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Lack Of Policy Implementations is Nigeria’s Health System Challenge-CHR

Published

6 years ago

April 25, 2019

…Calls on FG for the immediate release of N51 billion Health Care Provision Fund

Joel Ajayi

Community Health and Research CHR have said a lack of sustained implementation of various interventions fund geared toward improving women’s and children and quality of life in Nigeria remained the cog in the wheel growth of the health sector in Nigeria.

This even as the project advisor community health and research initiate called on the federal government for speedy disbursement of the Health Care Provision Fund lying fallow in the cover of the ministry of health for effective and efficiently Health Service delivery in the country.

The Health initiative made this known on Thursday in Abuja during a stakeholder deliberation toward building a common Agenda: drive towards achieving Nigeria’s FP2020 and EWEC commitments.

Nigeria’s FP2020 and EWEC commitment initiative has been identified as the potentials for advancing Nigeria’s drive toward reducing maternal and infant mortality and hence improve maternal and child health.

Speaking at the event the Deputy Chair National House of Representatives Health Committee Hon Mohammad Usman said that the health indices in Nigeria is still poor and there is a need for all hands to be on deck to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health in the country.

According to him, this is one of the issues that are affecting our health sector in the country, so many funds has been allocated to the health sector including the financial, technical and material from a number of national and international agencies but because of lack of an initiative like this to track the implementation most of the fund are not channel to the project they meant for.

“I believe that government needs to have something like this to help to monitor its commitment and to be able to know where we are. As matter of the fact, health indices are still very low in Nigeria. The issue mortality rate of children under 5 is still very high, almost on a daily basis almost about 3,000 women died while over 1,145 children died on a daily basis this translate into millions of lives lost annually.

“And every year, the governments have come out with various policies and programs which need mercenaries or tool of measuring the releases of funds, because except you monitor releases of you wouldn’t know what has really been push into the system so, this tracker which is new initiatives will help to really know where we are in terms of commitment on the side of the government.”

When asked on the state of health sector in the country, Member of the Nigeria Green Chamber replied: “Well, there are so many constraints, so many challenges as far as I am concerned the federal ministry of health has not been doing very well because the only way you can really measure the performance of the federal ministry of health is to what extent has health income improve? to what extent has the lives of Nigerian been save? so, as long as people are dying, millions on the annual basis what would you say, there has not been a meaningful achievement in the health system as far as I am concern, any life is very important to do we say that the agency responsible for that is doing very well? to me capital no.”

Speaking shortly after the programme, the coordinator of Project Advisor Community Health and Research Initiate, Dr Aminu Magashi said that the essence of the meeting is to support the Nigerian government and the 36 governors to track progress in addressing family planning and also every woman, every child.

“What does that mean? it means that our annual health budget needs to be tracked every year from allocation, releases, disbursement and performance, we need to also track the basic health care provision fund.

“As we speak, last year, 55bilion was allocated for the provision fund and this year also in the 2019 budget 51billion is allocated. We have to track this money to know where it’s going and how it will impact on the lives of the people of Nigeria.

“From what we have tracked for far, the basic health care provision fund. 25 per cent of that money has been released to the Federal Ministry of Health to a dedicated CBN account, that money is still sitting in the account, it has not been disbursed to the state government and also to agencies that are supposed to deliver it means the money is not useful for now, because of it still inside the account, so we are calling on the FG to hasten the disbursement and also ensure accountability of the spending of this funding.

When asked how many weeks those fund supposed to stay in CBN cover, he replied: “it shouldn’t last more than four weeks; it should be disbursed to the gateway and in the gateway, it should not stay more than two weeks and up till now the money is still staying in the government account.

“So we are calling the government and also remember that 5 per cent of that money is for emergency made safe services to deploy ambulances by the roadside, I have not seen any ambulance in our major road in Nigeria so that any accident victims are catered for.” He said.

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Olawande’s 21st Century Skills initiative, A Move Towards Re-fertilization Of Nigerian Youths

Published

1 day ago

November 6, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

Transforming the Nigeria youths to equip the current and future generations with 21st century skills is important. The Africa and National Youth Day 2024 is therefore a historic moment to put a need 21st century skills at the forefront toward the the growth and development of all.

Nigeria as a nation has made meaningful progress in education over the past 60 years, with more girls in school and more students in Higher education system than ever before.

Reports showed that School completion rates have increased from 2000 to 2022 at all levels.

Still, these gains are insufficient to prepare Nigerians youth for the 21st century and its fast-changing professional landscape. By 2030, roughly 60 million jobs iin Nigeria and 230 million in Africa will demand digital skills. Classroom practices must shift to meet these future employability needs and nurture creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Nigeria recorded the largest population of young people in the continent of Africa that means a 21st century skills is critical to to equip the current and future generations.

Based on this, Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande who has been promoter and advocate of digital skiill even before he became Minister has once again initiate digital literacy programmes, technical skills empowerment and leadership insight and urged young people to actively develop and adopt crucial 21st-century skills to effectively combat the rising issue of unemployment.

When he was Minister Youth for State, he introducing the Youth Development Fund to support young entrepreneurs, implementing the Youth Empowerment Program, training over 10,000 young people in vocational skills, establishing the Youth Mentorship Initiative, pairing young people with experienced professionals, and developing the National Youth Policy, providing a framework for youth development.

He also initiated the “One Youth One Ward” initiative to tackle drug abuse, established the Youth Innovation Hub, hosted the National Youth Conference, rolled out the Youth Volunteer Program, fostered partnerships with private sector organizations amongst others.

He has implement innovative programs, foster strategic partnerships, and demonstrated unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunities.

Now Minister of Youth without doubt has been at the forefront of this journey, demonstrating unwavering dedication to empowering Nigerians youth even from his school days.

Comrade Ayodele Olawande made this appeal today in Abuja during the Africa and National Youth Day Celebration with the theme : ‘ Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century’ and sub-theme: ‘Building a Resilient Education System: A New Hope for Nigerian Youth’,

He said such skills like critical thinking, digital literacy, and effective communications are essential tools for navigating the increasingly competitive job markets.

Olawande strongly advocated for the youth of Nigeria to prioritize the investment of their time and put efforts in developing a diverse range of essential skills and competencies by actively engaging in the pursuit that can significantly enhance their employability that will make them attractive candidates before their potential employers.

According to the Minister, “acquiring these skills will equip youth to confidently navigate the complexities and demands of an increasingly competitive job market, where adaptability and innovation are crucial. This proactive approach plays a vital role in addressing the rising unemployment crisis that has been affecting many young Nigerians today.”

“Through dedicated skill development, they can not only improve their job prospects but also lay the groundwork for sustainable career growth and success in the long run. In this rapidly evolving economic landscape, embracing continuous learning and professional development is not just beneficial; it is essential for achieving one’s career aspirations,” he explained.

The Minister further explained that the theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,” serves as a powerful endorsement of the One Youth Two Skills initiative, adding that it will foster practical skills alongside formal education.

Olawande stated : “This initiative aims to empower youth and create sustainable employment opportunities. Ultimately, the initiative is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to eliminate unemployment and promote economic growth across the continent”.

In his paper presentation, Professor Ahmed Adamu, a lecturer at Nile University, Abuja, stated that by next year, 85 million jobs will be lost due to technological advancements, while 97 million new jobs are expected to be created.

Professor Adamu stressed that the future job market will heavily favour those individuals who proactively seek to acquire new skills and adapt to the evolving technological landscape.

Adamu said that for one to go far in whatever they are doing, they must be self-disciplined, duly intelligent and have the consistency in learning.

However, the minister of Youth led the teaming youths on a road walk from the Ministry to BMO Event Centre to Celebrate Africa and National Youth Day.

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