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I’m best positioned to lead Super Eagles – Okpala

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I’m best positioned to lead Super Eagles – Okpala

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Sylvanus Okpala, has declared his interest and availability to lead the Super Eagles of Nigeria, noting that he is best positioned to lead the team.

Okpala, who won the AFCON title in 1980 as a player and as an assistant coach in 2013, said this in an interview with According Online on Tuesday.

Last Friday, Portuguese manager, Jose Peseiro, confirmed his exit as coach of the Super Eagles after his contract officially expired.

Peseiro, who guided the Eagles to a second-place finish at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, said he was fulfilled coaching Nigeria.

However, Okpala, while commending Peseiro for his efforts as the Nigerian head coach, noted that it was high time the Nigerian coaching job was brought home.

Okpala said, “The only thing I can say about Peseiro is that he has tried his best, but the game goes on.”

When asked about a possible replacement, he said, “I’m one of those that should replace him. For the fact that we have been in this issue of getting to quarter-finals, semi-finals, that is a wrong way of employing a coach.

“I mean, whenever Nigeria is going to the Nations Cup, we are going there to win, but it is not a must you must win. But we must present a team to win and not just participate.”

“Our players are abroad based players, and most of them are playing against each other, either in the Italian league or so on, so they get the same training, so when we are going to the World Cup, we should be thinking about winning the World Cup. We might not qualify from the group stage, but we must go there with the mindset to win.”

He noted that Nigeria must do all it can to qualify for the World Cup. “To qualify now for World Cup is going to be very difficult, difficult in the sense that we are in the same group with South Africa, so we must be very careful. and if Nigeria does not qualify for another World Cup, there will be a lot of crisis in Nigerian football.”

The 1980 AFCON winner noted that there needs to be a bar raised by the Nigerian team, which he believes has all the potential to win the World Cup.

“Getting to the semifinals of the World Cup is no longer news in Africa because Morrocco has gotten to the semifinals in the last World Cup. I think Africa should be talking about winning the World Cup. It is the same football; the difference is the mentality,” he added.

Okpala, while saying that the tactics of the ex-Super Eagles coach weren’t bad, said, “Peseiro is a good coach; he’s not bad. I think the problem with him is that when you’re thinking about what to play, you must also think about what the other team will play and make sure that you stop them from playing what they’re supposed to play and play what you’re supposed to play. But I think he was so much on what he was going to play. What if the other team overwhelms your team? What do you do?” he asked.

Sylvanus Okpala
Keshi (left) and Okpala

Speaking on the vacant Super Eagles managerial position, he further noted that knowledge and experience should be considered for whoever is selected, adding that he qualifies for both.

“I’ve won the Nations Cup as a player, and I have won it as an assistant coach to Keshi, the record is there. It is not easy. It’s not by luck or mathematics, it’s by knowledge.

“The team we went to South Africa with, you can’t compare them with these boys. We went there with home-based boys, playing in the Nigerian league. it was only Mikel (Obi), even Mikel wasn’t a regular player in Chelsea then when he came with us. Then Amunike, and I think Musa too.

“We had only about only one year with the boys then, but this team has spent over 2 years together. We have players that can win the World Cup.”

He further noted that although Nigeria in 2013 wasn’t the favourite to win as opposed to Ivory Coast, who had “one of the best ever African teams,” they were able to prove them wrong.

When asked if he was best positioned to lead Nigeria, Okpala said, “Yes, if I am given a chance.”

He noted that back in the 2013 feat, the NFF had already bought the flight tickets to return the Super Eagles back home when they were to play Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals, but the team didn’t give up. According to him, “We sat down and planned a strategy and that strategy worked.”

“So yes, if I am given a chance, I will do wonders with these boys,” he noted.

He, however, noted that even if he wasn’t made the head coach, he could be brought in to bring his expertise and experience to the team, saying that “coaches are born, not made.”

“I’m very good at reading games, and that gives me an advantage too,” he added.

The Nigeria Football Federation will be tasked with choosing a successor to Peseiro after he penned a farewell message to Nigerians following the expiration of his contract as coach of the Super Eagles.

Soludo receives peace committee report, promises swift action

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Soludo receives peace committee report, promises swift action

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has received the final report of the Anambra Truth, Peace and Justice Commission, established by his government to investigate the remote and immediate causes of insecurity in the state and by extension, South East region.

During the event held at the Government House, Awka, on Wednesday, Soludo commended members of the commission and its chairman, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, for their “dedication” and “historic” nature of the report.

He stressed that the report has the potential to serve as a national framework for addressing security challenges in the country while expressing deep concern about the impact of crime and violence has caused on young people.

He said, “We pledge swift action based on the commission’s recommendations, we plan to dissolve the cabinet into sub-committees in analysing and implementing the recommendations.

“There is a need for collaboration with federal agencies, regional governments, security services including the state vigilante group, and the local communities. We have plans to share the report with national security agencies and work with neighbouring states to address the cross-border nature of criminal activities.”

The governor reiterated his commitment to achieving sustainable peace in the region, assuring citizens that he will “read every sentence” in the report and ensure its recommendations are implemented for a safer future.

He stressed the importance of community involvement, including religious institutions, in tackling the challenges, describing the necessary approach as a “crusade” requiring collective action.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Odinkalu, thanked the governor for entrusting them with the task.

Odinkalu, a former Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, noted that the biggest structural factor in the violence is the political economy of land, not IPOB/ESN.

He argued that while Lagos is gaining land, Anambra is losing land due to ecological pressure, crises in leadership, and impunity.

He said, “The Commission surveyed 66 communities in the state, documenting cases of traditional rulers, security agents, presidents-general and community members who have disappeared and remain missing.”

Odinkalu however, emphasised the need to end the use of the term “unknown gunmen,” especially by the media, develop a 25-year security strategy to reform community governance and establish an agency for the protection of victims and accountability for violence.

A delegation including the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, members of the Anambra Executive Council, Secretary of the Commission, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme attended the event.

Soludo, had in June 2022, after three months in office as governor of Anambra, set up the Commission and saddled it with the task of unravelling the circumstances behind insecurity which was at its peak in the Southeast as of then, to begin the genuine quest for peace and reconciliation, among others.

 

The Commission began work by conducting town hall meetings and engagements with various stakeholders, communities, traditional rulers, security agencies and individuals who were in one way or another affected by the insecurity.

Ogun seals another illegal nursing school

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Ogun seals another illegal nursing school

The Ogun State Nursing and Midwifery Committee, in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health, has sealed another unregistered nursing training institute in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Kayode Oladehinde, disclosed this during a routine monitoring that the institution, iFaat College of Nursing Sciences, located in Adigbe area of the state, was training nursing students without obtaining accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

Oladehinde, according to the statement on Wednesday, was represented by the Acting Director of Nursing Services and Chairman of SNMC, Mrs. Serifat Aminu, during the routine monitoring exercise.

The Permanent Secretary, during the monitoring exercise, observed that the institute lacked adequate personnel and infrastructure required for standard nursing education, adding that the institute has not received approval from the regulators.

“We have gone out as part of our routine monitoring exercise to inspect institutions that are offering nursing sciences courses and discovered that this particular school has no accreditation.

“For a facility to run a nursing programme, whether at college level or at the university, such a facility must reflect the basic requirements of the NMCN.

“That is why we closed down this place. We have advised the owner that once the infrastructure and personnel in his facility have been upgraded to the expected standards, the NMCN would visit the school for inspection and if they are satisfied, it would be accredited,”  he said.

While advising the public to be cautious about schools that claim to offer nursing sciences courses, Dr Oladehinde said certificates earned from such institutions would not earn the students a license to practice from NMCN, saying such students would eventually become quacks.

Reacting, the proprietor of the institution, Mr. Stephen Fatula, said he had initiated the accreditation process, pledging to abide by the terms of the regulators.

In February, an enforcement team comprising the Ogun State Ministry of Health and Nursing and Midwifery Committee sealed the Nursing Department of Harvarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies, Obada in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.

The state government moved against the school for allegedly offering a degree programme in Nursing Sciences for six years without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. (

Bayelsa governorship election tribunal resumes sitting March 11

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Bayelsa governorship election tribunal resumes sitting March 11

The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja will resume proceedings on March 11, 2024.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Adekunle Adeleye, adjourned sine die (indefinitely) following allegations of bias against the members of the panel as well as a petition seeking the disbandment of the tribunal.

Adeleye added that the tribunal would await the decision of the Court of Appeal on the petition against the panel.

The All Progressives Congress and its candidate in the Bayelsa State governorship poll, Timipre Sylva had in a petition dated March 4, 2024, accused the tribunal of denying them their Constitutional right to a fair hearing as required by law by ordering them to call their 234 witnesses within seven days.

They had claimed that the order hurriedly made them close their case without calling all the witnesses they had lined up for the matter.

The petitioners also claimed that the tribunal distorted the oral testimony of their witnesses in the record of proceedings and had also made findings and decisions in respect of the authenticity and weight of polling unit election results they tendered.

They, however, called for the disbandment and reconstitution of another panel.

However, in a hearing notice dated March 6, 2024, sent to parties involved in the matter on Wednesday, it stated that the tribunal would resume proceedings on March 11.

The notice stated, “Take notice that the above election petition will be heard on the 11th day of March 2024 and on such other days as the Court of Appeal may determine.”

The APC and its candidate are challenging the re-election of Governor Duoye Diri, and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Diri the winner of the election after polling 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva of the APC who scored 110,108 votes.

Dissatisfied, Sylva and the APC approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration of Diri as the winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.

Sylva and the APC are contending that elections were held in some polling units in three local governments of Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Nembe where INEC and the other respondents claimed there was no election.

The petitioners claimed that if the results from these local governments were added to their votes, they won the election.

37-year-old Nigerian caregiver slumps, dies in UK

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37-year-old Nigerian caregiver slumps, dies in UK

A 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Chidimma Ezenyili, who had been working as a caregiver in the United Kingdom slumped on February 22 and died two days later.

According to News Express Nigeria on Wednesday, the incident occurred while Ezenyili was attending to an elderly woman, Ian Hale in Scott Road, leading to her collapse while on duty.

Before Ezenyili migrated to the UK, she was said to have practised law in Nigeria, She had been caring for Hale for the past five months alongside her husband, Friday, both of whom relocated in August 2023 to provide their toddler daughter, Mandy, with a brighter future.

Catherine Segal, Hale’s daughter, recounted the events, noting that despite feeling unwell, Ezenyili continued her duties out of commitment to her responsibilities.

Hale’s daughter, Catherine Segal, said, “She (Ezenyili) was driven there by her husband with their three-year-old daughter as she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to let my dad down.”

Speaking further, Segal said the caregiver collapsed on Thursday, February 22, and stopped breathing and did not have a pulse. “Naturally, her husband started shouting for help. The neighbourhood raced to help. Myself and my husband ran outside along with our next-door neighbour and our neighbour from across the road. We had two GoodSAM first responders arrive shortly after to assist. The community first responder along with several ambulances, police and the critical care team arrived to take over attempts to save her life and were successful in getting her on life support in the ambulance.”

Segal said the deceased was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors at the neurosciences critical care unit discovered she had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage.

In his narration, Segal’s husband, Saul said; “Sadly, life support was turned off two days later, on February 24, and she passed with her husband by her side. Suzy came here as a carer to fill a need in our community. She was qualified in law in Nigeria and was planning to attain her qualifications to practise law here after her sponsorship as a career finished. She was a really good carer. Kind, considerate and always willing to help no matter what the circumstances. Her dream was for her daughter, Mandy, to attend school in the UK and to make a new life here where she would have the opportunities that Suzy and Friday never had growing up in Nigeria.”

Bail: 49 suspected IPOB members learn fate March 19

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Bail: 49 suspected IPOB members learn fate March 19

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday fixed March 19 for hearing and ruling on the bail applications filed by 49 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Although, 50 IPOB members were brought before the court by the Inspector General of Police, the trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, heard the bail application of Ozoemena Somadine (43rd defendant) and reserved ruling on it.

The police had said the defendants were intercepted on December 12, 2023, at Umunze Village, Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, while acting on a tipoff.

According to the police, the defendants were intercepted inside a 911 truck with Reg No. XA-139 BDN, while holding a meeting “In connection with an act of terrorism”.

The police said a total of 48 black caps, 25 red caps, and six orange caps with IPOB designs alongside charms were recovered from them.

In the three charges preferred against them, the police accused the defendants of belonging to IPOB for the “purpose of habitually committing terrorism”.

They were also said to have admitted to being members of a “terrorist group” popularly known as the Indigenous People of Biafra and also admitted the caps with the emblem of IPOB and charms belonged to them.

The police said they committed an offence contrary, to and punishable under Section 25 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition)Act, 2022.

In count three, the police said the defendants all admitted to possessing the power of bullet proof and disappearance through their charms which is contrary to Section 26, and punishable under Section 11 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The defendants are Nwancho Chukwuma; Ekene Orilinya; Nnamdi Chineke; Una Daniel; Egurube Chibuike; Cyril Ndukwe; Ikechukwu George; Emmanuel Mbano; Emeka Osuji; Chinanso Orazulike; Joseph Chukwu; Okwutu Oluchukwu; Chikodi Nnoli; Onyeka Odoh; Eberenna Ejikeme and Ngozi Onwukwe.

Others are Iwenofu Onwukwe; Patrick Chima; Paul Nwamma; Friday Uwanaiji; Okeke Chibueze; Agbom Uche; Alex onwu; Abuchi Ibe; Onwe Maduabuchi; Ndukwe Chukwuma; Ifeanyi Alor; Igwe Emmanuel; Onwe Samuel; Chidozie Edekoabi; Azuka Ikpezuma; Chukwuebuka Okoro; Anazodo Chinanso; Chibulke Igwe; Okonkwo Basil; John Okafor; Obinna Nwafor, and Nneka Chidebere.

Among the defendants are Zimozor Ukpa; Chukwu Chidindu; Uche Vincent; Ogbodo Sunday; Ozoemena somadine; Agbo Cynthia; Peter Ogoh; Chibueze Uwakwe; Tony Nwafor; Ebere Anazodo; Ikejiaku Nwabueze and Nwachor Izuchukwu.

At the proceedings on Wednesday, the prosecution witness, a police officer, ASP Stephen Hyelni, told the court that he took over the case after the matter was transferred to the Force Headquarters.

He said, “The case in question was transferred from Anambra command to the Force Headquarters. I was detailed to take over the suspects. Immediately I took over, the suspects I was handed a black bag containing charm and other ingredients. Another bag containing 52 black caps and another one containing 25 red caps.”

The counsel for the police, Malik Taiwo, sought to tender the three bags in evidence.

There was, however, no opposition from the defendants’ counsel.

It was, however, admitted as Exhibit A to C.

After opening Exhibit A (the bag containing charms) the witness was asked to list the items therein but could not.

Justice Omotosho said, “You must give us the list of items contained in Exh A. I will mark the contents in the exhibit.”

Taiwo, however, ought an adjournment to put their house in order.

Justice Omotosho, however, sought the understanding of the counsel to take the bail applications of the defendants at once as some were yet to file theirs.

But the counsel for the 43rd defendant, C. I Nwosu insisted that her client’s application be taken because of his ill health.

She noted that in addition to the application, she filed an affidavit of urgency.

Nwosu argued that the health of the defendant was at stake and he had been detained for a long.

Taiwo did not object to the application.

Justice Omotosho asked if the suit number cited in her bail application was the right one and if there were medical reports attached to her fillings.

She responded no.

The judge, however, reserved ruling on her application and adjourned till March 19 to hear pending bail applications and deliver a ruling on them.

Printing money without logic under Buhari caused inflation -Edun

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Printing money without logic under Buhari caused inflation -Edun

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Wale Edun, has said that the N22.7tn printed by the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means overdraft for the Federal Government of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, under former President  Muhammadu Buhari landed Nigeria into hyperinflation bedeviling it now.

Edun who disclosed this on Wednesday during an interface with the Senate Committee on Finance, said during the period, the printing of naira in trillions was carried out without matching it with productivity.

He said the consequence of the eight years of printing money without productivity is high inflation confronting the country now.

Two weeks ago, the Senate resolved to probe the N30tn Ways and Means spent by the Buhari-led Federal Government, which, according to it, was recklessly spent.

It further stated that reckless spending of the overdraft collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria under Godwin Emefiele largely accounted for the food and security crises the country is facing.

The Red Chamber then resolved to set up an Ad -hoc committee, to investigate on what and what the N30tn Ways and Means were spent on by the immediate past government since details of such spending, were deliberately not made available to the National Assembly.

At the Wednesday session, Edun said, “We talked about inflation, and you have helped to solve that. Where has it come from?

“It came from eight years of just printing money not matched by productivity. It’s not like when you earn dollars, and you free the naira alongside it, although there’s even a better way than that. But that’s still not as bad.

“It’s not as if the money is matched by productivity increase in output. It is not. And what happened was that for eight years, the weak were left to their own devices. It is the privileged few that took everything. That’s the reality so that money supply must be brought back.”

He added, “You distinguished senators, have helped. You have given us the mandate to raise N7tn , which we will do by sucking money from the market, using it to pay back the central bank and giving the government a balanced book. We are going to audit even the N22.7 trillion printed aimlessly.”

He, however, assured the committee members that various damage-mitigating economic policies being rolled out by the present government, would in no distant time, bring about great recoveries in terms of lower Inflation rate and improved GDP growth rate.

He specifically informed the committee members that rather than indulging in such money printing or seeking avoidable loans, the President Bola Tinubu-led government is succeeding greatly in the area of revenue generation with over N13tn revenue generated from the non-oil sector in 2023 and the trajectory being improved upon in 2024 going by revenues made in January and February.

He stated, “We should not be despondent. We have done the hard part. Mr. President, through the bold and courageous measures which are recognized around the world as being beyond the usual, what you would normally see.

“To so riskily and robustly change the things that are wrong. And it wasn’t just a set of measures. It’s not just lifting of subsidy here or margin of rates there. No. It is a strategic plan, the whole fiscal side, the government’s finances have been repaired.”

Edun further stated, “You, distinguished senators, have helped further to encourage and enroll the executive to further repair the finances, the fiscal situation of this country by endorsing and urging us to do something about the leakages in the import duty, waiver system. And we have explained to you what we will do. And even from your body language, I believe you feel that that is in the right direction.”

In his closing remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sani Musa ( APC Niger East), said the interactive session will be a continuous exercise in knowing the short-term and long-term plans of the government on its way out of the precarious situation.

APC mourns Ekiti chairman, Omotoso

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APC mourns Ekiti chairman, Omotoso

The ruling All Progressives Congress has expressed its condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the Ekiti State Chairman of the party, Paul Omotoso, over his death.

Omotoso died at a health facility in the early hours of Wednesday following a brief illness.

Before his death, the Imesi-Ekiti-born politician emerged as party chairman in October 2021 through a consensus at the congress which took place at the mini pavilion around the Fajuyi roundabout in Ado-Ekiti.

Before his election, he was the APC caretaker committee chairman in the state.

In 2023, the Ekiti APC chairman was abducted but was fortunate to regain his freedom a few days later,

Reacting in a tribute issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, described his death as a colossal loss to the ruling party.

Morka also stated that his ideology and administrative acumen will be sorely missed.

He said, “The All Progressives Congress is shocked and deeply saddened over the death of Paul Omotoso, the Party’s Chairman in Ekiti State.

“Until his passing, Omotoso, an Imesi-Ekiti-born grassroots politician, was a seasoned lawyer and fine administrator who stood as a bastion of our progressive ideals. His exit is indeed a colossal loss to our great Party. He will be sorely missed.

“Our solemn thoughts and prayers are with his family, the state chapter of our great Party, the government and the good people of Ekiti State at this difficult time. We also extend our condolences to the Forum of APC State Chairmen over the demise of their colleague.

“As we pay our last respects, the task before us now is to sustain and build on the late Omotoso’s enduring legacy of service. May the soul of Paul Omotoso find eternal rest in the Lord.”

APC knocks Plateau gov, speaker for refusing to swear in lawmakers

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APC knocks Plateau gov, speaker for refusing to swear in lawmakers

The National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Wednesday warned Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, to immediately swear in the 16 elected lawmakers of the APC or be prepared to face the consequences of ignoring a court verdict.

The ruling party said it is running out of patience and will no longer allow the governor and the Speaker to continue the unlawful act, which it claimed is at variance with the final ruling of the appeal court.

Addressing newsmen after the weekly meeting of the NWC, the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South West), Isaac Kekemeke, said the party will ensure the enforcement of the decision of the Court of Appeal, being the last court for the election.

He said, “It is sad that the governor of Plateau who is enjoying his office by the constitution of this country in an election will want to deny 16 members of the fruit of their electoral work and to deny our party the success that they won for the people.  This is a disgrace to democracy and its unacceptable behaviour.

“The National Working Committee expresses its outrage and displeasure over this continued illegality and this unacceptable arbitrage by the Governor of Plateau State, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and by the PDP in Plateau State.”

Continuing, Kekemeke stated that the ruling party will no longer allow the ‘legislative rascality’ of the Speaker to go unchallenged, stressing with an air of finality that “enough is enough”.

He therefore called on the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspection General of Police and all other law enforcement agencies to enforce the final decision of the Court of Appeal, being the last court concerning this election.

He added, “The last court is the Court of Appeal that has spoken and spoken again and yet PDP, the governor of Plateau and the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly shamelessly continue to disobey the law of the land.

“The patience of the APC is running out. But because the APC is a peaceful party. It is calling on the law enforcement agencies to do the needful now and not tomorrow.”

In a similar development, the National Vice Chairman of the APC (North Central), Mu’azu Rijau, said that NWC has resolved to commence the electronic membership registration of the party in Minna, Niger State on March 19 immediately after the registration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shetimma in Villa in Abuja.

In December 2023, the Plateau State House of Assembly, warned the state chapter of the APC against causing any breach of the peace in the state, saying that the House is still on recess.

The 24-member assembly dominated by Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers had adjourned plenary till January.

However, three days later, the Court of Appeal sacked all the 16 PDP  lawmakers in the state and declared candidates of the All Progressives Congress winners of the elections conducted in their various constituencies.

AbdulRazaq unveils diabetes centre  in Kwara

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AbdulRazaq unveils diabetes centre  in Kwara

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Wednesday, inaugurated a Diabetes Screening and Treatment Centre donated by the Lions International District 404 B2 Nigeria for the Offa community and its environs, calling for more partnerships with the administration for improved living standards of the people.

Commissioning the facility, which is located inside the General Hospital, Offa, in the Offa Local Government area of Kwara State, the Governor said the donation represents community service and support at its best and commended the donor for the investments to tackle diabetes, a major public health threat in Nigeria and across the world.

The governor, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said, “This unique humanitarian gesture will be remembered for years to come as a lifesaving contribution by Lions Club International, District 404B2 for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

“I commend the Lions Club for this huge gesture. We look forward to more of such collaborations with the government to improve the living standards of the people.”

AbdulRazaq said diabetes is a chronic condition that currently afflicts 463 million adults worldwide, a number that is estimated to hit 700 million by the close of 2045.

“According to the World Health Organisation, the estimated prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria is 4.3% which is largely attributed to lifestyle changes caused by urbanization, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, smoking and harmful use of alcohol,” he added.

The Chief Medical Director of General Hospital Offa, Dr. Olabisi Abdulsalam, in his remarks, lauded the leadership quality of Governor AbdulRazaq and his belief in the power of partnership to reposition the health sector in the state.

He also thanked the Lions Club International Foundation for the kind gesture and the Offa community for their unflinching support throughout the execution of the project.

At the event were the TIC Chairman for Offa Hon. Jare Olatundun; the Executive Secretary, Kwara State Hospital Management Board Dr Abdulraheem Malik; representative of the Commissioner for Health and Director of Medical Services in the Ministry Dr. Odunaiya Muslihu; Chief Medical Director General Hospital Offa Dr. Olabisi Abdulsalam; former cabinet member Alhaji Femi Wahab White; representative of Olofa of Offa Chief Isiaka Adebayo. Some top guns of the Lions Club also attended the event, including Offa District Governor Prof. Emmanuel Fagbohun; Engr. HOB Lawal; Dr. Adekunle Sanusi; Chief Ayobola Samuel; Dr. TOS Adewumi; and Project Coordinator Otunba Ademola Adesoye.

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