NEC

NEC appoints Governor Inuwa as Polio Mitigation Committee chair

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has been appointed Chairman of the Committee on Polio Recurrence Mitigation in several states across the country.

This was announced during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, where key national issues were deliberated.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, Ph.D., who represented Governor Inuwa Yahaya, stated that the governor’s appointment was driven by his leadership as the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and his remarkable achievements in the health sector, particularly in vaccination efforts.

Dr. Jatau explained, “During the NEC meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, we addressed critical issues affecting the states and the nation, including the resurgence of polio in five states—Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi. With Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote in attendance, the gravity of the situation was recognized, and it was decided to establish a polio committee, with the Governor of Gombe State appointed as chairman.”

He added that the meeting also tackled the destruction of roads and bridges caused by recent flooding.

The Vice President directed states to submit detailed reports of the damages, including photographs, by Monday next week.

Dr. Jatau used the opportunity to share insights from Gombe’s inclusive governance approach, where traditional, religious, and community leaders, alongside stakeholders, play active roles in decision-making and implementation to ensure more efficient and effective outcomes.

“When the discussion on vaccines arose, I highlighted our commitment in Gombe, where we apply a system theory approach by involving traditional rulers, religious and community leaders in healthcare efforts to achieve comprehensive coverage. Engaging these leaders builds public trust, leading to stronger support for health programs,” he noted.

He also addressed the challenges posed by “socially hard-to-reach groups,” where cultural, philosophical, and ideological barriers limit access to vaccination.

The Deputy Governor emphasized the importance of addressing these barriers to ensure optimal vaccine coverage and called for research into local herbal remedies as a pathway to affordable healthcare.

“I urged donor agencies to sponsor research into the production of vaccines and medicines from indigenous plants. Since many imported medicines are derived from plant and animal products, and we have similar resources in abundance, tapping into our local potential would be a better solution.”

On nutrition, the meeting emphasized identifying local food sources that can provide balanced diets to reduce malnutrition. Dr. Jatau stressed that proper nutrition is vital to public health, which in turn supports the growth of other sectors of the economy.

Doctors threaten to shut down hospitals nationwide

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Doctors, under the auspices of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government refuses to meet their demands. 

This was disclosed in a letter signed by NARD president, Dr Emeka Innocent Orji, on Monday. The letter, which was addressed to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Enahire, gave the Federal Government an ultimatum of two weeks to meet the demands of the union. 

Dr Orji said the strike would commence if the issues are not resolved before the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for January 24th to 28th. 

The letter read in part, “Sir, our January 2023 National Executive Council meeting has been scheduled for January 24th to 28th, 2023, and we can confirm very clearly feelers that if these issues are not sorted out before that meeting, our members will likely give us a mandate to immediately kick-start processes that will lead to a nationwide industrial disharmony in the health sector.”

The Daily Reality has observed that Nigeria is witnessing its worst brain drain among doctors recently; the poor working condition is mainly responsible for the situation.

ASUU declares four-week warning strike

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

Following up on the meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government in the early morning of February 14, 2022, has declared a four week comprehensive and total strike.

On Monday, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the strike at a press conference.

The strike takes effect from Monday, February 14, 2022.

He said, “The union tried to avoid the strike, but the Federal Government was unresponsive to the union’s demands.”

Prof. Osodeke also said that ASUU NEC faulted the creation of new universities.

“NEC resolved to embark on the four-week roll-over total, and comprehensive strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with ASUU since December 2020.