The Northern Traditional Leaders’ Committee (NTLC) has pledged to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration in Primary Healthcare Service Delivery.
The NTLC made the pledge on Thursday in Abuja at its Second Quarter Review Meeting, organised by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. (NPHCDA).
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the NTLC meeting is a platform for the NPHCDA and Partners to engage traditional leaders on their role and responsibilities towards improving primary health care delivery in their communities.
Speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, commended Tinubu for demonstrating uncommon skills and understanding of the many challenges that had held the country back for decades.
He called for unwavering dedication and support of the traditional leaders, the new government, and the state governors to collectively enhance primary healthcare delivery in the country.
He expressed confidence that with unified efforts, the committee can make significant strides in addressing the healthcare challenges faced by the nation.
The Sultan emphasised the importance of collaboration with the new government to address the challenges in healthcare delivery across the country.
Addressing the committee members, he expressed his gratitude for the tireless efforts of the committee in ensuring the success of their work in saving and serving humanity.
As the patron of the committee, he acknowledged the need for continuous support for the government at all levels, stressing that traditional leaders play a crucial role as major stakeholders in the governance of the nation.
With the recent change in government leadership at both the presidential and gubernatorial levels, he highlighted the necessity of acquainting the new executives with the committee’s work.
He also emphasised the importance of holding meetings promptly to brief them on the committee’s activities over the past 14 years, what they will continue to do, and how the government’s support can contribute to their success.
The Sultan stressed that the state governors must offer total support to the committee’s endeavours, as they were responsible for allowing members from various states to participate in such programs.
He acknowledged that the members’ commitment has been instrumental in the committee’s achievements thus far.
Highlighting the challenges ahead, the Sultan drew attention to the presence of numerous displaced persons in six states, making it difficult to reach them with essential healthcare services.
The Sultan assured the attendees that the committee would redouble its efforts to overcome the hurdles they face.
He acknowledged the heightened expectations from the public, stating that people now have their eyes open and expect to witness tangible improvements in healthcare delivery.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib said that the meeting allows dialogue on how to reduce the zero-dose burden in the country.
“The number of children under-five who have never had a dose of the required vaccinations for their age and improve PHC service delivery in the country,” he said.
”The reason for this meeting is to provide updates on the campaign against circulating variants of Polio Virus type II and tnr the plans to introduce Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines into the country’s Immunisation Schedule,” he said.
NAN reports that all the NTLC representatives from the 19 Northern states and the FCT, NPHCDA management and development partners led by the World Health Organisation , were in attendance.
