Wednesday 18th June 2014….
The conference resumed sitting at 09:12 am.
Votes and proceedings of the previous day were read, amended and adopted.
Committee on the Social Sector report was presented by the Committee Chairperson who always call herself Woman elder states-man- Iyom Josephine Anenih, supported by the deputy chairperson, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, the former Minister of Education.
SOME of the recommendations made by the committee and additional recommendations made to the report by delegates and read for adoption as usual by the deputy chairman in an articulate way were as thus;
My submission that day;
My generation have been castigated even on this floor of being half baked and unemployable but Mr Chairman, Sir, if you buy a bread and realize the bread is half baked, who will you blame? The bread or the baker?
Certainly the baker, the baker is our Educational system.
There is need for a complete overhaul of our education system.
The Environment for learning in this country is not conducive, students packed in a class using books they should use to write in fanning themselves, warding off odor from all direction - if our academic environment can be made conducive like the plenary hall of this conference, then learning will be made easy.
There is need to recognize e-learning and e-education to decongest our universities. We need more e-universities, and there is a strong need to revamp the NOUN!
Further recommendation by committee and delegates.
- In a bid to reduce the current negative impact of medical tourism on the image and integrity of Nigeria and her healthcare system, there is a need to set strict procedures that must be observed by public officers seeking medical treatment outside Nigeria. Seeking medical treatment abroad has resulted in immense capital flight and drain on Nigeria’s economy resulting from medical tourism; cited abuse of existing processes for screening of referrals for foreign medical treatment as one of the reasons.
Resolution; that henceforth, there should be restriction of government sponsorship of public officers for foreign medical care; and that unless for exceptional cases that require referral abroad, all public officers should mandatorily utilize local health facilities.
These exceptional cases, must be screened by a medical board made up of appropriate medical and healthcare professionals.
In addition, the recommendations of the board should be subject to the approval of the Minister of Health who is the chief medical adviser to the Federal Government; except where such exceptional cases are serious emergencies, in which instant approval may be given.
- There is need for improvement in the quality of healthcare services in Nigeria; a deliberate effort to refocus the attitude of healthcare workers to patients in Nigeria; and improved political commitment to health by political office holders.
- Free-healthcare be established for children aged 0-5 years; senior citizens from the age of 65 years; persons living with disability or the physically challenged persons; free maternal services and free school health programmes.
- Cancer screening should be made free in our hospitals.
- Nuclear medical therapeutic drugs or components should be exempted from taxation and should enjoy special customs clearance.
- The provision of National Health Insurance Scheme should be made mandatory and not optional, consequently it should be made mandatory for every employer with more than five staff to undertake health insurance on behalf of every staff.
- Fully equipped mobile clinics should be provided in rural communities.
- The government and National Medical Association should enforce extant rules to check and monitor privately owned health facilities to ensure standard compliance with medical ethics.
- To avoid frequent strike by medical personnel which often cause health destruction and loss of lives, government should ensure that challenges facing the health are immediately addressed to prevent medical personnel from resorting to strike action.
- Health workers posted to rural areas should be given higher incentives than those in the urban areas.
- Government should encourage the training of traditional midwives and birth attendants.
- Appropriate compensation should be paid to families of victims of medical negligence.
- Government should assist NAFDAC to establish regulatory desk in strategic Nigerian embassies/high commissions particularly in china, India, USA and the UK to help the agency stop the influx of counterfeit drugs at source and strengthen inter-agency information sharing.
- There should be review of laws on fake drugs to incorporate life imprisonment (without pardon) for importation, distribution and sale of fake drugs.
- Government should employ ICT; in particular the social media to campaign for preventive health, provide information on reproductive health and monitor national epidemic through electronic surveillance.
- Assets of promoters of counterfeit drugs be confiscated and used to compensate victims where injury suffered is approximately linked to the dangerous effect of the counterfeit medicine.
- The Federal Government should dedicate special fund to support horsemanship and residency training programmes for medical doctors.
- All public officers and those aspiring to public offices should undergo mandatory drugs, alcohol and saintly check-up
After a very heated debate these were agreed upon;
- Government should convert all Almajiri schools to normal schools and integrate Quranic education curriculum to absorb the millions of out of school children.
- Government should provide free basic education with free uniforms, books and midday meals for all children from primary one to junior secondary three.
- Government should build additional Almajiri Schools to bring them up to 400 as originally planned while a 10 year plan of sustained implementation should be put in place with a view to providing access to all children.
- Government and owners of mission/private schools should dialogue to facilitate the handover of all mission and private schools to their original owners. In returning the schools, it was agreed that owners must ensure that they are affordable and able to serve wider variety of the public as it were in the original concept of the mission schools. There should be regulation of fees charged by the schools; the schools should provide assistance to the local community through scholarships and other services; and that children from other denominations should not be marginalized in the admission process. Staff of such schools should have the option of remaining with the institution or being absorbed into government service in the case of the return of the mission and private schools to their original owners.
Further recommendations;
- Government should legislate to prohibit installation of telecommunication mast in residential neighborhoods and to prohibit other practices that negatively impact on health including female genital mutilation.
- The Nigerian Social insurance trust fund (NSITF) bill currently before the National Assembly which covers areas as old-age scheme, employment (work) scheme, unemployment benefit, family/child benefit and medical care benefit among others, should be passed expeditiously.
- All tier of Government must priorities WASH ( water sanitization and hygiene ) by funding the sector especially sanitization to ensure a healthier populace.
- Federal, State and Local Government should establish vocational schools for out of school children.
- Government should formulate and implement a policy that would strictly limit the number of students per class in schools.
- A state of emergency should be declared on Basic Education in Northern Nigeria.
- All states in the country should be encouraged to domesticate the child right act to enforce right to education.
- The concept of community service should be introduced in our education curriculum.
- Education should get at least 20% of budget allocation annually.
- A polytechnic commission should be established.
- Drug Education be included in primary and secondary school curriculum.
- The Universal basic education scheme schools be extended from junior secondary school (JSS3) to senior secondary school (SS3)
- Federal, state and local government should as a matter of urgent public importance establish institution to absorb out of school children (who lack the opportunities to further their education at whatever Level) under apprenticeship schemes linked up with vocational schools, adult education, mass education, and other educational programmes. These scheme should be adequately funded by the Government as the case may be and made attractive to encourage enrollment of every out of school child.
- Provision of adequate security at all schools.
- Government and other stakeholders should endorse inclusive schooling and special needs education as an integral part of our educational curriculum.
- Industries should be compelled to accost students on industrial attachment.
- Salary of teachers should be reviewed upwardly
- Government should increase funds to better equip laboratories for practical classes especially in the science based disciplines in tertiary institutions.
- Medical schools and teaching hospitals should be upgraded to international standards to enhance the training of doctors and other medical professionals.
Other recommendations;
- Government should provide intervention fund to the housing sector similar to the intervention fund provided for the aviation sector and entertainment industry.
- Reintroduction of sanitary inspectors for the purpose of household health facilities in homes and public places.
For persons living with disabilities;
- The national disability bill pending before the National Assembly should be passed.
- The electoral act be amended to allow People living with disabilities especially lepers to exercise their voting right during election.
- Albinos should enjoy free medical care including provision of sun glasses.
- Special passage ways should be made for people living with disabilities in banks, hotels and airport where metal detector prevent entry or exit.
- Special lift carriers in higher rise building be made for people living with disabilities to avoid injury by overcrowding.
- A law should be passed for compulsory assistance to persons living with disabilities by able-bodied persons while crossing the road.
- Provision of special overhead bridge.
On pension;
- 2004 Pension Act should be amended so that payment of pension to beneficiaries would continue throughout their lifetime instead of the current practice where payment is only made to people between 15 and 18 years post-retirement.
- Urgent need to amend the 2004 Pension Act to include a provision to hold the pension commission responsible and also prescribe penalties.
- All pensioners earning less than the approved minimum wage should be paid equivalent of the national minimum wage (18,000)
- It was accepted that salary reviews should be reflected in calculating benefits across the board, particularly in reference to long-time retirees; salary increases should automatically affect retirees in both the old and new pension systems.
- To ensure full coverage of citizens, pension fund administrators and the national pension commission should be obliged to begin a comprehensive programme of registering the informal sector workers under the 2004 Pensions Act.
- A social security policy be put in practice to cater for the well being of the elderly in addition to the pension policy.
- The records compiled during the precious biometric data capture exercise, be updated and utilized in administering the pension scheme instead of embarking on another data capture exercise which will amount to wasting of resources.
Gender;
- Constitution amendment and enactment of additional relevant legislation (including the national gender policy) to strengthen the protection of married women and prevention of child marriage.
- National commission against domestic violence should be established.
- A bill on the abolition of all forms of discrimination against women in Nigeria should be moved and passed into law to address the issue of discrimination and violence against women and maltreatment of widows.
- The federal government should put into effective use, the National policy on women adopted in 2004 and which was replaced by the national gender policy in 2006.
- States of the federation should be encouraged pass laws against the maltreatment of widows and widowers.
- Domestication for the protocol on the rights of women in Africa.
- Domestication of the 1979 convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination (CEDAW) endorsed in Nigeria since 1985.
Proceedings at the Conference however came to a halt for about 15 minutes as female delegates and some male delegates took the floor to protest attempts by other delegates to vote against the application of the affirmative action demanding that 35% of elective offices at all levels be given reserved for women.
As soon as delegates voted to reduce the percentage from 35% to 30%, all the women in the hall including some men stood up, started singing and threatened a walk-out if the decision was not reversed.
When the hall was eventually called to order, some of the male delegates, spoke in favour of 35%. They stated that the matter was already an existing government policy.
At this point, it was unanimously decided that since the practice was already in existence and on-going, it should be allowed to remain. Instantly, some female delegates started asking for increase to 40% - women are insatiable in nature, oops I meant human!
Myself and 3 other youth delegates excused ourselves on that day after break -4pm, met at the conference room in the secretariat of the conference to package a motion on job creation for Nigerian Youths, which was to be submitted latest by 6pm that day for the committee report coming up the following day. Unknowingly to us, conference has put the question for participation of young people in politics to vote, which in our plans was ought not to be taken on that day but the following day with the job creation motion on the committee on Youths, Labour and Sport report. However, conference voted down the recommendation prematurely brought to the floor to slash down election age by 5 years across board brought up by a SAN - the recommendation was not only premature but also not feasible - very sad though!
The battle continues the following day.
The 89 page report of the committee on social sector after much deliberation, amendment, adoption and rejection was adopted as amended.
After which a delegate called on the attention of the conference to the effect that the Cameroonian authorities were demarcating boundary with Nigeria, without the presence of Nigerian representatives.
The conference, acknowledge the demarcation and resolved to call on the Federal Government to preserve its territorial integrity.
Conference adjourned at 7:28pm to resume the following day at 9am.
On Twitter: @Yadomah
No comments:
Post a Comment