The trios of Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewale, Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari and Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed appeared at the Senate to take their turns on Tuesday at the just concluded screening exercise. CHIZOBA OGBECHE captures their vision and mission for the APC-led government
Professor Adewale
The screening of ministerial nominees at the Senate continued on Tuesday, with Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewale, a medical doctor cum academia and former vice-chancellor, University of Ibadan, advocating a harmonious working relationship among all stakeholders in the health sector in order to resolve the inter-professional rivalry, which, according to him, has continued to destroy the nation.
For him, health practitioners must prioritise Nigerians either as healthy persons or patients, explaining that no single professional group within the system can do it alone. He believes that even the record keeper should be treated as important as super specialists in the sector.
According to him, the fact that everybody is challenging every other person, makes the sector challenging, adding that stakeholders’ engagement was key to resolving the challenge, while collective bargaining should be adopted in welfare negotiations.
He also spoke on the medical tourism which is fast becoming a fad in Nigeria. Specifically, the don lamented the huge sum in the region of N103billion Nigerians spend on medical tourism annually. As a way out, he advised that Nigeria draws from its rich pool of human resource in the health sector, noting that Nigeria has competent medical and related personnel. The medical practitioner further stressed the need for the upgrading of healthcare facilities, with at least one standard healthcare facility in the six geo-political zones, and also put in place the right structures, expressing optimism that with all these in place, Nigerians will get the job done.
Making case for regularised standard practice, he noted that 60 percent of Nigerians go to private hospitals, and that this therefore makes it imperative for the right measure to be put in place to ensure effective service delivery.
On the brain drain wave in the sector, he said it was complex and universal as every human being will always seek greener pasture. For him, it would be best for the country to tap into the potentials provided by brain train/brain circulation, by improving on the pull factor, rather than the push factor as well as build incentive system into the healthcare sector.
Hon. Bwari
For Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari, a nominee from Niger state and former member of the House of Representatives, his nomination is a call to service in yet another capacity. Reminiscing on time past when, as a child, he was always seeing top members of the then Green Eagles of Nigeria like Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Emmaneul Okala, Alloysius Atuegbu, Mudasiru Babatunde Lawal, Sam Ojebode, and Adoke Amaisimeka among others play for the country, the former Chief Whip of the House, recalled that he was always looking forward to also donning national colours of green white and green like the soccer stars, so he could serve his fatherland.
Unknown to him however, the lawmaker said, he came to the realisation much later that it was not mandatory to put on these colours before one could serve his fatherland. In his view, there was need for the ruling party- APC to provide real change, even as he expressed optimism that the sun will still shine on Nigeria.
Though allowed to take a bow and go as traditional with ex-lawmakers, but not without taking one question from the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Specifically, Saraki asked to know how the nominee hopes to tackle the structural challenges in Abuja if made the FCT minister. Responding, the trained urban and regional planner, said the nation’s capital has become a planner’s nightmare.
He noted with regret that structures were emerging in areas not so designated, owing to the influx of people into the territory, on the basis of the security and job prospects, believed to be guaranteed in Abuja.
The nominee also lamented the erection of physical structures on green land, recreational areas and sewage line, just as abandoned property were taking over some parts of the territory. For sure, there will certainly be need to review the Abuja Master Plan with a view to consolidating and rehabilitating where necessary, so Bwari believes.
Hajiya Ahmed
Also taking her turn was Hajia Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, an accountant by training and the executive secretary of NEITI. Drawing from her wealth of experience in the extractive sector having held sway at NEITI since 2010, the Kaduna nominee, acknowledged that illegal mining is one of the menace the sector has tried to address.
She, however, noted that the situation cannot be addressed as long as it is treated as just an illegal act, noting that it is a way of life for a large number of Nigerians and should be made to be practised better so that the environment is not degraded.
According to her, only then will the miners want to bring development to the areas as well as work more responsibly and stay in the areas. Mrs Ahmed, who stressed that Nigerians have a right to livelihood, said there was need to address the foreign interest in the sector by providing alternative avenue. She therefore suggested the establishment of a fund that will support mineral buying scheme instead of allowing them sell to the foreigners who pay them pittance. .
On NEITI Audit reports, the executive secretary said it is not just a report, because, according to her, it is unique and seeks to find out what is wrong and make specific recommendation to that effect. She was however of the view that the slow implementation of the report, remains a challenge and expressed hope that NASS would consider and facilitate it.
