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FG ll’  Overcome  Trump’s Health Policies Against Nigeria- Prof Ali Pate

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Minister of Health, Professor Pate(middle) Gov.Douye Diri (left)
By David Owei, Bayelsa
The Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammadu Ali Pate, has expressed the assurance that Nigeria will overcome US President  Donald Trump’s new sweeping health policy changes stopping funding of health care interventions in developing countries.
Prof Pate stated this in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital on Tuesday while commissioning the Bayelsa State Haemodialysis Centre and inauguration of the General outpatient Centre at 350 bed hospital at the Bayelsa Medical University, as parts of weeklong activities to mark Governor Douye Diri five years in office.
The Coordinating Health Minister said it is imperative for all the tiers of government to working collaboratively to harness the country’s resources to provide for the health needs of the population.
Commending Governor Douye Diri for his vision in establishing the Hemodialysis Centre in the state, Prof Pate said the governor has shown commitment in health care delivery and is investing in the health needs of his people.
Pate said: “Diabetes, hypertension and kidney failure and other non communicable diseases is a major issue in our population and you are addressing it frontally by making active this Hemodialysis Centre, it’s really a strong statement of your commitment to address something that really touches the lives of millions of thousands of our population so that people don’t die because they have kidney failure and you are doing it in a place that also train health workers to take care of them.
“As you are all aware President Tinubu signed a compact with all the 36 states governments and FCT that we should join hands and transform Nigeria’s health sector to serve the Nigeria people.
“What you are doing today is exactly what we should be doing in each of our states that state governments invest their resources and federal government complement those investments to address the needs of the people, so what you have done is a great example that we should showcase of not sitting back but really frontally doing what you can to advance the health and wellbeing of your population.
“Federal government is revitalizing many of the primary health care centres in this country more than two thousand of them are in different stages and the state is also revitalizing some and we are doing our own modest contribution and we will continue to do that.
“The President asked us to develop a Medical Relief Programme so that we can provide support to the people to reduce cost of access to health care .
“There are some challenges that have emerged in the last three weeks on health which is the US government policy changes but as a country there is nothing we cannot overcome, the federal government and states government will work together to mitigate some of those challenges because even those who have HIV and kidney disease can come here and get treated without having to depend on someone from very far away land to come and support them.
“We are working to ensure that all the tiers of governments become responsible for the care of our population with the resources that we have, we can harness it and we can do it.”
Earlier in his speech  the Governor Diri said he was motivated to establish the medical facility when he became governor following the death of his mother from renal failure complications in 2013.
The governor who paid glowing tributes to the first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State Late Chief DSP Alamieseigha for initiating the 500 bed hospital two decades ago and his predecessor Senator Seriake Dickson for converting part of the facility to a medical institution,  also ordered the Commissioner of Health Professor Seiyefa Brisibe and the Vice Chancellor of the Bayelsa Medical University, BMU, Prof Dimie Ogoina to ensure that the 350 bed hospital becomes fully functional in six months time.
Diri said: “When I came in , I said if there is a jinx in this 500 bed hospital it must be broken, today we are breaking that jinx, we have invested so much and today this hospital is ready for outpatients.
“I pick so much interest particularly about the haemodialysis centre, my mother died in 2013 of renal failure and so if we had a facility like this maybe my mother wouldn’t have died.
“And so when I became governor, the thoughts that came to me was why not you have your own private area for this, you can do it as a foundation and certainly people will come and raised the money and you build it, and the other thought was , no you are a public servant, so it is not about you as an individual, do it in a place where all Bayelsans will have access and on a lower cost.
“I feel very fulfilled today that our people will no longer die of renal failure and that Bayelsa can now offer these services to Bayelsans and to Nigerians.We will continue to do more because health is wealth.”
Governor Diri also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Health, Professor Pate for approving Bayelsa State as one of the first states in the federation to have the malaria vaccines, describing the state as a tropical area and most mosquitos infested.
The Minister also inaugurated the Zipline Drone Flight Services for the distribution of medical supplies and consumables, and also commissioned the 800m concrete access road to the Zipline Facility.

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Natasha: Senate passes vote of confidence in Akpabio  …..says sexual harassment allegation is before the court

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By George Mgbeleke
Satisfied with the way suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP Kogi Central) for misconduct and her sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio
were handled, the Red Chamber on Thursday passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of the number three citizen.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

This followed a motion raised by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), under Orders 40 and 51 of the Senate Rules on the controversies created by the actions taken on the misconduct and alleged sexual harassment.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended for violating the Senate Rules, had described it as an injustice and reported the matter to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU of the United Nations on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Senator Bamidele stressed the need for clarity, adherence to legislative rules and a renewed focus on governance despite the heightened public interest in the matter due to allegations made by the Kogi lawmaker.
According to him, at no point between August 2023 and the present was the Senate informed of any sexual harassment claims, adding that the issue at hand was purely about disciplinary measures related to breaches of Senate rules.
“I want to make it clear that the matter referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges had nothing to do with sexual harassment.
“The Senate President did not preside over any case related to such allegations. What was addressed was a flagrant disregard for Senate rules and we followed due process as guided by the Constitution,” he stressed.
Senator Bamidele, who insisted that the Senate took the right decision to maintain order and uphold legislative integrity, refuted claims that the Red Chamber acted beyond its constitutional rights, noting that suspension remains the only alternative to anarchy within the chamber.
“It was never an issue before us that any member of us was sexually harassed and we hold on to that point. We need to put the events of the last two weeks and concentrate. There is work before us and we have done everything possible, ensuring that the electoral reforms and others have legislative expressions,” he added.
The Senate Leader was happy about the IPU’s reaction to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s report, saying the international body acted within its own rules, and that any statements made by the Senator in question at the IPU meeting were done in a personal capacity, not as a designated delegate representing Nigeria.
He said: “It was never an issue before us that any senator was sexually harassed. We need to move past the events of the last two weeks and focus on our legislative responsibilities. There is critical work before us, including electoral reforms, economic recovery, and tax reform bills.
“The 7th schedule of the 1999 Constitution is clear, and we all swore by oath that we will make laws for the good of this country. We swore to that oath and ensured everyone abides by that oath.”
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary session, said it was time to focus on the implementation of the 2025 budget already signed by President Bola Tinubu through legislative functions, especially since the sexual harassment allegation is now before the court.
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HOSTCON Youth Council hails Senator Ned Nwoko on his new  appointment

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Senator Ned Nwoko(right) and Emmanuel Fiawei(left)

HOSTCON Youth Council hails Senator Ned Nwoko on his new  appointment

By David Owei, Bayelsa

Youths of the Host Communities Producing Oil, Gas and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council Of Nigeria (HOSTCON) have described as ” commendable” the appointment of the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State, Sen. Ned Nwoko as the Chairman, Senate Ad- Hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft.

According to HOSTCON, the appointment of Sen. Ned Nwoko by the 10th Senate under the leadership of Sen God’swill Akpabio as a game-changer for the entire oil and gas value chain in the nation’s oil industry.

The Host Communities Producing Oil Gas and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council Of Nigeria under the leadership of the National President, Comrade Emmanuel Fiawei Path finder, stated in a statement issued via electronic mail, that the Senator Ned Nwoko-led Committee will salvage the nation’s oil and gas sector and the economic woes of the country.

According to HOSTCON, ” it would never be business as usual for the saboteurs, both locally and internationally because he has already hit the ground running, and Nigerians would see what has never happened in the fight against oil and gas thieves no matter who they are.”

“As a round peg in a round hole, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Other Related Matters, his underground strategies would take these thieves by storm and surprise, and this would usher in lasting solutions in curbing the menace of crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and illegal bunkering activities in the creeks of Niger Delta region and the hinterlands.”

“The Senator Ned Nwoko we know, is a man of courage and master strategist, who has all it takes to rid the oil and gas sector of this ugly menace of sabotage by some devilish persons who have over the years stolen our common patrimony for their self aggrandizement.”

“We must say that Senator Ned Nwoko, a son of the Niger Delta understands the region so deeply and has broad knowledge about the nefarious activities of these plunders of our national wealth, and knows how to marshal out his strategies to change the ugly narrative in the oil and gas sector.”

” His appointment is highly welcomed by all and sundry and due to his pedigree and sagacity as a patriotic, detribalized, and true Nigerian leader who has distinguished himself in serving the nation with national conscience.”

“We also want to assure Nigerians that Senator Ned Nwoko’s 100 days in this saddle will end oil theft and would be resounding and reverberating because we have seen the handwriting already, and that it would bring about a stupendous growth and development of the oil and gas sector in no distant time as he had already commenced the job by leading a courtesy visit to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, seeking a partnership with the military to curb the menace, and also has set up and inaugurated a surveillance team for overt and covert oversight on oil facilities and institutions.”

“Interestingly, the committee has called for strengthening of intelligence-sharing mechanisms, surveillance operations and fostering of seamless inter-agency collaboration to dismantle the complex networks behind crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region and across the international borders.”

“Recently, he affirmed the The committee’s unwavering commitment and sense of patriotism in its resolve to implement watertight policies, deploy cutting-edge security technology, and ensure that those who undermine the national wealth are held accountable.”

“He also said that the task at hand transcends revenue protection; it is about securing the future, bolstering economic resilience, and creating an environment conducive for national progress.”

“0We want Nigerians to be confident about Senator Ned Nwoko because his track record based on his background as an international criminal lawyer. He has the expertise to ensure these thieves are brought to justice, and also his solid performance on the floor of the Senate and impact on his senatorial district is amazing as he has moved numerous life changing motions and bills been sponsored by distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko on the floor of the Red Chambers within the one and half years under the President Bola Tinubu ‘Renewed Hope’ mantra has drastically transformed the lives of his people.”

“Therefore at this juncture, the leadership of the HOSTCON YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA, under comrade Emmanuel Fiawei Pathfinder, National Exco, elders and Board of Trustees, throw our full weight behind Sen Ned Nwoko-led Ad hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Other Related Matters.”

“We at HOSTCON, being the most critical umbrella body that is the ears, eyes, strength, energy and heart beat of the nation’s oil and gas producing communities in the creeks as well the strength and the life-wire of the nation’s economy will partner with the 10th Senate under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Godswill Akp, through the Chairman of the Senate Add-Hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft, Sen Ned Nwoko, the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in Delta State to join hands together for us to foster a collective responsibility to salvage the economy of our dear country by all means from the hands of this sophisticated oil thieves in collaboration with their foreign counterparts in this illicit business bent to cripple out economy.”

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NAS seeks review of laws against gender-based discriminations and violence ..says gender-based biases at the homestead

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National Association of Seadogs—Pyrates Confraternity (NAS-PC) officials

By David Owei, Bayelsa

The National Association of Seadogs—Pyrates Confraternity (NAS-PC) has called for a review of laws mitigating against cases of gender-based discriminations and violence in the society.

The (NAS-PC), in conjunction with gender based advocacy groups including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bayelsa State and the Do Foundation, however agreed that despite the needed review, there is the need of addressing gender-based biases at the homestead, noting that perpetrators of gender-based discriminations and violence are often fathers, brothers, and sons.

The Capoon of the Oxbow Marino Deck of the National Association of Seadogs—Pyrates Confraternity (NAS-PC), Engr. Adogbeji Egbonoje, while speaking during a state-wide radio discussion programme on Radio Bayelsa 97.1 FM, Yenagoa. This year’s theme, “For all Women and Girls: Rights, Equality and Empowerment, stressed that paying attention to how sons are raised and groomed would have a profound impact on how they relate with women as adults.

He emphasized the importance of addressing gender-based biases at the homestead, noting that perpetrators of gender-based discriminations and violence are often fathers, brothers, and sons.

He stressed that paying attention to how sons are raised and groomed would have a profound impact on how they relate with women as adults.

He also highlighted the significance of cultivating the mind of the girl child from infancy, instilling confidence in young girls as they venture into the world as adults,” This, he believed, would empower them to withstand negative peer pressures and chart their paths in life.”

Also speaking on the radio discussion programme, the National Assistant Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),Barr. Ebiere Emmanuella and the Former Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bayelsa State, Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry also shared expert insights on the historical context of International Women’s Day, progress made in gender equality, and the importance of education and policy changes in addressing systemic barriers.

The two legal experts pointed out the the roles of organizations like FIDA and the NBA in supporting marginalized women and pointed out contending issues of workplace equality, women’s leadership, and the role of men as allies in the fight for gender equality.

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