NEWS DIGEST – I have been following your activities when you carried almost everybody in this country along when you served as the Accountant General of the Federation. Both the government and the populace recognized your invaluable efforts in the transparent way you handled the federation account under your purview. Your display of professional touch earned you accolades from your colleagues who are professional accountants from both Association of National Accountants of Nigeria(ANAN) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria(ICAN).
The above developments formed my basic reasons I and those I could persuade cast my vote for you during the 2015 general election.
Though, while I do not know you in person or totally believed in your government to bring the needed change to Gombe State, just like other people, I didn’t want the other aspirant (A.P.C in particular) administration to be in power (the decision I do not regret till this day) But as I write this letter to you, I am disappointed by some of your administration’s policies so far, notable health, water and sanitation.
As a citizen of Gombe state, I have taken time to go round some of the government hospitals to bring to your notice the lack of medical facilities in good number of them. I hope you will take serious notice of this and do something to improve the situation. Except for few hospitals, the general condition in government hospitals is very deplorable; the life-saving drugs are not available. The patients are advised to buy them from outside, notably private pharmacies and chemists. All pathological tests are not available in the hospital laboratories. For most of them, the patients must visit private laboratories. Oxygen cylinders in most of the hospitals are not in proper working order, and patients must go without them. Arrangements for blood tests are not up to the mark, and during transfusion, some patients succumb to death. Can we say that our hospitals have turned to mere consulting clinics? I hope so. Facilities of physiotherapy are very rare. Specialists working in the hospitals are found persuading the patients to visit their private clinics. In several wards visited, the number of beds, from my observation, are not enough to accommodate all the indoor patients with the result that many patients are found lying on mattresses placed on bare floor.
Dilapidated infrastructure and lack of other facilities in a lot of them. The government should provide funding of infection-free rooms to hospitals. It`s hard to expect any good medical treatment in a dirty environment. (Please visit Female Ward in Specialist hospital).
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Majority of hospitals in the state don’t even have enough to provide electricity in the absence of public power supply. What does it mean for Gombe? Even if doctors want to help – they can`t do that without funding. Many of those interviewed ‘chorused’ low budgetary provision each year despite entreaties from even respected quarters. Improvement and renovation of health facilities is key in getting a facelift in this direction.
The above scenario, has nevertheless dovetailed to Lack of empathy by Gombe doctors and nurses to the patients looking for help when it comes to doctor-patient relationship. These developments must be checked.
Your Excellency, concerning the issue of water in the state, you made us understand that more than 60 per cent of Gombe State residents will have access to clean water before your exit in 2019. You also promised to improve on that by building mini water works in every local government in the state, along with other water programs. Sir, what have you done to improve on this status bearing in mind that recently the head of the Water Corporation in Gombe State recently confirmed that more than 70 per cent of citizens still don’t have access to water? What is your administration’s efforts in this regard?
Despite this poor and irregular water supply, the state government claimed that over N5.2 billion was spent in the provision of water supply since 2012. The figure excludes recurrent expenditure and overhead cost.
Water is life, without water people can’t survive comfortably. If you cannot maintain or provide portable water for Gombe people, how can you manage and end fuel scarcity in Nigeria with your ambition of becoming Nigeria’s next president as I hear from the grape vine?
Your Excellency sir, I wish to state clearly that this letter is not in support of any of your opposition but in sole support of what is good for the state. On your part, we hope for a better government under your administration, but it clearly shows now that we are getting nothing more than empty promises and cheap propaganda on water and health. We can only pray that we don’t experience the same administration again. I have my personal respect for you, but I can’t join your team for presidential campaign if things continue the way they are now.
In conclusion, Your Excellency, I am merely a citizen expressing his mind and not an opposition and I believe we have to grow beyond sentiments about those that govern us if we really want to move in the right direction; I think your administration has performed below what is expected of you (In terms of health and water supply ).
We need a leader that thinks beyond the next term in office and how to build a legacy that the next generation will be proud of. I believe strongly that this administration is not better than the previous administration in terms of health and water except for the road constructions, education, sanitation, security, traffic control among others.
Your concerned citizen, Abubakar Isyaku.
Abubakar Isyaku wrote in from Abuja and could be reached on: Abubakarishaq70@gmail.com
