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Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has commended the Nigerian Army for the establishment of a tertiary military hospital in the state that will serve as centre of excellence for diseases of military importance.
The governor stated this, in Sokoto, when he received the General Commanding Officer 8 Division of Nigeria Army, Sokoto, Brig.-Gen. S.O. Olabanji, in his office.
Governor Tambuwal said the hospital, the first of its kind in the country, would also serve as a research institution with a United Nations’-grade international public health laboratory.
He said already, the government has provided space at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital for temporary use by the hospital pending when work on its permanent site is executed.
The governor also noted that some states have applied to be given the right to host the facility, but Sokoto State emerged the preferred destination.
His words, “First of all, I want to inform the people of Sokoto state that our efforts in attracting important projects from within and outside the country has continued to yield positive results.
“This hospital is of great importance not just to the military but to our people as a whole. Diseases of military importance are areas of concern globally because of the large population of people that can be infected after outbreaks.
“Such diseases are subject of importance in efforts to counter bioterrorism and bio-weapons by aggressor nations. These infectious diseases include among others dengue fever, ebola, lassa fever, anthrax among others.
“Having a centre in Sokoto dedicated to countering these likely outbreaks is a welcome development. We will support the hospital with facilities and logistics to properly take off until it is fully on its feet,” Governor Tambuwal said.
He said dispelled the notion that the government has permanently handed over the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital to the military.
