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CSOs urge FG to seek sustainable funding for primary healthcare centres

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Connected Development (CODE) and BudgIT, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the Federal Government to seek sustainable funding for primary healthcare systems in Nigeria.

The CSOs made the call at a meeting to build momentum for health care accountability orgainsied by CODE and BudgIT with a support from Conrad Hilton Foundation and Skoll Foundation in Abuja.

The meeting which was part of the activities on implementing the second phase of the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project(CTAP) was aimed at tracking all funds and donations made in support of the Federal Government COVID-19 intervention.

Assistant Manager, BudgIT, Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, who spoke on `Strengthening  Formidable Partnerships for Accountability ‘’the group in the course of their  work observed  that most primary healthcare centres need a face lift .

“These centres are the first point of call to an average Nigerian where they go first to access care before they  can be referred to general hospitals.

“So, when you are  going to your first call and it is not well equipped, it does not  put you in an advantageous position, it sets you back further.

“So we are recommending that the centres should be revamped and we also hope that  the federal government can  put more funds into research and development.

“At the end of the day, we need to also understand that without proper research, we are going to just be imbibing whatever has been concluded in the other climes.

“We need to be able to put our foot down as the giant of Africa that we are.’’

Bolarinwa also called for more investment in the health sector and  the need to implement the Abuja declaration by  committing  15 per cent of the budget to healthcare .

He urged the government to tackle the issue of brain drain  by empowering medical personnel to remain in the country to service citizens.

Also speaking, Mr Hamza Lawal  Founder of Follow the  Money and the Chief  Executive Officer of CODE, said that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that  Nigeria’s  fiscal accountability mechanism was not so strong.

Lawal said that the group began monitoring the N38 billion raised in the  Coalition Against COVID-19(CACOVID) a  private sector-led organisation established to assist the government in combating the Coronavirus disease .

“Today, we are having an important conversation with civil society partners and  the media to galvanise action around COVID-19.

“However, this time around, we are  more focused around how  Nigeria  and Africa can  prepare for the next pandemic because COVID-19 literally brought us to  our knees.

“We want to ensure that one, we are  able to put in place a framework of fiscal accountability, two ,we are able to also invest in primary health care because we know  the centres play a critical role when we experience a pandemic. ‘’

Lawal added that the aim of the group’s work was to also educate citizens on COVID-19 while  encouraging them to take the vaccines .

This, he said was because a lot of citizens were not taking the jabs  due to the distrust ,misinformation and disinformation .

“I believe that this conversation with the media and  civil society partners would help set a pace on how we can engage, how we can get the needed funding and investment for primary health care centres.

“It will set a pace on  how Nigeria  can lead other African countries to prepare for another pandemic because another pandemic is just around the corner,’’ he said.

Contributing, Mr Busayo Morakinyo, Community Engagement Director of CODE assessed the Federal  Government ‘s intervention performance on Primary Health  centres(PHC).

“Findings by the Follow the Money initiative in communities indicated that most of  the centres fell below the minimum Primary Health Care standard.

“Findings also revealed that they lacked electricity, 30 per cent of the PHC have no access to clean water.

“ Interviews with some of the community indigenes shows that they rely on rain water and well water stored in the tanks.

“Fifty six out of 90 PHCs assessed, have the recommended pharmaceutical fridge to host vaccines  while some of the PHCs received less than 10 vials of Covid-19 vaccine.”

Morakinyo  said that  NPHCDA recently outlined plans for the  transformation of PHCs  to provide services aligned with the basic needs of the community, link individuals to PHC services, keep and transmit records.

He  however said that  most of things on ground were observed in the course of the report  were not seen to reflect the plan.

The News Agency of Nigerian (NAN)reports that  Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), had at a different event attested to the fact that  poor infrastructure and poor staff was  hampering operations of PHC.
Shuaib had therefore said that the Agency had plans to transform the centres.

 

 

(NAN)

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2 Abuja Doctors, 2 Others Arrested Over Organ Harvesting in Abuja

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Two medical doctors and two other suspects have been arrested in Abuja for organ harvesting by the Nigerian Police Force in late August 2026. They were arrested for allegedly running an organ harvesting and human trafficking network operating between Abuja and Nasarawa State.

The arrested medical practitioners are Dr. Benjamin Oyime (a 48-year-old kidney consultant) and Dr. Daniel Otukpa (a 53-year-old Acting Director of Clinical Services).

Both nephrologists are linked to Wellington Clinics (Wellington Hospital) in Life Camp, Abuja.

The arrests were executed by the Special Tactical Squad (STS-FID) following an investigation brought to light by social media activist Martins Vincent Otse (popularly known as VeryDarkMan or VDM) and his team.

The victim, a 22-year-old man named Samuel Ezekiel approached the activists after medical scans at independent hospitals verified that his left kidney was missing.

The 23-year-old intermediary, Emmanuel Ode, allegedly confessed to recruiting Ezekiel and bringing him to Wellington Hospital for the illegal surgery.

Investigators report that the victim was manipulated into signing official consent documents under a fake name, “Isa Abubakar”.

It was further revealed that the victim was allegedly paid ₦1.7 million for the kidney, while legal representatives allege that the black-market syndicate resells these harvested organs to wealthy recipients for ₦50 million to ₦70 million.

Activists and lawyers from the Martin Luther King Centre fear that this is not an isolated incident, estimating that more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to this specific ring.

Following the police raids and public outcry, Wellington Clinics Abuja issued an official statement denying any deliberate involvement in commercialized organ trafficking. Meanwhile, the private facility immediately suspended all kidney transplant and services effective August 31, 2026, while the criminal investigation continues.

NewsBlast recalls that this case reflects previous enforcement actions by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in which it arraigned doctors from Alliance Hospital in Abuja for similar black-market kidney transplants.

Furthermore, under the National Health Act, trading human organs for commercial gain or charging a fee for transplants carries severe criminal penalties in Nigeria.

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FG Target 20,000 Yearly Medical Intakes Across Six Geo-political Simulation Centres

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To counter the rising trend of Nigerian-trained health personnel migrating for greener pastures abroad, the Federal Government is expanding the country’s healthcare workforce and strengthening practical training for medical and other health professional students.

Consequently, it has disclosed plans to increase the annual medical school admissions to 20,000 within the next three years. Along with this is the targeted establishment of world-class medical simulation centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Medical Simulation Committee.

This was part of a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Ikharo Attah, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education.

Alausa said the proposed centres would provide world-class practical training for medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy and other allied healthcare students. The said:

“I would like to thank the members of the committee that has worked so hard and assiduously to get us to this point in which we are now talking about building several simulation centres across the country to provide world-class training for our medical students, dental students, nursing students, pharmacy students and other allied healthcare professionals.”

Alausa said the expansion had become necessary to meet the country’s health needs.

He disclosed that nursing enrolment, which stood at about 38,000 three years ago, had risen to more than 120,000 students across nursing schools in the country.

The minister added that annual admission into medical schools had increased from about 5,000 students when Tinubu assumed office to almost 12,000 currently.

“Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students. Our goal in the next three years will be to increase the number of annual medical student enrolment in medical schools to about 20,000.”

He added that the number of students admitted into pharmacy and dental schools had also increased.

The minister commended the Chairman of the Medical Simulation Committee, Dr Wale Suleiman, and other members for their work in preparing the report and advancing plans for the centres.

He said the initiative would help ensure that the increasing number of students entering healthcare professions received adequate practical training.

The planned expansion comes against the backdrop of persistent concerns over the migration, popularly known as “Japa,” of Nigerian doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals seeking better remuneration, working conditions and career opportunities abroad.

The migration of health workers has raised concerns among professional bodies and health-sector stakeholders about its impact on Nigeria’s already strained healthcare system, particularly shortages of skilled personnel in public hospitals.

With the proposed simulation centres, the government is seeking to expand training capacity while improving the quality of practical education for a growing pool of health professional students.

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Best way to Eat Fruit is on Empty Stomach — Prof. Ken Anugweje

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This will open your eyes to the full benefits of eating fruits!

*Prof Anugweje has been treating terminal ill Cancer patients by an *”unorthodox” way and many patients recover. He is also a sports medicine specialist.*
He insists that all athletes eat fruits on empty stomach.

Before he used solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients, he believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See his article below.

It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing Cancer is about 80%.

Cancer patients shouldn’t die. The cure for cancer is already found – it’s in the way we eat fruits.

It is whether you believe it or not.

I am sorry for the hundreds of Cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments.*

*EATING FRUITS*

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

It’s not as easy as you think. It’s important to know how and when to eat the fruits.

*What is the correct way of eating fruits?*

*IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS!*

FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH:*

If you eat fruits on empty stomach, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.*

*FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.*

Let’s say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.

*The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so due to the bread taken before the fruit.*

In the meantime, the whole meal of bread & fruit rots and ferments and turns to acid.

The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

*So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals!*

You have heard people complaining :
Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc.. etc..

*Actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.*

The fruit mixes with the putrefying of other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat !

*Greying hair, balding, nervous outburst and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.*

*There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter.*

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the SECRET of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice – drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans, packs or bottles.

*Don’t even drink juice that has been heated up.*

*Don’t eat cooked fruits because you don’t get the nutrients at all.*

You only get its taste.
Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.

If you should drink the fresh fruit juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

*You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse or detoxify your body.*

*Just eat fruits and drink fresh fruit juice throughout the 3 days.*

And you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look !

*KIWI fruit:*
Tiny but mighty.
This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

*APPLE:*
An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

*STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit:*
Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging and free radicals.

*ORANGE: Sweetest medicine.*
Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

*WATERMELON:*
Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system.

They are also a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant.
Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

*GUAVA & PAPAYA:*
Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.

Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation.

Papaya (pawpaw) is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

*Drinking COLD water or drinks after a meal = CANCER.*

Can you believe this ?

For those who like to drink cold water or cold drinks, this article is applicable to you.

It is not nice to have a cup of cold water or cold drinks after a meal.

However, the cold or drinks will solidify the oily stuff that you have just eaten.

It will slow down the digestion.

Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.

It will line the intestine.

*Very soon, this will turn into FATS and lead to CANCER!*

*It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.*

*Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.*

Prof Ken Anugweje, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

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