Telecom
MTN Foundation Dialysis Centres Supported 738 Patients in 2 Years
MTN Foundation through its Medical Support Project contributed to ameliorating the plight of Nigerians diagnosed with kidney diseases as 738 patients benefitted from the haemodialysis facilities donated by the Foundation to 12 public health institutions across the country in the last two years.
At a stakeholders meeting designed to share success stories, critically assess the status of the MTNF Dialysis Centres and learn from various experiences of benefitting institutions since the inception of the project in April 2011, Ms. Nonny Ugboma, executive secretary, MTN Foundation, noted that the incidence of kidney failure has been on the rise in the country.
“These worrying statistics on renal failure coupled with the fact that we were inundated with several requests for financial assistance prompted us to act by supporting the health sector with 12 state-of-the-art haemodialysis centres for the management of kidney-related diseases across the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria,” she said.
The haemodialysis centres are located in General Hospital, Onitsha; Anambra State, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State; Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Benue State; Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Adamawa State; and Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, Kebbi State.
Others are General Hospital, Alimosho, Lagos State; University of Ado-Ekiti Teaching Hospital, Ekiti State; Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt in Rivers State; General Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State; General Hospital, Yauri, Kebbi State; State Specialist Hospital, Sokoto and National Hospital, Abuja.
The project, which has adopted the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, has MTN Nigeria Foundation providing funding for the centres while the Federal and State ministries of Health, who own these selected public hospitals, provide the space, medical personnel, and a conducive environment to carry out the intervention.
“In the last two years, we have seen 2,266 dialysis sessions successfully done to care for 738 patients in just a little above two years of operations. This has resulted in many highly unstable patients becoming stable and living normal lives due to the quality of care they have received across the centres,” said Ugboma.
Commending MTNF for setting the stage and providing the platform on which stakeholders can deliberate and chart the way forward in the healthcare system, Dr. Bolaji Adebiyi, medical director, Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos, said, “in the course of planning and executing this project, medical personnel in many of the centres have acquired tremendous experience, thus improving the number of people with critical knowledge and skills to deal with renal failure in the long term. This is a beacon of hope in terms of building capacity in the health sector.”
Some Dignitaries present at the stakeholders meeting include, Medical Director, Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Bolaji Adebiyi, Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Orkurga Malu, Medical Director, General Hospital, Onitsha, Dr. Angela Uwakwem, Medical Director, Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, Dr. Attahiru Isa-Sokoto, Representative of Nigerian Association of Nephrologists, Dr. Tolu Awobusuyi, Representative of the Medical Director, National Hospital, Abuja, Barrister Chris Mamman and other Chief Medical Directors, Nephrologists from other beneficiary hospitals as well as the project consultants.
The MTN Medical Support Project has also extended its scope to cover the area of Breast Cancer and this has seen the establishment of six mammography centres spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, specifically in Kogi, Yobe, Sokoto, Lagos, Enugu and Edo states.
Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.
Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.
The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.
The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.
Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.
Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.
President Bola Tinubu has appointment members into the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Universal Service Provision Fund, both under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Idris Olorunnimbe was named Chairman of the NCC board, while Dr Aminu Wada will continue as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, a position he was appointed to in October 2023 and confirmed by the Senate the following month.
Onanuga said Olorunnimbe previously served on the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Board, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee.
Other NCC board members are Abraham Oshidami (Executive Commissioner, Technical Services), Rimini Makama (Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management), Hajia Maryam Bayi, Col Abdulwahab Lawal (retd.), Senator Lekan Mustafa, Chris Okorie, Princess Oforitsenere Emiko, and the board secretary.
The President also approved the board of the USPF, chaired by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, with Olorunnimbe as Vice Chairman.
Other members are Oshidami, Makama, Aliyu Edogi Aliyu (representative of FMCIDE), Joseph B. Faluyi (representative of the Federal Ministry of Finance), Auwal Mohammed (representative of FMBNP), Uzoma Dozie, Peter Bankole, Abayomi Anthony Okanlawon, Gafar Oluwasegun Quadri, and the USPF secretary.
See the statement below:
PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS BOARD MEMBERS FOR NCC AND USPF
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), both agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
Idris Olorunnimbe was appointed Chairman of NCC, while Dr Aminu Waida remains its Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer.
President Tinubu appointed Wada to the position in October 2023, and the Senate confirmed the appointment in November 2023.
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Mr. Olorunnimbe previously served on the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Board, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee and drove impactful youth employment and entrepreneurship programmes.
Other members of the board are:
1. Abraham Oshidami – Executive Commissioner, Technical Services
2. Rimini Makama – Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management
3. Hajia Maryam Bayi- Former Director, Human Capital & Administration
4. Col Abdulwahab Lawal (Rtd)
5. Senator Lekan Mustafa
6. Chris Okorie
7. Princess Oforitsenere Emiko
8. Secretary of the Board.
The President also approved the Board of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), with Dr Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, as Chairman.
Other members are :
1. Idris Olorunimbe – Vice Chairman
2. Abraham Oshidami
3. Rimini Makama
4. Aliyu Edogi Aliyu – (Rep FMCIDE)
5. Joseph B Faluyi – (Rep. of Federal Ministry of Finance)
6. Auwal Mohammed – (Rep. of FMBNP)
7. Uzoma Dozie
8. Peter Bankole
9. Abayomi Anthony Okanlawon
10. Gafar Oluwasegun Quadri and the
11. USPF Secretary
The Federal Government established the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and service to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved and underserved areas in Nigeria.
Anambra State ICT Agency has restated its commitment to creating a digitally inclusive environment where Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) can access and benefit from government services without barriers.
Speaking when the Anambra State Disability Rights Commission (ADRC), in partnership with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme, paid an advocacy visit to his office, the Managing Director/CEO of the ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, underscored the Soludo administration’s determination to make governance work for all, including PWDs.
Mr. Agbata noted that intentional inclusion is a key part of the Governor’s technology-driven vision for the state which is why the commission recently received a wide range of digital tools to enhance their productivity.
“Technology is only truly impactful when it works for everyone, regardless of physical ability.
We are committed to removing digital barriers and making our platforms accessible to all residents of Anambra State,” he said.
CFA also disclosed that the Agency will take immediate steps to appoint a Disability Desk Officer, work with the commission to ensure that all government ICT platforms are designed to meet accessibility standards, and as well as incorporate PWD-friendly features into ongoing upgrades of the SolutionLens feedback platform.
The visit also featured presentations from ADRC’s Head of ICT, Mr. Bonaventure Umeokwonna, who outlined the Commission’s priorities, and RoLAC representatives, who pledged continued support for building capacity and strengthening the policy framework for inclusion.
Mr. Valentine Nwachukwu, Head of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Commission, gave the vote of thanks, commending the ICT Agency’s openness to collaboration.
The Anambra State ICT Agency continues to work closely with ministries, departments, and agencies to deepen digital transformation in the state, ensuring that no segment of society is left behind.
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