- By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, has assured nurses and midwives of the readiness of the legislature to collaborate with the executive to provide the enabling environment to practise their trade.
Rt. Hon. Aribasoye gave the assurance on Tuesday when he played host to the executives of the state chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) led by Chairman, Comrade Kunle Oni.
The leadership of NANNM in the state were on a courtesy visit to the Speaker to congratulate him on his election and assumption of office and also to invite him to the Nurses’ Week and Scientific Conference holding from 9th-13th August.
Rt. Hon. Aribasoye who described nurses and midwives as important stakeholders in the health sector urged them to be more alive to their responsibilities because they deal with human lives.
He explained that all the three arms of government in the state are working together to ensure that the welfare of the people are given priority in line with the resolve of the Biodun Oyebanji Administration to ensure better standard of living for the populace.
Reacting to Ekiti NANNM’s request that disparity in salaries and placement of its members be looked into, the Speaker promised to look at the relevant books with a view to finding a solution to the issue.
“We are committed as a government to the welfare of the people of Ekiti State. Whatever the executive is doing about the development of our people, we are going to support the executive.
“In the areas where concerned MDAs are not doing well, we can call them to order. And also, feel free to liaise with House Committee on Health because the House is run through Committees,” the Speaker said.
Rt. Hon. Aribasoye explained that government is always interested in motivating the workers to enable them achieve optimal performance noting that health workers must be motivated to give their best in view of the critical nature of their work.
In his earlier remarks, the state NANNM Chairman, Comrade Oni, commended the Oyebanji Administration for according priority attention to the welfare of the workers since it came to power in October last year.
Congratulating Rt. Hon. Aribasoye on his election and assumption of office, Comrade Oni expressed delight with the emergence of a “young and vibrant man as Speaker” declaring the readiness of the association to work with the Assembly under his leadership.
Comrade Oni also lauded the way and manner the Assembly has been conducting the screening of commissioner-nominees judging by what was witnessed when the exercise commenced on Monday.
He urged the state government to urgently look into the challenge of job migration in the nursing profession to ensure that the best hands are retained to man medical facilities in the state.
While formally inviting the Speaker to the Nurses’ Week and Scientific Conference with the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future,” Comrade Oni disclosed that a Medical Outreach programme will be held in Ikogosi Ekiti as part of activities for the conference in which the locals will wil given free health services.
