Tinubu Vows to Prioritise Health, Safety of Nigerians

•Dangote lauds president for removing fuel subsidy

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has pledged to give priority attention to the health and safety of Nigerians, noting that for any country to develop, the health of its people, particularly the workforce, was critical.

The President spoke yesterday, when he received in audience, the Co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Bill Gates, and President of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, at the State House, Abuja.

While saluting the courage and commitment of Bill Gates in working for humanity, Tinubu commended the partnership with Aliko Dangote Foundation.

The president said his administration would do all that was required to make their work in Nigeria and Africa successful, particularly in the area of eradicating polio, measles, malaria and other diseases from the continent.

He, however, warned about the budgetary constraints and other issues around funding, even as he praised Bill Gates’ efforts in the area of Climate Change and in eradicating polio and malaria from Africa.

The president further told the philanthropist that the West needed to hear more from him with respect to the plight of the developing countries, saying “you have all it takes to help developing nations more.”

Speaking to newsmen after the visit, Dangote, congratulated President Tinubu on his election and successful assumption of office.

“First of all, it was a courtesy call for myself and my friend, Bill Gate, to congratulate him once more on his successful election into this office and also to brief him on Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote Foundation have been doing in Nigeria, and also to commit him to do more and to help Nigeria so that our health sector will keep improving, which will turn out to be better for all citizens of the country,” he said.

He explained that the visit to the Villa was to brief the president on the activities of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote Foundation, highlighting their commitment to improving the health sector in Nigeria.

Dangote expressed the Foundations’ willingness to cooperate further with the government in achieving its goals.

He seized the opportunity to commend the president for the removal of fuel subsidy, expressing confidence that more state funds would be allocated to education, health, infrastructure, and other critical areas of the economy.

His words: “All is great. Things are going well. We even congratulate him on the removal of subsidy and I think he is doing a great job. We expect that it will be better for everybody. There will be more money now to put into education, health, infrastructure and other areas. And our own side is to help and support him to make sure that he achieves his own vision.”