CLARIFICATION ON ALLEGED ATTACK ON SOLDIERS IN EHIME MBANO
The attention of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to false reports circulating on certain online media platforms, claiming that an attack on troops deployed at the Ehime Mbano Local Government Secretariat resulted in the deaths of several soldiers and civilians.
These reports are baseless fabrications, a product of the imagination of the terrorist IPOB/ESN elements and their sympathizers, who aim to undermine the confidence of the people of Imo State and, by extension, the entire South East region. It is important to recall that on 3 October 2023, the Local Government Headquarters of Isiala Mbano LGA, built and maintained with public funds, was set ablaze and destroyed by the same IPOB/ESN criminal elements. A similar mindless attempt was made at the Ehime Mbano LGA Secretariat in the late hours of 8 October 2024.
However, the swift and gallant response of the troops thwarted the criminals' efforts to breach the LGA Secretariat. The criminal elements, who arrived in large numbers and fired sporadically from a distance, were forced to retreat quickly in the face of the overwhelming firepower of the vigilant troops. During a follow-up operation conducted in the early hours of 9 October 2024, it was confirmed that the dissidents had suffered heavy casualties, as evidenced by bloodstains on the Ehime Mbano-Oriagwu road.
The public is urged to disregard the false information spread by the online publication. The Nigerian Army remains committed to protecting citizens and critical government infrastructure in Imo State and will continue to deal decisively with any criminal elements attempting to subvert the government. It is disheartening to witness the cowardly actions of these dissidents, who burn down public buildings funded by taxpayers. Clearly, IPOB is not acting in the interest of the people but for selfish purposes.
The 82 Division Headquarters encourages all residents of Imo State and the South East region to continue providing security agencies with valuable information to help eliminate these criminal elements. Residents are urged to call the toll-free line 193 and select Option 2 to report suspicious activities. We reassure the good people of the South East that they can continue their daily activities without fear or intimidation from any group. Rest assured, the Nigerian Army will remain vigilant in its duty to protect the nation and its citizens.
JE UNUAKHALU Lieutenant-Colonel Acting Deputy-Director 82 Division Army Public Relations 10 October 2024
Today, I went on an inspection tour of the New Massey Children’s Hospital, a seven-story pediatric facility situated on Adeniji Adele Road. Once completed, it will be the largest children’s hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, serving future generations.
We broke ground for this project in April 2021, with construction commencing in earnest in 2022. This new hospital will replace the existing Massey Hospital, which has been a institution for over a century but is struggling to meet the rising demand for pediatric care.
The new facility will feature an Independent Power Plant and a multi-level parking structure. I’m pleased to report that the project is progressing on schedule, with major civil work set to be completed by the end of this year
We are committed to creating a state-of-the-art facility that addresses the healthcare needs of our community, and I am confident this project will significantly enhance healthcare capacity in Lagos.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu @jidesanwoolu
The construction of the new 150-bed, state-of-the-art Massey Children Hospital is underway, offering the promise of advanced care and a nurturing environment for our children.
Together, we are building a foundation for growth, hope, good health, and well-being.
FLASH: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on site inspection of the biggest Paediatric Hospital in sub-Saharan Africa — the 7-storey New Massey Children Hospital — being constructed by LASG on the Lagos Island. The hospital has a 10-floor multilevel car park.
The newly elected members of the Town Council started to make a push for the employment of an African medical officer for public health in the Lagos Municipal Board of Health. In 1924, the council decided to recruit an African who could speak the local language. Three people were interviewed and Dr Isaac Ladipo Oluwole was selected.
Dr Isaac Oluwole was the son of the famous Bishop Isaac Oluwole (Bishop Oluwole Street on Victoria Island was named after him), a Saro clergyman who had served as the second principal of CMS Grammar School from 1879-1893 (he succeeded the Reverend Babington Macaulay, Herbert Macaulay's father).
Dr Isaac Oluwole attended CMS Grammar School before transferring to Kings College Lagos where he met James Churchill Vaughan. He was among the pioneer students and in fact he was the first senior prefect of Kings College.
He and James Churchill Vaughan both studied medicine at the University of Glasgow (where they suffered racial prejudice) from 1913 to 1918.
He returned to Nigeria and went into private practice in Abeokuta before returning to Glasgow to bag a doctorate degree in public health.
The Lagos Town Council employed Dr Oluwole as a medical officer, but he had to undergo further training in public health administration. In 1925, he started work as the first African assistant medical officer of health in Lagos.
Developing and improving the healthcare system in Lagos
In 1917, Lagos passed the public health ordinance, a series of health regulations to improve sanitation in the city. However, implementation of the rules was hampered by the limited number of trained personnel. Dr Oluwole then founded the first School of Hygiene in Nigeria, at Yaba, Lagos, providing training to sanitary inspectors from all parts of Nigeria. On graduation they obtained the Diploma of the Royal Institute of Public Health, London.
He re-organised sanitary inspection procedures in the port of Lagos to control the spread of bubonic plague. He also set up the West African Board of the Royal Society of Health that became the foundation of standards of public health in Nigeria.
The plague, breaking out in unsanitary shanty towns in Lagos, caused many deaths between 1924 and 1930. Many of the slums were demolished, forcing their inhabitants to resettle into the unregulated suburbs.
Massey Street Hospital
Among other achievements, Oluwole opened the Massey Street Dispensary, reclaimed swampy islands to aid in malaria control and built a new abattoir to improve food hygiene. Oluwole started the first school health services in Lagos in 1925. He introduced regular sanitary inspections and vaccinations of children. Oluwole was appointed Medical Officer of Health in 1936.
Through the efforts of Oluwole, the Lagos Town Council established the Massey dispensary in 1926. A department of antenatal and child welfare services was created to be part of the new dispensary. This was the first measure in the city to create a distinct maternity and child services program within the Lagos Public Health department. The new antenatal clinic's major objective was to reduce the incidence of child and maternal mortality in Lagos. From 1926 to 1930, the Massey dispensary created programs such infant welfare clinics that were held thrice weekly and an organised a children's ward. Due to the success of the Massey clinic another clinic was established for the Lagos mainland residents in Ebute Metta. The clinic also organised programs to treat health visitors and mid-wives who advised patients during clinic hours. The health visitors also visited discharged patients to check on their welfare and promote good health practices.
The Lagos State Government is about to build a new Massey Street Children's Hospital. The land has been cleared and construction works are about to begin. However, the new Massey Street Children's Hopital is on. . . Adeniji Adele Road, not on Massey Street.
There is no room for expansion at the site of the iconic Massey Street Children's Hospital and so the government had to look for land nearby to build a much bigger hospital and that land is on Adeniji Adele Road.
School Health Service
Oluwole also focused his attention on school age children. Though, hygiene was taught in many schools, it was mostly theoretical and lacked practical and visual demonstrations. In 1927, he visited about 57 schools in the Lagos area where he inspected the sanitary conditions of the schools; a year later he made similar trips. Oluwole saw some shortcomings in the sanitary conditions of the schools and proposed some remedies. In 1930, regulations were enacted that made it necessary for mandatory sanitary inspections of schools and also health inspection of students every three years. The major objective was to discover ailments some children have contracted, to provide medical treatment to alleviate the ailments and educate school teachers about better practices in hygiene and sanitation.
In 1940 Oluwole was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). When he died in 1953 he was recognised as the father of public health in Nigeria.
Photos of the iconic and first Massey Street Children's Hospital.
UPDATE: Governor of Lagos, Mr @jidesanwoolu today performed an inspection tour of the Brand New Massey Children Hospital.
The Hospital is a 7-Storey fit for purpose Paediatrics and Emergency General Hospital, which will be the biggest children’s hospital in the country and Sub Saharan Africa.
The Groundbreaking and flag off of this Legacy Project was done by Governor Sanwo-Olu on the 28th April, 2021.
So far, the 10-floor car park has been completed, the hospital building has one more floor to be done, which will also include a helipad.
Mr Governor says this is a promised kept, and assured Lagosians that this project will be completed, while the regeneration of Lagos Island will continue.
HEADQUARTERS 81 DIVISION COMMENCES INVESTIGATION INTO INCIDENT THAT LED TO DEATH OF POLICE OFFICER IN LAGOS
Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army (NA) regrets to inform the public of an unfortunate incident that occurred on 9 October 2024 involving a soldier and a policeman following an altercation related to an alleged traffic rule violation.
The incident, which is presently under investigation, escalated and resulted in the death of the policeman.
The soldier suspected to have committed the offence has since been apprehended and handed over to the Military Police for investigation and further disciplinary procedures.
The incident is highly regrettable, given the Division’s commitment to the Nigerian Army Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement. The Nigerian Army has continuously sensitized its personnel not to engage in activities that would tarnish its image and bridge the trust with other security agencies as well as the civil populace. The General Officer Commanding 81 Division NA commiserates with the family of the deceased and the Nigeria Police on this unfortunate incident.
The Division reassures the general public that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken to ensure that justice is served.
We will continue to collaborate with other security agencies to ensure security of lives and property in line with the constitutional mandate of the Nigerian Army.
Signed OLABISI OLALEKAN AYENI Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Director Army Public Relations 81 Division NA 10 October 2024
Politics › Nigerian Army Issues Clarification On Alleged Attack On Soldiers In Ehime Mbano by naptu2(op): 6:25pm On Oct 10, 2024
