Abia begins renovation, retrofitting of 200 health centres

The Abia State government says work on renovation and retrofitting of existing 200 Primary Health Centres across the state will commence next month, and is expected to be completed by December this year.

According to the project design, which is being executed by the State Ministry of Health in partnership with the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, all the 184 wards of the state will benefit from it.

Prince Okey Kanu, the Commissioner for Information, announced this while briefing the press at Government House, Umuahia, on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting.

Kanu disclosed that the state has recorded 13 suspected cases of Monkey Pox Virus within Isiala Ngwa, explaining that nine out of the cases returned negative, one positive, while the remaining three were still un-classified.
Answering a question on the outbreak of epidemics in the state , the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Ngozi Azodo said that contrary to speculations, the state had only two cases of Cholera while various isolation centres have been strengthened to contain any outbreak.

On the recovery of public lands taken over by private individuals, Prince Kanu announced that the committee constituted to that effect has swung into action.

He stated the committee started by assisting the Old Boys of Government College, Umuahia, to recover the lands belonging to the institution, insisting that government will not back out from the exercise, no matter whose Ox is gored.

“Members of the committee have been to Government College, Umuahia, where they retrieved the land that had been compromised there as the original C-Of-O of which was handed over to the new owners of the school,” he said.

In another development, the commissioner stated that as part of the ongoing reforms in the education sector, the verification of those private schools that were closed down by Government for operating below standard will commence soon.

Furthermore, he hinted that the training of both Primary and Secondary teachers in the State by Educational Consultants, ERIT will soon be concluded while all the examinations conducted by the Education Development Center were successful.

“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 backout no matter the push back from those who may have engaged in this selfish take over of school lands in the State,” Kanu noted.

On the road infrastructural development agenda of the state government, the Commissioner said a total of 108 roads have, so far, been maintained and rehabilitated across the state through direct labour.

He said that the design work for Ntigha – Mbawsi – Umuala Road is ongoing, while the design for Onuimo-Tower of Peace Road has been completed. He added that the design for Onuinyang – Okporoenyi -Oboro-Ikwuano Road is almost completed while work is ongoing on many strategic roads across the State.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Emeh Uche explained that the government is not demolishing the buildings illegally erected on the land of Government College Umuahia, adding that, “This government is against destruction of property, especially when it is not on the way. What the Recovery Committee demolished last weekend at Government College Umuahia were merely structures at foundation level and the rest of them. Those properties within the premises, government will not demolish them but will put them to proper use. It would be wasteful to demolish those properties.”

Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma said that the state government has concluded identification of houses to be demolished along the Umuikaa- Owerrinta road expansion, adding that compensation for the affected structures will commence soon.