Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, on Sunday inspected seven major projects he initiated at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), reaffirming President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the country’s healthcare delivery system.
Barau, who led a delegation of four senators to the inspection, said the projects were part of efforts aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen the nation’s health infrastructure.
“The President, when I met him, made it clear that one of his cardinal programmes is to ensure a sound healthcare delivery system at a specialised level,” Barau said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir.
“What we are doing now in terms of developing this institution into an advanced, specialised hospital is in tune with that vision,” he added.
The projects include the construction and equipping of a cardiothoracic centre, construction of roads within the College of Health Sciences at Bayero University Kano (AKTH premises), a new hostel for the College of Nursing Sciences, interlocking works at the Department of Radiology, S.S. Wali Centre and Speciality Clinic Annexe, classrooms and offices for the School of Health Information Management (SHIM), and the construction and equipping of a paediatrics complex.
Barau said such investments would help reduce the growing trend of Nigerians seeking medical treatment abroad.
“What we are witnessing now, in terms of medical tourism, will soon stop with the necessary investment in our health sector,” he said. “We have the human resources and expertise to transform our capabilities into hospitals where people no longer need to travel to Egypt or India for treatment.”
The Deputy Senate President, who was joined by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (Petroleum Downstream), Senator Muntari Dandutse (Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND), Senator Babangida Hussaini (North West Development Commission), and Senator Abdulhamid Malam-Madori (Police Affairs), said the National Assembly would continue to support the executive through legislation that strengthens the health system.
“We are all members of the family of Mr President,” Barau said. “We are working based on his teachings and commitment to address the challenges facing our country. What you have seen now is just the tip of the iceberg. We shall continue to develop this hospital until it becomes the best in West Africa.”
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of AKTH, Prof. Abdurrahman Abba Sheshe, commended Barau for his commitment to making the institution one of the best in the country.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Prof. Haruna Musa, expressed appreciation for the senator’s contributions.
“In just two months into my tenure in BUK, Senator Barau has brought two mega projects to the university,” he said.
