Canadian group donates equipment to FMC, Bida

Brown Chimezie

The Nigerian Association for Young Adults (NAYA) in Canada and USA has called on Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to the development of the country’s health sector. The group’s president, Sola Agboola, stated this while donating equipment worth several millions of naira to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Niger State.

He said: “Governance is the responsibility of all, and government cannot do it all. Efforts to develop the nation’s health sector should not be left to government alone. The sets of equipment are the second this year, coming on the heels of equipment worth N54 million earlier donated to the Abia State government. NAYA has donated equipment worth over $440 million to different hospitals in the country so far.”

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello while commending the group for the efforts revealed that his administration had declared a state of emergency in the health sector. Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Makusidi Mohammed, the governor said government has over the years strived to ensure that the “state budget for the sector matches what is on ground.”

Archbishop Samson Mustapha Benjamin, who facilitated the NAYA efforts in Nigeria commended the Etsu Nupe, Dr Yahaya Abubakar, whom he said facilitated the clearance and movement of the equipment from the ports down to Bida, making it seamless, compared to previous experiences. He noted: “NAYA works tirelessly to impact Nigeria. The group needs support and collaboration from everyone, as it plans to make more of such donations, in other parts of the country, to improve general healthcare delivery system.”

Mrs. Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assiatant to the President, the Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, represented by her personal Assistant, Tarab Abdulrahman, said government had earlier established an act to encourage Nigerian living abroad to make meaningful contributions to the nation: “NAYA was one of the most active among Diaspora groups and it needed to be encouraged to continue the gesture.” Items donated included beds, examination tables, specialised wheelchairs, scanners, incubators and consumables.