Gov Otti opens OSSAP-SDG-built multipurpose hospital in Abia

• We’ll achieve SDGs by 2030, says Tinubu aide

Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has inaugurated a 100-Bed Mother and Child Centre, a multipurpose hospital built by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) in Ugwunabo, Abia State.

The governor, speaking at the event on Wednesday, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for siting the hospital in Abia State.

Otti promised that the facility would be judiciously used, adding that the state was planning to establish a medical village that would put an end to people travelling abroad for medical issues.

He hailed Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, for her tireless efforts in achieving SDGs.

He pledged the support of Abians for the SDGs’ office and President Tinubu.

Princess Orelope-Adefulire thanked President Tinubu for his sterling leadership and commitment to working closely with sub-national governments to deliver key interventions and fast-track the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria.

“I would like to most sincerely thank Governor Otti for his unwavering commitment to the socio-economic transformation of Abia State and our collective desire to achieve the SDGs in Nigeria,” she said.

According to her, the SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030.

She stressed that the SDGs could not be achieved with standalone policies and programmes.

“They must be carefully integrated into our medium and long-term national and sub-national development policies and plans.

“It is in recognition of this that we are supporting the 36 states and the FCT on SDG-based Development Planning.

“In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we are committed to prioritizing key interventions with multiplier effects on multi-dimensional poverty, such as basic healthcare, vocational skills development and education provisioning.

“With COVID-19 pandemic challenging our healthcare system, strategic interventions, such as the Mother and Child Centre, have become imperative.”

The SSA to the President explained that the 100-Bed Mother and Child Centre (MCC) is equipped with state-or-the-art facilities.

She said, “They include among others two operating theatres, recovery rooms; private and general wards, scanning room, consultation rooms and laboratory.

Others are ultra-scan machine, vacuum extractor delivery set, and an emergency cart with full complements. The MCC is directly linked to the achievement of SDG-3 on ‘Quality Health and Well-being for all’, as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.

“OSSAP-SDGs has worked tirelessly to construct and furnish this state-of-the-art facility as a strategic tool for healthcare service provisioning in the state.

“It is therefore expected that the state and local governments will make judicious use of the facilities in a sustainable way for the benefit of our mothers and children.

“Let me conclude by encouraging us to make this Mother and Child Centre a beacon of hope and a testament to our collective dedication to building healthier and more prosperous communities. May it serve as a reminder that by investing in maternal and child health, we invest in the very foundation of our society’s well-being. Together, let us continue to strive for excellence in healthcare delivery and create a future where every mother and child can thrive.

“I would like to reaffirm our commitment to the achievement of the SDGs by the year 2030. We will continue to prioritize interventions with potential impact on the lives of the poor and vulnerable members of our society so that no ‘Nigerian is left behind’.”

The OSSAP-SDGs also organised a sensitization and advocacy programme for major stakeholders in the state on the acceleration of the SDGs.

Gunmen attack Abuja-bound bus in Kogi, abduct all passengers

Gunmen have kidnapped several passengers traveling in a bus at Okene, Kogi State.

According to a viral post on X, the passengers were en route from Edo State to Abuja on Wednesday when they were attacked.

The bus, owned by Big Joe Motors, a transport company based in Benin, had its driver among the abducted. The Kogi Police Command confirmed the incident.

David Aiguobagbon, a manager at the Abuja branch of Big Joe Motors, told Premium Times on Thursday that he was unsure how many people were kidnapped since the bus, which has a capacity for 13 passengers, had some passengers who managed to escape.

“We do not use or have 18 passenger buses, we only have 13. According to what we heard, there were 13 people, and some of the passengers were able to escape.

How cultists disguised as friends to kill Ogun varsity final year student

The ongoing examination at Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State, was on Wednesday distrupted, when hoodlums, suspected to be cultists stormed the institution, dragged out a final-year student, Ahmed Ayinla Fabiyi, and killed him.