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,We Can Save Ourselves, Shape The Future of Our Children, Pat Utomi Tells Political Leaders
,We Can Save Ourselves, Shape The Future of Our Children, Pat Utomi Tells Political Leaders
By: Michael Mike
Prof. Pat Utomi has urged political leaders for a rethink about the nation’s political direction and the future of young nigerians.
Utomi said this in a remark he made at the inaugural meeting of the Working Council of the Health Care Cohort of the New Tribe
“to map and guide a rebirth of healthcare in Nigeria, as a cohort of our New Tribe configured to help citizens take back and shape a country of promise now left in ruins by politicians.”
According to him, “it became quite clear that Nigerians have become a global tribe that can aggregate the good of the world in which they have thrived no matter the constraints in their path into a new age for all its people reduced sadly a country of pity as the poverty capital of the world by lack of leadership, a collapse of culture and the embrace of emotion over reason, leaving society a victim of the absence of rational public conversation.
“It is not by accident that you the leadership council of the health care cohort are the first to be armed with your brief to go out there and confound doubters with a moral compass that will produce outcomes the world will discuss for a long time. The social sectors of health care and education have long been considered central to man’s escape from the slavery of misery.
“I feel so very proud of this day that it is a time when your collective talents become the platform for showcasing the triumph of the human spirit as initiatives flowing from your genius and compassion solve problems of both the affluent and the poorest of the poor as they work to up the quality of life within the challenges in our land.”
Utomi recalled that many years ago he arrived the Bisi Onabanjo University Medical school in Sagamu to speak at an event of students of the CVL club “I had founded who were led by Tolu Ademujimi. The speaker, then provost from LUTH finished his remarks saying the Nigerian Health Care System was a ‘man made disaster’.
A key goal of this cohort is to undo that which man has done to health care in Nigeria.
Who are we to so dare and why do we passionately seek a new order.?
“Some years ago two Columbia University Economists, Arvind Subramanian and Xavier Sala-i-Martin, in an I IMF working paper more or less suggested Nigeria was better of without a government because the welfare effect of Oil income if just shared to all Nigerians was higher than the outcome of governing Nigeria in the manner it is governed.
“It therefore makes sense for citizens to try and take back their country by creating greater welfare advancing possibilities in spite of government. How do we plan to go about this. Here we turn to the wisdom of Ancient Greece.
“For the Greeks, at the base of civilization are people who think of themselves alone. This category they called idiots. Moving up are the next category who care for others but only others with parochial linkages such as blood, language, and religion. These they called tribesmen. For tribesmen all not of the tribe are enemies to fought ferociously.
“Of a higher category of people in society are those who feel a shared humanity and solidarity with other people for their humanity no matter their geography. These they called citizens.
“Our goal is to erect a moral tribe of citizens who speak and live personal integrity, hold high the dignity of the human person, celebrate the work ethic and entrepreneurial creativity, and hold on to merit with inclusion, as the essence of the social order in which we recognize that I am because we are.
“This new tribe in seeking to bring talk to action has created two sets of cohorts in a cluster of 14 and seven for sectors of intervention, and mode of organization, respectively, to operationalize the vision.
“Just as we are giving to ourselves today the brief for the healthcare cohort, others for education, values, public accountability, Election reforms, etc will follow.
“Our prework indicate your cohort strategy will in part deploy an app we are just finalizing to allow physicians around the world to donate two or three hours a week of their time to see patients remotely located. Massive health education and primary health prevention of disease initiatives and support of Health care Malls and Upend hospitals clusters will be in your mix.
“The structure of the cohort we propose has its Congress made up of all the volunteers, healthcare professionals, tech support and administrative types. They will be the backbone of debates and rational conversation on the two portals to be presented to us today, as well as the boots on ground.. The input from them are feedstock for the leadership council which you constitute. Four co-chairs will steer the cohort. Two physicians in Atlanta and California who are men and two who are female in Abuja and Kano offer this council that includes a mental health specialist, a cardiologist, home care entrepreneurs, pharmacist, Nursing leaders, and a physiotherapist. I want particularly to pay tribute to Dr Abiodun Olatidoye who we propose to chair the co-chaos, Dr Iheanacho Emeruwa, Dr Zainab Bagudu and RN Zahrau Ibrahim
I wish you all God’s grease to your elbows as you show that it can be done,” Pat Utomi concluded.
,We Can Save Ourselves, Shape The Future of Our Children, Pat Utomi Tells Political Leaders
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
By: Michael Mike
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbra debunked some allegations level against the agency by some non governmental organisations (NGOs) concerning negligence and compromise.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Asagbra said: “The negative statements circulating are misleading and lack credible scientific backing. The agency asks these organisations to present verifiable scientific evidence for their claims and we relies on sound scientific research and internationally recognized protocols to make informed decisions. It is part of the Cartagena Protocol with over 180 parties, our mandate is to protect the health of Nigerians and the environment. It will not compromise on this as it is an agency of integrity.
She added that: “The agency is transparent and accountable in its operations. It invites review of its processes and rigorous evaluations of GMO products. We are confident in our procedures that it’s meet global standards and it is a leader in effective regulation in Africa”.
On the source of the allegations, she said “over the years they have been advocating to have their presence in the board where all these products coming will be thoroughly Investigated, but it hasn’t been given. Most times we rely on the information given by Nigeria Custom Service to furnish them with needed information, which most time is not always easy if they have other things doing.
The Head planning, research and statistics National Biosafety Management Agency Mrs. Bello Scholastica said the agency is concerned with safety to our health and safety to our environment.
She further reiterated that what NBMA stands for is to establish first regulation from identification of the gene of interest, “of what you are interested in, from then till commercialization, and even after commercialization, they still follow suit to make sure that the approvals they gave hasn’t caused any harm, or those that were given approval to that they stay put to what they were asked to do”.
She further explained that the agency has put in effort to promote environmental conservation and biosafety in Nigeria.
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
By: Michael Mike
The House of Representatives has revealed that it is interested in the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill into law, saying that the bill has already passed the first reading and will soon be subjected to second reading.
The House also promised to take the necessary steps to ensure an improvement in the 2025 budget of the NHRC, pointing out that the N5 billion approved for it in the 2024 budget is inadequate considering the myriad of human rights violations in the country.
The Chairman House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Abiola Makinde made this disclosure during the oversight visit of Committee to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Hon. Mudashiru Lukeman assured the NHRC that the Committee would continue to advance the course of human rights in Nigeria by ensuring that the House of Representatives passes critical bills on human rights issues as well as makes adequate budgetary provisions to ease the work of the Commission.
Makinde also stated that in a bid to improve some aspects of Civil and Political Rights, the House of Representatives had ensured the establishment of human rights desks in all police formations and Headquarters across the 36 States of the Federation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who received the lawmakers with his management staff told the Human Rights Committee that the Commission relies heavily on them for the enactment of human rights friendly laws and enhanced budgetary provisions to discharge it broad mandate of promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
He used the opportunity to commend the legislators for their role in the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010 as well as the support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the payment of compensation to victims of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
He equally informed the legislators who were on oversight visit about the recent report released by the Commission following the findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria , which he noted has saved the country from possible invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that the aforementioned wide spread allegations of human rights infractions against some government institutions could result in the ICC extending invitations to some of the leaders to respond to the allegations, but the Commission has done the needful in compliance with the international principles of omplementarity.
He thanked the Committee for promising to improve the budgetary allocation of the Commission in the 2025 fiscal year.
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
By: Michael Mike
The arrest of Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa in Finland has been confirmed by the federal government.
A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday.
According to the statement, Ekpa was
charged with inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
The Finnish District Court of
Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities alleged that Mr. Ekpa used social media platforms to spread
separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused
significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria. Finnish investigators had also linked
him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to had been fueled by his
online activities.
The statement said “the arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic
pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities,
which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. The request
for action featured during high level engagements between countries.”
The Ministry stated that the arrest of Ekpa, is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB, and also neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and “their impact on our national security.”
The Ministry promised to continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses.
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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