TheHILL | LEGISLATURE | OCTOBER 11
The member representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency Rt. Hon.(Barr.) Onofiok Luke has commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for turning around healthcare delivery in the state through massive revamping and equipping of hospitals.
He has equally stressed on the need to extend same gesture to the Primary Healthcare level.
This, the lawmaker believes , will not only reduce mortality rate among the elders, pregnant women and children but will also decongest hospitals for effective service delivery and make for Universal Health Coverage.
Onofiok Luke who is a member of Congress of Former Legislators from Akwa Ibom State, made this known while sharing thoughts on the future leadership recruitment of the state, with the group in Uyo on Thursday.
“If we speak of the things that needs to be done, we are not implying that nothing had been done but only acknowledging the fact that there will always be room for further development and improvements on the already existing structure and achievements.
“The massive investment in the healthcare delivery has been in the secondary level, now the next investment will be at the primary healthcare level, which will cater for the teeming population of our people residing in the rural communities. Some of our people in the local areas are dying of avoidable diseases because our Primary HealthCare and Comprehensive Health centres have personnel and equipment challenges.
“Our future plan as a state should be to upgrade the School of Health Sciences and Technology in Etinan to the status of a college in order to meet up the requirement to train personnel needed to man Primary Health Care centres in the state.”
The lawmaker disclosed that it was on the basis of that foresight that led him to sponsor the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency bill as the speaker then and appreciated his colleagues for passing the bill into law.
Barr. Luke commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for assenting to that bill to become law and setting up the agency with tested hands to manage it.
He explained that as Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, Personal Assistant to Governor, a-two term member , Chairman of various strategic committees and Speaker Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, and now member House of Representatives, he has garnered enough experience and understanding of the state, her people, the workings of governance and he is equipped to provide leadership at the highest political level in the state.
“Yours truly has had the opportunity from a matured perspective to closely observe three successive governments. By that, we have been positioned to know the success stories of those administrations, the modus operandi of their success stories and equally, the challenges those administrations faced. We have been sufficiently incubated in the leadership womb of the state and at the same time sufficiently schooled in her art of governance.
“We need to continue with industrialization, we need to continue with ten years educational plan initiated by this administration, we need to extend the frontiers of the Aviation sector and push the agenda towards making the Ibom Deep Seaport a reality”.
He hinted the group of his intent to put himself forward in the next leadership recruitment for the State.
“In the spirit of the moment, I’m consulting widely across the state to share thoughts and plans about the next stage of the development of the state and soon I will be making my intentions public. I will be seeking the support of Akwa Ibom people for the State’s plum job.
“Some people speculate I am seeking for a second term in the legislature, that’s far from the truth, I have never aimed at the moon to land on the stars, I aim at the moon and seek to land on the moon” My interest is in Governorship and not a second term in the House of Representatives “ So anything to the contrary is a political propaganda.
“We are passionate about the welfare of our people and the rapid development of our state.
“I urge you to use your network and political base to back one of you in this race. We have the requisite experience, exposure and the passion”. Onofiok Luke said.
