By Tina George, Minna
The village head of Zugeru, in Wushishi local government area of Niger state, Maj.-Gen. Usman Mohammed has lamented alleged neglect by the federal and state governments in the areas of security and health.
He said this on Thursday when he received Raise Foundation under its Women-led Integrated Protection Against Gender-Based Violence (WIPe-GBV) project, on advocacy visit to push for the end of gender-based violence in the state.
According to Mohammed, while his community has been left to protect itself from armed bandits and other threats of insecurity, the federal government has abandoned the Federal Medical Centre Zungeru.
On insecurity, he said that the community was left to protect itself against bandits.
“We are left on our own. The District heads sometimes have to go on patrol around the community on surveillance in other to keep it secure.
“At our end, we contribute money for soldiers to refill their vehicle to go on patrol. We need more security,” he alleged.
He observed that the federal medical centre, which should be a referral centre for patients in the Niger East and Niger North Senatorial districts, adding that the Centre was rejecting patients because of the high level of insecurity and dilapidation.
“We can say that Zungeru is the forgotten capital of northern Nigeria. We have the oldest FMC in Zugeru but it has been abandoned.
“We have met with the chairman committee in hospital services several times. We have also met with the Commissioner of Health but nothing has been done about it. By law and by right, a hospital should be a way of generating revenue but the government is doing nothing about it,” he said.
He said that the hospital had to start rejecting patients because of the insecurity bedevilling the community.
“We have been entertaining fear in our minds with the issue of banditry. Because of the banditry, no one sleeps at the hospital anymore. In a situation of life and death, no one is there to attend to patients.
“It is unfortunate to go to a hospital and meet it vacant. If you go at night, you will shed tears. Because of this issue, they now reject patients, no matter the state the person is in.
“They even brought students for their practical but they were rejected due to the fear of banditry. Doctors and nurses do not spend the night at the facility.”
Mohammed said that despite informing the Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammed Makusidi about the state of the health centre, he has not done anything about it.
“I have been appealing to the present Commissioner of Health regarding this issue and each time, he tells me that he would see to it but he hasn’t. If he (Makusidi) likes, he should attend to the issue or he should ignore it; that is left to him.”
The Village Head also appealed for allowances for his district heads to enable them to sustain themselves and come for meetings.
