The Abia State Government has announced its plan to renovate and upgrade 200 existing primary health centers across the state by the end of this year.
The state Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, shared this update during a press briefing on Monday, following the State Executive Council meeting, which was chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
Kanu explained that the project, to be carried out by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, is set to be completed within 100 days, starting from September 2024.
“It is a bold step being undertaken by the Ministry (Health) and work will commence across the State in those 200 Primary Health Centres in the first week of September and the delivery of those projects will be somewhere around December.
“All the 184 wards of the state will benefit from this project. I believe that will turn out to be some form of Christmas gift to Abians.” Kanu stated.
He further revealed that the state has identified 13 suspected cases of Monkey Pox in Isiala Ngwa. Of these, nine tested negative, one tested positive, and three remain unconfirmed.
Regarding the recovery of public lands seized by private individuals, Prince Kanu stated that the committee established for this purpose has already begun its work, starting with the reclamation of lands belonging to Government College Umuahia.
He assured that the government is committed to this effort and will not relent, regardless of any pressure.
“They (the committee) were in Government College Umuahia where they retrieved the land that has been compromised there.
“The government will not back out from the program of recovering all the lands illegally acquired by unscrupulous individuals in our schools. The committee will not back out no matter the pushback from those who may have engaged in this selfish take over of school lands in the State.” Kanu noted.
He also announced that as part of ongoing reforms in the education sector, the verification process for the private schools that were previously closed down will soon begin.
The training of both primary and secondary school teachers in the state, conducted by the Educational Consultants ERIT, is nearing completion, and all examinations organized by the Education Development Center have been successfully conducted.
Regarding the state government’s road infrastructure development efforts, the Commissioner reported that a total of 108 roads have been maintained and rehabilitated across the state through direct labor.
He mentioned that the design work for the Ntigha-Mbawsi-Umuala Road is currently underway, and the design for the Onuimo-Tower of Peace Road has been completed. Additionally, the design for the Onuinyang-Okporoenyi-Oboro-Ikwuano road is nearing completion, with ongoing work on several key roads across the state.
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Emeh Uche, clarified that the government is not demolishing buildings that were illegally constructed on the grounds of Government College Umuahia.
Uche said, “This government is against the destruction of property, especially when it is not on the way. What the Recovery Committee demolished last weekend at Government College Umuahia were structures at the foundation level and the rest of them.
“Those properties, the government will not demolish them but will put them to proper use. It would be wasteful to demolish those properties.
Responding to questions about the recent epidemic outbreaks in the state, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Ngozi Azodo, clarified that there have only been two confirmed cases of cholera, contrary to widespread speculation. She also noted that various isolation centers are being fortified to manage any potential cases.
In a related development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, announced that the state government has completed the identification of houses slated for demolition as part of the Umuikaa-Owerrinta road expansion project.
He added that compensation for the affected properties will begin soon.
(Punch)
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