By: Ikechukwu Onwuka

The Honourable Member Representing Abark/Etim Ekpo/ Ika Federal Constituency of Akwa-ibom State in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Clement Jimbo has
Frowned at the Infrastructural decay due to Leadership’s lackadaisical attitudes in governance, occasioned by oversight failure by constituted authority.

He lamented on some public officials for their negligence as one of the reasons that led to the death of the Medical Doctor in Lagos General hospital, Dr. Vwaere Diaso, who died in hospital’s elevator on 1st of August, 2023. Descibing the scenerio as pathetic and unfortunate for her to have died in a facility that she has saved life.
.Hon Jimbo was passionately moved to make clarion call for his colleagues at the Parliament to support a legislation that will place a ban on all government functionaries, seeking medical tourism abroad, as a wake up call for our leaders in servicing and developing our Infrastructural facilities for Nigerians. The Member explained his emotional state when he burst into tears while watching the video clips on Arise Television recently.

In his words,” I will begin the response to the very question this way. In 1965, Singapore had their Independence. And in 1990, Singapore existed from being a third world nation, a developing nation to a developed nation, within the space of 25 years. The then Leader of Singapore by name Lee Kuan Yew made a statement and I am going to quote his statement from one of his books titled ‘From Third World To First’, “we cannot afford to forget that public order, personal security, economic progress and prosperity are not the natural order of things. They
depend on ceaseless efforts and attention from an honest government that the people must elect”. Back to your question Sir, the unfortunate incident that led to the lost of a precious life, a Medical Doctor. I watched on Arise Television this morning, a statement that says the Doctor died in a facility that she saved life. I couldn’t help but to shed tears. And I recalled in one of my outings as a Presidential Aspirant in 2019, as one of my policies for the health sector in Nigeria, you see Sir, we cannot continue to throw our hands as leaders in fatalistic resignation and allow things to continue to spiral out of contro. Things must be done and there are ways and manners of getting things done. How do we reviltalize our health sector, so that what led to the death of that Doctor, another Doctor or a Patient does not suffer same? We need to make laws that would invariably force us the leaders to see to it, what we are afraid to do is a clear indication of what we need to do. What do I mean? Can we come up a legislation that beginning from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the last person as a councillor, across the length and breath of Nigeria, you are exempted from taking any medical trip outside the shores of Nigeria. After all, where you are traveling to access medical care, it is human beings just like you and I that built it, so how come that we cannot duplicate what we are seeking for outside,in our own house, for ourselves and for over 200million Nigerians? I tell you for free Sir, if the Minister or former Minister of health had visited that place thrice in a year, what led to the death of that Doctor would have been prevented.I can equally tell you, the legislators, over 24 of them that were elected from Lagos state alone, had embarked on their proper oversight function in the 9th assembly, what led to the death of that Doctor would have been prevented and avoided ,because they would have been this fear, a legislator is coming for an overnight function in this facility. If there is anything that is not working in this facility,let us work it.but we failed that Doctor, that is why I am saying we should not fail any Nigerian again. Let us make laws that the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will be treated in our hospitals, not just in the private hospitals but public hospitals.That our 36 governors in Nigeria will be treated in public hospitals in Nigeria. That 109 Senators in the Senate will be treated in our public hospitals. That 360 House of Representative Members will be treated in the public hospitals in Nigeria.By so doing, we will know things that are not fix or lacking in these institutions and make laws and make adequate funds for them to be fixed. Is it not very sad to know that as a patient visiting our public institutions, you are demanded to buy gloves for Doctors and Nurses before they can even examine you, including the syringes. If you have an emergency, these things must be provided before a TV Doctor or Nurse will attend to you, including the surgical blades. The patient must buy, it is sad.”, he stated.