By Mumini Abdulkreem
The Chairman Senate Committee on Health and Senator representing Kwara Central, Dr. Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe has said that he will provide empowerment for 500 women, train youths on advanced digital skills in addition to building modern toilets for selected schools across 52 wards in his constituency.
Senator Oloriegbe disclosed this last Saturday during his maiden Town Hall Meeting held at State Banquet Hall, Ilorin.
According to him, the women drawn from Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Ilorin East and Asa local government areas will also receive cash in addition to their training to start businesses this year.
He added that hundreds of youths would also receive ICT training with the necessary support in a move that was aimed at reducing unemployment as well as youth restiveness.
The senator further said plans are on to facilitate 10 transformers and build modern toilet in selected school at every ward within Kwara Central Senatorial district to guide against the spread of diseases like cholera and others adding that distribution of drugs and upgrade of some health centres are already captured in the 2020 budget cycle.
While presenting his scorecards, Oloriegbe said: โI have facilitated federal College of education to be located in Afon ASA LGA and Federal Psychiatric hospital, Budo Egba roads and secure employment for some people among others.
He shed more light on the allegation that he was empowering people with plastic buckets and turning sticks
โOn the empowerment that the opposition are posting on social media, it’s mischievous because they failed to investigate the truth of the matter,
โIt was my wife that did that in her own capacity to limit the begging in Kwara Central Senatorial District and teach the people how to fish. Some of the product from that venture are on display here today and there are plans to upscale it for them to make them not only employers of labour but self-reliantโ, he added.
Some benefiting communities of his boreholes and transformer installation like Gerewu in Warra-Osin Ward also sent representative to attest to good works of the senator who promised to ensure equitable distribution of projects across the five local government areas in the district.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, has disclosed that the ninth National Assembly had mapped out strategies to discourage medical tourism abroad with the resuscitation of specialized centres in federal tertiary hospitals.
He added that a minimum of one centre would also be identified and designated as centre of excellence in each of the nation’s geopolitical zones to enable Nigerians undergo treatment, thus reducing the quest for treatment in foreign countries.
Oloriegbe spoke in Ilorin on Sunday on the sidelines of a town hall meeting he held with the people of Kwara Central Senatorial District where he gave account of his stewardship in almost seven months in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.
He explained that some Nigerians travel abroad for treatment due to lack of information on availability of manpower and equipment needed in local hospitals.
The legislator informed that cancer fund had been created with the 2020 budget, pointing out that one of the issues responsible for treatment abroad was the availability of certain specialized equipment.
He said the Senate had agreed with stakeholders to establish a database to link all hospitals with media broadcast to keep Nigerians abreast of what is available.
Oloriegbe stated that brain drain in the medical profession was also being tackled with the provision of fund for Residency Training Programme, adding that talks are ongoing with the Federal Ministry of Health to make available incentives for medical practitioners in the country.
The legislator said the town hall meeting which was attended by the Chief of Staff to Governor, Aminu Logun and Senior Adviser and Counselor, Kale Belgore among others was to serve as feedback mechanism for his constituents and to also get their inputs on his representation.
