Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blamed the lack of vision by Nigerian leaders for the poor governance in the country. Mr. Atiku spoke in Owerri, the Imo State capital as Chairman at the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors Progressive Governance Lecture Series, where he also noted that a lack of resources was not responsible for Nigeria’s relative under-development.
The former Vice President said Nigeria has the resources, but needs “leadership, vision and determination to make things work.” In the speech, which dwelt extensively on health, Mr. Atiku said the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in Nigeria had brought to fore Nigeria’s emergency management response strategies.
According to him, the arrival of the fatal disease called for an urgent need for adequate investments in healthcare, infrastructure and service delivery across the country. Addressing the inconsistency between Nigeria’s resources and its performance, Mr. Atiku said the statistics were disturbing and that the outbreak of Ebola had only exposed the underbelly of our healthcare system.
He regretted that despite Nigeria’s vast resources and human capital the doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria was 1 to 6,400 which was far below the WHO standard of 1 to 600. He also lamented that Nigerians had 50 per cent access to improved water source and 35 per cent adequate sanitation. On infant and maternal mortality rate of 74 and 630 respectively, the former Vice President said the figures put Nigeria among the worst.
The former vice president said health was not a privilege, but a right which “every citizen in a modern society is entitled to.” He explained that security and healthcare were critical areas posing urgent and grave challenges to Nigeria. He said emphasis on healthcare education was no less important, and that it was embarrassing that in the 21st century, Nigerians would be resorting to crude solution of “soaking ourselves in salty water to fight the virulent Ebola virus.”
He also lamented the fact that “highly qualified and experienced medical professionals who were trained at public expense but chose to practice abroad.” Mr. Atiku said there should be creative solutions to deal with this situation of investing heavily in healthcare professionals who end up serving abroad. He explained that in a federal system, states should introduce policies that would attract doctors to serve their needs. “There is no justification for workers everywhere in the country to earn the same salaries,” he said Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Nigerian ppl calling themselves leaders can be so funny, when they are in government the will be stealling and doing all sorts of nonsense, once they are out, they will be castigating the present government of numerous things. When atiku was in government, all we heard was privatisation which he sold to himself, friends and concubines. Now he's talking about lack of vision over someones tenure. Wen ur counterparts arround the world are busy boosting of new tallest buidings, new fastest metro, new biggezt mall, best policing, most comforyable city to live, u guys are busy destroying Nigeria in tge name of politics, religion, ethnicity and self service.
ReplyDeleteU have trully SUMMERISED our POLITICIANS. Well done.
DeleteA tiki, shut up ur big mouth. Ur worst than those in power now. Ur the the biggest criminal in Nigeria presently. U should not even be in public glare considering all that u stole while in power. Was that not the reason ur principal, OLD, called u ' Atiku oleh' ?.
ReplyDeletebro,let am something.
ReplyDeletebro,let am something.
ReplyDeleteThis fool should keep quiet. This is a man who almost bought the who of Nigeria including human beings. He will fail if he contests.
ReplyDeleteAtiku has absolutely no moral basis for being overtly sanctimonious! Atiku is a personification of everything wrong with Nigeria. Let him sit down and recollect how he rose from being a mere civil servant in the customs to becoming one of the richest Mongols in Nigeria! Did he arrive where he is today by dint of honest hardwork or through monumental sleaze and corruption? In decent societies, men like Atiku would be languishing in jail serving multiple life terms for the atrocities they have committed with our collective resources! It is astonishing that the idiot has the audacity of masqurading himself as a sanctimonious leader! Shame on him!
ReplyDeleteAre you not part of them in government?? God will judge all of you..
ReplyDelete