No fewer than 10, 000 residents of Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency in Cross River are expected to benefit from a free healthcare service to be provided by Mr Bassey Akiba (APC-Cross River).
Akiba representing the constituency, disclosed this at a media briefing with some selected journalists in Calabar on Saturday night.
He said that the beneficiaries would access the free healthcare service through his dedicated National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) accredited cards.
He explained that the aim of the initiative was to enable indigent members of his constituents have unhindered access to better medical facility irrespective of their financial status.
According to him, the holders of this card will be able to have access to medical treatment anywhere beyond Cross River.
The lawmaker disclosed that no fewer than 4,000 persons benefitted from his medical outreaches in 2025.
He said that this was in addition to providing educational support to over 3,000 students in the same period.
He also said that 17,000 oil palm seedlings, as well as improved cassava varieties were distributed to farmers in the constituency.
“However, my focus this year is health, where we are using economic structure at the wards levels to mobilise people to access these programmes.
“So, for health, we are looking at a few things. Almost 4,000 of our people were given free treatment. Out of the 4,000, about 410 persons got surgery of different types.
“This year, we are going to do more. But beyond averages, we are looking at a situation where people will carry my card and go to the hospital and access healthcare for free.
“As I speak, there are a number of people like that that goes to hospital with my card to access health care for free.
“So our target is that we need to do not less than 10,000 of these people, and we are working towards that.
“We are also going to do more. we are also working towards the revitalisation of a number of primary health care centers,” he said.
Akiba also disclosed that his tenure had been defined by a rigorous balance between constitutional mandates and grassroots economic empowerment.
He categorised his work into two distinct frameworks; the “in-chamber mandate” (lawmaking, oversight, and representation) and the “out-chamber mandate” (communication and economic restructuring).
He further revealed that he had sponsored 14 motions and three bills within the last two years.
According to him, the motions and bills focused on areas such as technology education, hospital personnel management, and data regulation.
The lawmaker emphasised that motions and bills should not be the “exclusive responsibility” of the lawmaker, urging constituents and journalists to identify obsolete laws for amendment.
“I keep encouraging constituents to bring motionable issues to us. When RUCU was almost cut off, they brought it to me, and I took it to the floor,” he said.
He explained that the cornerstone of his “out-chamber” success was the establishment of a cooperative-based economic structure in every polling unit across his constituency.
“These cooperatives serve as both a social safety net and a logistical platform for distributing dividends of democracy.
“I understand the power of people coming together. We use that platform to activate participation,” the lawmaker explained.
He further disclosed that he had certified 500 cooperatives, paying the necessary government fees to ensure they remain viable and independent of his office.
