₦airaland Forum

Osinbajo lauds West African surgeons for thousands of free surgeries_

Given the impressive performance and achievements recorded by Nigerians across diverse fields, at home and abroad, it is evident that many of the country’s problems can be solved by Nigerians themselves without recourse to foreign aid, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo said this on Friday when he preceived a delegation from the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), in his office. (The College formed by a group of young Nigerian surgeons 60 years ago predated the Economic Community of West African States)

The delegation led by Prof. Ibrahim Yakasai, mni, was at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa to brief the Vice President about the activities of the College including its planned 60th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference scheduled for Abuja. Yakasai is the Local Organising Committee chairman.

Speaking after listening to a brief on the achievements of the WACS, the VP said “I am glad to hear the good things that have been done by the college through the years.

“I believe that a lot of our problems, some of the aids that we need, can be provided by ourselves. We have the resources including human capacity to do it.” He thanked the delegation for the visit, assuring the College of the Federal Government’s continued support.

Earlier in his remarks, the immediate past President of the College, Prof. King-David Yawe highlighted some of the achievements of WACS especially with regards to free medical outreaches to several Nigerian communities.

He said while working with the Presidential Committee on North East (PCNE), the College has conducted 9, 000 surgeries on 49,000 patients in the Northeast with the insurgency in the region, adding that the body was currently conducting free medical outreaches in 14 hospitals across the FCT, some North Central States and Maiduguri.

Prof. Yawe added that as part of the 2020 pre-conference events, the College is currently conducting free surgeries in the FCT, Borno and other States, noting that 700 such surgical operations have so far been conducted in the past one week with a target of reaching 1000 before the commencement of conference.

He also said that the outreaches which started 14 years ago include eye surgeries, orthopedic, paediatric & plastic surgeries, brain tumor amongst many others complicated health challenges that otherwise cost patients several millions of Naira, and for which many travel out of the country to treat.

Continuing on the activities of the surgeons, Prof. Yawe said the College has accredited training centres in Gombe, Borno and Yobe States.

He commended the Buhari administration’s support to the association in partly funding some of its activities and meeting its responsibilities especially in solving its 20-year-old problem regarding a request for land in the FCT.

Prof. Yawe informed the VP that the land has been allocated to the College for the establishment of a Skills and Simulation Centre to train surgeons in West Africa in hi-tech surgeries.

The leader of the delegation, Prof. Yakasai also informed the VP that the College works in partnership with the ECOWAS and has surgeons from 18 countries with over 7000 fellows across West Africa. The College conducts training, postgraduate education and research activities

While Yawe is the immediate past President of the College, Yakasai told the VP the current President is from Senegal. (Prof Serigne Magueye Gueye.)

Laolu Akande,
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,
Office of the Vice President.
15th February 2020

Nigeria is highly blessed with human resources, go to any country in the whole wide world, you will discover Nigerians are doing wonderfully well. Only what we need is to invest on our people. See all what this organization has achieved. God bless Osinbajo, God bless Nigeria.

R

This is the simple truth in today's world.

space booked

This land is not for sale IPOBIANS beware

Ijf you can't solve many of the problems, why are you then a Leader?

Obviously yes we can solve our problems without foreign assistance

Okeytus:
Ijf you can't solve many of the problems, why are you then a Leader?

Is that what the VP means or you are lazy to read and understand

As at 2015, WACS has done 5 surgical outreach programmes since 2010 and treated more than 800 surgical patients with very limited financial capacity in Calabar, Nigeria in 2010, Dakar, Senegal in 2011, Monrovia, Liberia in 2012, Lome, Togo in 2013, Kumasi, Ghana in 2014 and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in 2015.

Those successful WACS conference surgical outreaches have given us rational reasons not to stop this useful activity for the poorest patients in rural communities. Thank you Mr Vice president for the word of encouragement, God bless Nigeria, God bless Africa.

You have said all Mr Vice president. WACS brought a lot of joy and hope to many patients whose access to quality surgery would have been difficult because of lack of health centers of reference near their geographical area and poverty.

What the VP said is true. The problem with Nigerians is that we want the government to do everything and it's not possinle. More than 60% of employers in the U.S. are private not government. why can't we not do same here and stop depending on government.

I concur powerfully with VP Osinbajo. God has blessed us as a country with everything both human and natural resources but we got our foundation wrongly laid and many years of military misrule really dented us as a fruitful nation. But i also believe all hope isn't lost. If we all choose to make this place great, it shall surely happen.

Nigeria is highly blessed with brainstorming individuals,it is just so unfortunate that instead of we Nigerians to see this we prefer to abuse our leaders for not doing well.

Okeytus:
Ijf you can't solve many of the problems, why are you then a Leader?

I think we have overstretched the idea of LEADERSHIP. We need to start massive orientation on the responsibilities attached to GOOD FOLLOWERSHIP. Someone like you is badly affected

The Vice President is very right, Nigeria is blessed with enormous human resources.

Some of you thinks as if your you have mental problems. What is stupid question for?

Okeytus:
Ijf you can't solve many of the problems, why are you then a Leader?

You are part of the problem Nigeria is facing right now because i am very sure you didn't read the whole content to actually know what the VP is talking about......May you receive your lost senses in jesus name (Amen)

Okeytus:
[s][/s]Ijf you can't solve many of the problems, why are you then a Leader?[s][/s]

Exactly....

If he can focus on science and technology we can move this country forward fast.

Nigeria is highly blessed with human resources that are capable of solving most of the problems that we are facing as a country. It is high time we develop ourself, provide adequate platform and necessary support that will make this a reality.