EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE, MAJOR PARTS OF OUR AGENDA – GOVERNOR OTTI, THANKS AMERICA HOME AID HEALTH TRAINING INSTITUTE FOR PARTNERING WITH LUX MUNDI UNIVERSITY IN ABIA FOR EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES IN THE US.
The Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, says that education and health remain major parts of his administration’s agenda.
Governor Otti disclosed this on Wednesday, July 16th, when he played host to the Board of Trustees of Lux Mundi University, Umuahia, led by the alternate chair of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, who is also the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps.
The Lux Mundi Board came to inform the Governor about a partnership with the Home Health Aid Training Institute, United States of America (USA) which will see 50 of their students travel to the United States next month for an exchange programme with the institute and also to invite the Governor to their 2nd matriculation programme taking place on July 18th.
Addressing his guests, Governor Otti, who was delighted to hear the cheering news, said, “For us in the State, the major things you put on the table are part of our agenda since we came in 2023 – Education and Health. In the last 24 months, we have allocated 15% of our Budget to health and 20% to Education.
Governor Otti explained that he decided to tackle the challenges his administration inherited in the education and health sectors from the root cause. “We found that the number of out-of-school children was actually increasing. We looked at the whole situation, on a Monday or Tuesday, you see children of school age hawking things – akara, groundnut, etc. When we checked, we found out that it was because of school fees that a lot of them could not afford to go to school.
“Therefore, from the beginning of this year, we removed school fees and education became free and compulsory at the basic level,” the Governor stated amidst applause.
The Governor disclosed that the free education policy of his Government led to an upsurge in school enrollment, which threw up a huge manpower challenge to the already existing problem of lack of teachers, as well as the need to fix the dilapidated schools, as the learning environment is also important.
Speaking further, he said, “First of all, we tried to make teaching attractive by improving their pay and also making all the total compensation package more attractive than even the Civil Service,” He added. The Governor explained that the employment of 5364 new teachers was not enough to contain the continued upsurge in enrollment in public schools. Presently, the Government is processing the employment of an additional 4000 teachers to ensure that every school has adequate, well-trained, and motivated manpower.
“The fact that your parents are not rich should not deny you the opportunity to go to school,” Dr. Otti declared
On Health, the Governor revealed that his administration inherited a dysfunctional Primary Healthcare system in dilapidation and lacking in manpower. None of the 948 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) was working. “The first thing we did was to design a minimum standard template for primary Healthcare Centers,” the Governor stated,
On the ongoing renovation, remodeling, and retrofitting of 200 PHCs, he said, “At the last count, 138 have been completely retrofitted, with the remaining 62 making it 200 to be completed soon. We have commissioned those that we have fitted properly. The last one was in Bende. “The Primary Health Centers are fitted with renewable energy – solar power.
On the ongoing recruitment of more manpower into the health sector, the Governor said, “As we are rolling out the Primary Healthcare Centers, we also found that there were scarcity of healthcare professionals. We have also tried to upgrade the compensation package for healthcare professionals in the State, and I just gave approval for the hiring of 771 of them. The recruitment portal is open currently.
“We have to be deliberate about policies that would help our healthcare workers stay,” The Governor explained that people who ordinarily would not have access to healthcare, now have access to healthcare by the fixing of the Primary Healthcare Centers and other investments in the health sector.
He commended the Board of Trustees and management of Lux Mundi University for introducing Nursing and Health Services among the course they offer and assured them of the continued support of the State Government wherever it can “I’m very glad that you introduced faculty of Nursing and Health Services and I’m sure we would be able to partner one way or the other.
Governor Otti thanked Dr. Mario Santiago, Chief Executive of America Home Aid Health Training Institute, Westbury, New York, USA, who came to Nigeria to profile the 50 students of Nursing Science of Lux Mundi University, approved by the American government for student exchange programme next month, for the partnership. He assured her that she would not regret it.
He equally commended the founder and Pro-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Gabriel Okenwa Esq, OFR, for establishing a University, noting that not a lot of people can do that because the profit does not come quickly.
Dr. Santiago expressed her gratitude to Governor Otti for trusting the University, saying that he was grateful to be in the Governor’s presence. She assured that she would do everything she can to support the University to succeed.
The founder and Pro-Chancellor of Lux Mundi University thanked Governor Otti for his transformative leadership in the State, saying that he had written a book in 2014 on Transformative Leadership, which he used Governor Otti as a case study. He explained that what is happening in the State under Governor Otti’s visionary leadership is the fulfillment of the content of the book.
He informed the Governor that the University is growing, attracting collaborations with international organizations like the America Home Aid Health Training Institute, whose Chief Executive, Dr. Maria Santiago, came to profile 50 nursing students of the University who would be leaving for the United States of America next month for an exchange programme.
Earlier in his speech, the alternate chairman of the board of trustees of Lux Mundi University, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, thanked Governor Otti for receiving them, and introduced members of the delegation, including their partners from the USA, and yielded the floor for the members of the delegation to speak.
The meeting was attended by senior Government appointees.
Ctz. UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
17-07-2025.
