The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila on Wednesday, January 3, assured that President Bola Tinubu would provide Nigerians with access to world-class education and quality healthcare before the end of his administration.
Gbajabiamila said the attainment of both objectives is part of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and would not only save the country but also make it “unbeatable in every sphere.”
The Chief of Staff spoke while inaugurating some of the legacy projects completed in his Surulere federal constituency during his tenure as Speaker.
He unveiled the projects alongside Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, the Chairman, of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun, among others.
The projects are the multi-storey, 484-bed Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence for postgraduate students at the University of Lagos, Akoka; the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Surulere Campus; Bode Thomas Police Station, Surulere; Reconstructed Randle Avenue, Surulere and the Femi Gbajabiamila Mini Stadium, Surulere.
They bring to nine the projects he inaugurated since Tuesday. The others are a state-of-the-art conference centre at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo; an ultramodern, multi-floor 80-bed general hospital; the dualised Babs Animashaun Road and Census Bridge; and the Sam Shonibare Community Development Centre, all in Surulere.
At the NOUN, Gbajabiamila said: “Education and healthcare are the two things that can save a nation. If we can ensure access to quality healthcare for our people and ensure that everybody who desires a good education gets it, this nation will be unbeatable in every sphere.
“These two objectives, ensuring access to world-class education and quality healthcare for all our nation’s people, are at the heart of the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. And I want to reassure all of you here today that we will meet these objectives and exceed them in this administration.”
“This campus of open university will offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in fields accredited by the National Universities Commission. This building contains lecture rooms, laboratories, Mood court, Seminar rooms, offices, and many other facilities.
“I have facilitated the construction of over 250 roads, renovated schools, built hospitals, facilitated Mini Stadia for community sports, provided free Wi-Fi in all public tertiary institutions in Lagos State, and empowered thousands of youth and community members.”
Tajudeen commended Gbajabiamila saying his legislative strides were unmatched. “I don’t see any lawmaker in this generation who can do as much as Gbajabiamila. I don’t see one,” the speaker said.
Making a case for constituency projects as a way to fast-track development, Tajudeen added: “With greater transparency and accountability, constituency projects can be the most viable tools for developing forgotten sections of Nigeria.
“I intend to re-introduce a reviewed version of the Constituency Development Fund Bill to provide a legal framework for the management, disbursement, utilisation and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects.”
For Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sununu, the UNILAG and NOUN projects were another effort towards access to free,, quality education.
He also commended Nigerians’ support for to the government’s withdrawal of recognition for some foreign academic institutions.
Sununu said: “And I also want to use this opportunity to thank all the Nigerians for all the praises and songs that you have done in the last 48 hours when we released a circular stopping the accreditation of institutions from Benin and the Togo Republic as a result of the wonderful work undertaken by a journalist to expose what is currently happening.
“As a ministry, we are not happy and we are dealing with it decisively. We want to assure you that the Federal Ministry of Education is in full participation and compliance with the 8 points agenda of Mr. President especially priority on focus on education.
“And on this end, we are going to tighten all the loose nuts to ensure, ours is a certificate that we can be proud to have, that can be recognised internationally and we will be able to give you what you deserve to contribute meaningfully to the development of our country’s agenda.”