BY MAIRIGA Juliana, Minna
The Primary Health Care under One Roof (PHCUOR) Advocacy group in Niger state said it will continue to put pressure on the state government to inaugurate Board for the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NSPHCDA) for citizens to benefit maximally from donor agencies and development partners in the health sector.
Niger state will continue to lose opportunities to benefit from donor agencies and development partners willing to support the state ministry of health in providing quality and affordable health care services to the grassroots, hence the call on Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello to inaugurate a board to work with donor agencies for maximum health benefits.
The Executive Director, Global Promoters for Community Initiatives, Olasunkanmi Kalejaiye made the declaration in an interview shortly after a meeting by members of the group to appraise its activities and strategies for future challenges in the state.
Mr. Kalejaiye said the advocacy group has made moves to ensure that Governor Bello inaugurates NSPHCDA Board without which the state and its citizenry will continue to lose from foreign and local development partners and donor agencies willing to support the state.
“The PHCUOR have made several moves through advocacy visits to stakeholders, including to the Governors’ wife who is very well aware of the importance of the existence of the NSPHCDA and she promised to intervene find out why the board has not been put in place since the inception of the administration”.
While waiting on the Governors’ wife intervention, Kalajaiye said the group was surprised hearing that the NSPHCDA was not among the boards recently inaugurated by Governor Bello who our correspondent learnt is still searching for a candidate who must also be a member of the ruling APC to be the chairman of the board when constituted.
The most important thing to us as an advocacy team is not about party platform but the chairman to be appointed being a professional in the relevant health sector and capable of doing the job to guarantee maximum benefits to both government and entire Nigerlites, Kalejaiye said.
Notwithstanding the setbacks, Kalejaiye said the advocacy group is not giving up in evolving strategies which would entail but not limited to paying another advocacy visit to the Governors’ wife, Dr. Amina Sani Bello to ensure that Niger state maximally benefit from donor agencies.
According to Kalejaiye, “Niger state advocacy team on improved health delivery system will plan another round of advocacy visits to the Governors’ wife and other relevant agencies to until desired results is achieved. We will continue to do our best”.
Speaking on the developments, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on, Media and Publicity, Mr. Jide Orintunsin said the NSPHCDA board was not among the recently constituted boards and parastatals because Governor Bello is yet to find someone with the necessary conditions, including political considerations required for the board chairmanship position.
Leave a Reply