BY YUNUSA BUNU, DECEMBER 5, 2021 | 08:35 PM
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said Nigerians are dying on daily basis from renal (kidney) disease as a result of nonchalant attitude of governments.
The registrar said this on Thursday during a visit to Prof Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno, in Maiduguri, capital of the state.
The registrar who led a top-ranking delegation of the examination body stated that renal failure and associated diseases from which thousands of Nigerians suffer have become a thing of great concern but many governments do not care.
He said this while commending the policies of Gov. Zulum in handling the health problem.
He said what the governor is doing is very rare and needs to be emulated by other leaders as people die on daily basis because they cannot afford treatment.
'People are dying not because there is no cure, but because many of our governments do not care,' the registrar said. 'The achievements of your government, despite the challenges posed by decade long insurgency, have been widely applauded and acknowledged both at home and abroad.
'These achievements, anchored on people-oriented projects, are there for all to see and have been largely instrumental to the consolidation of hope and confidence of the people of Borno State,' the registrar said.
He explained that one of these remarkable policies are the grants made available by the state to encourage research into the major causes of the disease.
‘First is the grant you made available to encourage high level research on renal failure and kidney diseases (which has reached a high prevalence rate in Nigeria); and the provision of free dialysis services for patients to be rendered by the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital Kidney Centre.
'I understand that the waived costs for a patient is N30, 000 per week. This is not only commendable but also demonstrates empathy for the patients and support to the less privileged. I believe this initiative should be replicated by other states in the country,’ he explained.
He also commended the governor’s move to close down all the internally displaced persons camps in Maiduguri.
He said the initiative 'will pave way for the return of all the displaced persons to their ancestral homes.’
‘This is also quite commendable as it signals return to normalcy,’ he added.
He explained that this is because 'some of the NGOs with no clear objectives and mission in Borno State will now have to go back to the drawing board. The era of opportunistic behavior and mischief by some of these NGOs is coming to an end.
'I am of the view that beneficiaries of conflict are as committed to its prolongation as its initiators,' the registrar noted.
The governor appreciated the registrar's commendations while approving some requests of the board such as allocating a land for the establishment of JAMB computer center in the state capital.
Findings by YERWA EXPRESS NEWS revealed that an average of 200 dialysis sessions are conducted every month for free by the state government at the specialist hospital.
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