BY PRISCA OGBO
The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme has said that the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) in Oghara has been witnessing significant transformation, thanks to the strategic reforms implemented by the current administration under the leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
He said the state govewrnment has cleared a long-standing power bill of N100m owed to the Benin Electricity Development Company (BEDC).
The Commissioner outlined these developments during a recent meeting in his office in Asaba, with the leaders of the Ijomi and Edjemouyan communities, the two host communities of the hospital.
He emphasized the administration’s commitment to fulfilling its campaign promises, particularly in the health sector, by ensuring that DELSUTH operates efficiently and effectively.
The Commissioner revealed that through a comprehensive audit, the state has discontinued the payment of approximately 120 health workers, who were no longer in service to curb wasteful expenditure.
In response to the pressing need for advanced medical equipment at DELSUTH, the state government has approved the procurement of a CT scan machine—a capital-intensive investment that underscores the administration’s commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery in the state. ‘’Additionally, the government has taken decisive steps to clear a longstanding power bill of N100 million owed to the Benin Electricity Development Company (BEDC), which had been a financial burden on the hospital’’ he said.
On the various requests made by the host communities such as adhering to the employment quota of non-clinical workers as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between them and the management of the hospital to foster inclusivity, the commissioner assured that they would be addressed.
Speaking earlier, the Councilor, Ward 12, Oghara, Eki Benson who spoke on behalf of the host communities, commended the Commissioner for Health for the work he is doing to ensure the teaching hospital takes its rightful place as it concerns healthcare delivery.
He assured the state government that as friendly communities they would continue to ensure a cordial relationship exists with the hospital and requested they be carried along for them to be on the same page on issues that bother the progress of the hospital.
Benson added that the teaching hospital has experienced tremendous changes since the new management took over six months ago and warned the old management not to interfere with the operation of the hospital.
He used the medium to present requests that bother on employment quota, local contractors to be allowed to participate in local supplies, and provision of unskilled labour.
…As Keke Riders, Petty Traders, Groan
BY SONIA OKOYE
The skyrocketing fuel prices have hit Nigerians like a punch to the gut, sparking waves of frustration and deepening hardship.
This comes on the heels of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) latest bombshell, an increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which has jumped from its former range of N568 to N617 per litre to a jaw-dropping N855 to N897 depending on the location.
In a series of interviews with our correspondent, tricycle (Keke) riders, market traders, and everyday citizens did not hold back, sharing how this shocking price hike has upended their daily lives and stretched their budgets to the breaking point.
Speaking with a commercial tricycle Rider in Asaba, Mr. Anayo Somtochukwu, he shared the struggle of earning a living since the fuel price hike. “Before, I could fill up for N850 per litre. Now, it’s a shocking N1000. My profit has taken a nosedive.”
Once earning N5,000 a day, Somto now struggles to scrape N2,000. “I can’t even afford to work anymore,” he said. “I might have to park my keke for good and search for another job. The government must rethink this policy before we’re all out of work.”
Another commercial tricyclist, Mr. Abudu Ibrahim, echoed Somto’s frustrations. “I’ve been riding keke for 10 years, but now my business is on life support. Fuel prices have jumped over 100 per cent, and my earnings have halved.” Market women, too, are feeling the heat. A trader at the Ogbe-Ogonogo market in Asaba, Mrs Ebinim Nneoma, shared her fears for the future. “Transport costs have soared. We’ll have no choice but to raise prices, but that isn’t good for business.
Another market woman at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State, Mrs. Obodo Chidinma, equally expressed her frustration. “Our suffering is real. Transporting goods has become unaffordable. We’re barely surviving.”
Like many others, she has been forced to increase prices, but the backlash from customers has been severe. “Many market women are shutting down. It’s heartbreaking to watch livelihoods disappear overnight.”
Consumers, too, are bearing the brunt. Mr. Okezie Emeka, from Asaba, noted, “I used to fill my tank for N5,000. Now, it’s a whopping N12,000. I’ve had to cut down my movements and look for cheaper ways to get around.”
Meanwhile, Mr David Otigba, a resident of Anambra State, stressed that he had felt the economic pinch so acutely he’s had to overhaul his lifestyle. “I spend more on fuel than I earn. I’ve cut down my movements, my social activities, everything. Even then, it’s a struggle to make ends meet.”
