the free maternal and child health programme, most healthcare indicators were positive when Sule held sway as governor, because records speak volume and are there for everyone to see. The Haihuwa Lafiya programme introduced in 2008 ensured that there was 5.5 million hospital attendance in 2014, against 1.2 million in 2008; 3.3 million children seen, against 0.5 million in 2008; 35 percent pregnant women delivering in Jigawa hospitals, against only 7 percent in 2007. By May last year, the rate of women attending ante-natal rose to the all-time high of 89 percent.
Apparently, their assertion of the neglect of the health sector started since the advent of the present administration in the state, especially with the retrenchment of all Health casual workers in the state, stoppage of allocation to all Jigawa health institution (including free drugs to the masses) and Haifuwa Lafiya scheme, the present plan to reduce the Health workers salary and other entitlements (Welfare), and also the outbreak of cholera in Hara and Kafijiba villages of Dutse LGA of the State recently.
As the record reads, about 40 people, most of them children, are reported to have died as a result of the outbreak of a disease suspected to be cholera. Also the outbreak was linked to lack of good drinking water because their well in the village which served as the source of drinking water is not functioning now and there was a suspicion whether the disease was a result of contamination of drinking water. See Daily Trust, Monday, October 5, 2015.
Today, one cannot write complete history of Primary Health Care under one Roof without recourse to newly structured health system in the State which has enviably provided impetus to the general re-structuring of the health system across the Nigeria Nation States. In fact, during Sule Lamido several States visited Jigawa to study the health system or some components of the system towards adopting or adapting according to their individual peculiarities. Among the States that visited Jigawa are Bauchi, Enugu, Nasarawa, Yobe, Bayelsa, Zamfara and Kano respectively.
Those praise singers should be reminded that, nothing is better than nonsense. Meaning: It is better to keep quite than to speak ignorantly. Also, if not of because of Lamido, no average Jigawa indigene can even talk of dividends of democracy in the state.
What Sule Lamido did to Jigawa and humanity in general is a true sign of good leadership and no question about the obvious.
The entire populace are convinced that the political gladiators in the state, region if not in the country cannot produce a match to Lamido in terms of political participation, his ideologies, credentials, principles and achievements.
For your information, Jigawa before Sule Lamido was at a peak of political, social, economical and even mental degeneration but within a short time Sule Lamido restored a new social life for the people. Jigawa got fair of face, taking shape and reaping the dividends of democracy.
Jigawa is at a peak of development in all aspects of human endeavour, because of the facilities provided by Sule Lamido have also changed the social, economical and mental thinking of the people. There is prosperity in the state. Jigawa has improve positively that can compete with many states in the country most especially in health sector. I will leave governor Badaru with a saying from former U.S president, Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) who said “Do your duty, and history will do you justice”. May God guide us aright.
Adamu wrote in from Kafin-Hausa,
Jigawa state. amu3333@yahoo.com