Lawmaker Laments Lack of Federal Presence in Kogi East Senatorial Zone

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

A member representing Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro federal constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdullahi Halims, has lamented the lack of a federal health facility in Kogi East senatorial zone of the state.

Halims called on his colleagues to support a bill seeking the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Ankpa Local Government Area of the state while addressing participants at the day-two of a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Health Care Institutions yesterday.

He noted that as a representative of the people who understands the needs, and who feels their pains with regards to health care services, he came up with the bill to correct an anomaly that has become the lot of his people for decades.

According to him, having a medical centre in Ankpa would help to ameliorate the challenges faced by the people.

Adding that the creation of the FMC will further enhance the healthcare delivery systems available to the people, the lawmaker added that the local government already has facilities in the zonal hospital which was formerly a general hospital.

The lawmaker emphasised on the need to have at least the first federal own health facility in Kogi East as the entirety of Igala nation has no single secondary or tertiary health institution built by the federal government.

He further called on the Federal Ministry of Health to consider the bill as necessary and important to the equitable distribution of health infrastructures in Nigeria.

Representatives from Rano Emirate of Kano State led by the Emir, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammed Inuwa, also made a passionate appeal for the support of a bill seeking the establishment of a FMC in Rano.

On Adamawa State, former Governor, Bala Ngilare, and the Director-General of the National Institutes for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Prof. Ladi Hammalai, all urged the committee to consider recommending the bill seeking the establishment of a School of Nursing, Midwifery and Sciences for passage to the House.

According to them, Maina LGA in which the College of Nursing is to be located has suffered long federal neglect.

They said apart from enhancing access to health related education and development of the people of the area and Adamawa State, it would also improve the socio-economic lives of the people through commercial activities and employment opportunities that would be available to them.

The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Pascal Obi, commended the participants for their efforts to make their voices counted in the legislative process of enacting very important laws for the benefit of Nigerians.

Obi assured the stakeholders of due diligence, saying every concern raised in their memoranda would be carefully and painstakingly looked into, with a view to making very informed recommendations

to the House for consideration.

The hearing which commenced last Wednesday looked at a total of 12 establishment bills seeking the creation of medical centre and Colleges of Nursing, Health Sciences, as well as Health Development Trust Fund.