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VP Shettima Demands More Private Sector Engagement In Healthcare Reforms

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VP Shettima Demands More Private Sector Engagement In Healthcare Reforms

** Commissions Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Trauma Centre in Ogun

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for increased private sector participation in the ongoing reforms in the health sector and healthcare development across Nigeria.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing critical deficits in the health sector through strategic partnerships and investments, noting however that the private sector has a very crucial role to play because the “government alone cannot shoulder this burden.”

The Vice President who stated this on Saturday when he commissioned the Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Trauma Centre in Sagamu, Ogun State, said the health facility is a vital addition to the nation’s emergency care infrastructure and a symbol of the government’s dedication to saving lives.

Senator Shettima revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a “comprehensive Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, including the creation of over 8,800 new Primary Healthcare Centres across the country and the upgrade of existing tertiary institutions to handle trauma, oncology, and infectious disease control.

“In a nation facing rising urbanisation, motorisation, and industrial risks, trauma care is no longer optional—it is essential,” VP Shettima added, describing the facility as “a lifeline and a symbol of preparedness in a nation that cares.”

He commended the Adegunwa family’s initiative, urging more philanthropists and corporate organisations to “rise beyond personal achievement and invest in nation-building.”

Describing the initiative as a model of private sector contribution to public health, VP Shettima said, “This centre is more than a birthday gift; it is a gift to humanity. It is a lifeline—a sanctuary where the wounded can find healing, and where families in despair can find hope”.

The facility built by the Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Foundation within the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital aligns with the Federal Government’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system.

“The Administration is investing in a National Health Insurance Scheme that leaves no Nigerian behind, and a Digital Health Information Management System that ensures data drives diagnosis and delivery,” the Vice President stated.

The commissioning ceremony coincided with the 80th birthday celebration of Alhaji Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, a former chairman of Sterling Bank Plc and CEO of Essay Holdings Limited, the parent company of Rite Foods Limited.
In his remarks, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described the celebrant, Adegunwa, as “a philanthropist, entrepreneur and an astute businessman,” who even at the age of 80 has achieved greatness at all times.

Noting that the gathering was not only to honour Adegunwa but to also celebrate a legacy, a milestone and the father of modern philanthropy, Governor Abiodun expressed delight in commissioning the Trauma Centre donated by Pa Adegunwa to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital.

The Governor said it is a monumental facility established for the benefit of humanity and the betterment of mankind.

“In 2019 when I assumed office, this university was on its knees. It was like a ghost town; nobody came here for medical attention. It was one of the worst places I visited in my first term in office. In line with the recommendation of the committee we set up, we constituted the hospital governing board which did not exist for many years. I want to thank the Chief Medical Director for the great job she has done and the achievement that we are seeing today,” he stated.

Governor Abiodun thanked Vice President Shettima, who he described as a friend and a leader, saying it is gratifying to celebrate great leaders while they are still alive, thereby motivating others to do more.

Also, the donor and celebrant, Asiwaju Adebola Adegunwa, thanked the governor and all those who made the project a reality, noting that he is reminded by a passage in the Quran which enjoins everyone to spend from that which has been provided for them before it no longer exists.

He said right from his 56th birthday he had made a promise to give back to his community and impact as many lives as possible.

“Olabisi Onabanjo University holds a special place in my heart. On February 21, 1979, when the institution was still known as Obafemi Awolowo College of Health and Science, a group of six distinguished people visited my office to seek support for the institution.

“That meeting led to the establishment of a modern audio centre which I donated in celebration of my 58th birthday on April 4, 1995, and today, it’s still me with pride here with the current Chief Medical Director of the same hospital, Dr. Oluwabunmi Fatungase, among many who benefited from the medical facility during her medical training,” he explained.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Board of Management, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Dr Kunle Hassan, said the trauma centre was designed to provide emergency medical care, management of trauma-related cases and significantly enhance the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality healthcare services to the people.

Hassan pledged that the management of the hospital would ensure effective utilisation of the facility and its maintenance so that it will continue to serve the community for generations to come.

He expressed profound gratitude to the donor, Chief Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, his foundation and members of his family for the remarkable gift.

“We had a budget of N800 million and instead of N800 million, he (Adegunwa) spent over N2 billion to build and equip the facility,” he said.

On his part, Oba Babatunde Adéwálé Àjàyí, the Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, while commending Chief Adegunwa for his selfless service to humanity, advocated for more federal presence in Remoland.

“Mr. Vice President, please convey to Mr. President, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, our best wishes and let me note that we have a way of communicating privately but sometimes we say certain things publicly so that our people will know that we are trying.

“We need a lot of federal presence in Remoland. As of today, there is no single federal university or federal polytechnic in Remoland,” the traditional ruler said.

VP Shettima Demands More Private Sector Engagement In Healthcare Reforms

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NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

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NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Gombe State Office, on Tuesday, organised a state consultative meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) for the promotion and protection of human rights in the state.

The meeting which was held in Gombe brought together stakeholders from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), security agencies, community representatives, youth groups and other relevant stakeholders.

The engagement was to deliberate on the implementation of the NAP and to identify prevailing human rights concerns affecting citizens within Gombe State.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that the engagement served as a platform for interaction, exchange of ideas and collective commitment towards strengthening human rights protection mechanisms in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.

Represented by the State Coordinator, NHRC, Gombe State office Dr Joseph Wanshe, Ojukwu emphasised the importance of the NAP as a strategic framework designed to improve the human rights situation in the state and Nigeria through collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations and citizens.

Wanshe, while presenting an overview of the NAP, explained that the NAP is a comprehensive policy framework aimed at ensuring the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights in accordance with constitutional provisions and international human rights obligations ratified by Nigeria.

Mr Lemuel Akeweta while making his presentation said that the objectives of the meeting amongst others was to create awareness on the NAP for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.

Others he said was to encourage stakeholders’ participation in the implementation of the NAP; identifying prevailing human rights challenges within the state and strengthening collaboration among MDAs, CSOs and other stakeholders.

He also said that practical recommendations and way forward for effective implementation of the NAP at state and grassroots levels would be developed.

Our Correspondent reports that a total of 45 attendees cutting across 28 MDAs and 17 CSOs and a team of five NHRC staff were also present at the meeting.

NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested three suspected terrorist collaborators during a coordinated raid on identified enclaves in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Security sources said that the operation was carried out at about 0610 hours on May 10, 2026, by troops of Sector 3 OPWS deployed at Jimilari.

The sources said the troops conducted simultaneous raids on suspected terrorist hideouts at Binari, Chibi and Andamin communities following credible intelligence on the activities of criminal networks in the area.

According to the sources, three suspects believed to be providing support to terrorist elements were arrested during the operation.

Military authorities said the suspects are currently in custody and undergoing preliminary interrogation to determine the extent of their involvement and possible links to wider criminal networks.

They added that troops will sustain clearance operations and intelligence-led raids across vulnerable communities in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area to dismantle support structures for criminal elements and restore security in the area.

Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

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Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

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Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

By: Adeola Labzy

When the Minister-Designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, told the Nigerian Senate that there was “no quick fix” to Nigeria’s electricity crisis, the statement stood out for departing from the familiar rhetoric that has long shaped public conversations about the sector. In a country where ambitious declarations on power reform have often generated headlines faster than measurable outcomes, Tegbe’s remarks offered an early signal of a different leadership posture, one anchored less on spectacle and more on execution.

This matters because Nigeria’s power sector has spent decades trapped in cycles of overpromising and institutional under-delivery. Successive reform efforts have come with bold projections, aggressive timelines, and repeated assurances. Yet the sector continues to struggle with liquidity constraints, weak market confidence, transmission vulnerabilities, collection inefficiencies, infrastructure deficits, and operational instability. Over time, the deeper casualty has not only been electricity supply, but institutional credibility.

Against that background, Tegbe’s emphasis on transparency, execution discipline, and operational realism should be read as a useful starting point, not a completed achievement. Nigeria’s electricity market does not suffer from a shortage of reform language. The problems are already well known to policymakers, operators, investors, regulators, and consumers. What has consistently undermined progress is fragmented implementation, weak accountability, poor coordination across the value chain, and the absence of sustained commercial discipline.

In that sense, Tegbe’s early posture appears calibrated toward restoring confidence in the system’s ability to execute before pursuing grand transformation narratives. This is particularly important in a sector where investor confidence, market liquidity, and operational stability are deeply interconnected. Markets respond not merely to ambition, but to predictability, governance credibility, and measurable execution. Each part of the value chain affects the other. Generation without evacuation capacity creates waste. Tariff reform without metering creates distrust. Investment without payment discipline weakens confidence. Policy statements without visible milestones deepen cynicism.

Financial sustainability will be one of the defining pillars of any credible reform effort. For years, the electricity market has operated within a fragile commercial structure marked by accumulated debts, subsidy pressures, payment shortfalls, collection gaps, and uncertainty over cost recovery. The long-term viability of the sector depends not only on expanding infrastructure, but on restoring commercial discipline and rebuilding confidence in the market itself.

This is where transparency becomes strategically important. Transparent reforms reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and give investors, operators, consumers, and policymakers a clearer basis for judging progress. In practical terms, transparency is not merely a governance principle; it is an economic stabilisation tool. It can help rebuild trust in tariff decisions, improve confidence in sector data, and create a more disciplined environment for investment and performance monitoring.

Equally important is execution discipline. Infrastructure projects rarely fail only because funding is unavailable. Many fail because coordination weakens, procurement becomes opaque, implementation drifts, and accountability is diluted. In the power sector, credibility will not be rebuilt by rhetoric alone. It will require visible, measurable, and sustained improvements in the operating system of reform.

Nigeria’s power sector does not require another cycle of exaggerated optimism followed by institutional disappointment. It requires leadership capable of confronting difficult realities honestly while building a credible pathway toward operational stability, financial sustainability, and long-term reform credibility.

That is why Tegbe’s insistence on transparent reforms and execution discipline is important. Its significance will not lie in the statement itself, but in whether it becomes a governing method. In a sector where credibility has become almost as scarce as stable electricity, restoring confidence in governance may be the first and most important reform of all.

Adeola Labzy writes from Abuja, Nigeria.

Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

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