Nasarawa governor travels to US for medical check-up, hands over power to deputy
- Amid Nigerians' outcry against foreign medical tourism, Nasarawa state governor has jetted out to the US for medical check-up
- Governor Sule notified the state House of Assembly that he would be in the US for two weeks
- The Nasarawa state governor has, however, handed over to his deputy who will be governing the state in acting capacity pending his return
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Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa state, has travelled to the United States of America for a medical check-up.
Channels TV reports that the governor notified the State House of Assembly about the two weeks trip which started from Sunday, December 13.
Legit.ng gathers that during plenary on Monday, December 14, the speaker of the House, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, read Governor Sule’s letter to his colleagues.
Source: Twitter
He said the deputy governor will oversee the affairs of the state pending his return.
The letter read in part:
“I wish to inform the Rt Hon speaker that I shall be traveling to the United States of America for a medical check-up from Sunday, 13th to Saturday 29th Dec. 2020.
“Accordingly, in my absence, the deputy Governor would oversee the affairs of the state pending my return.”
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian lawmaker, Sergius Ogun (PDP-Edo), wanted the House of Representatives to place restrictions on the medical tourism engaged by the president of Nigeria, state governors, and others.
Ogun has drafted and sponsored a bill to this effect which has passed through the first reading.
The new bill wants all public office holders to get approval from the Federal High Court before seeking medical attention outside the shores of the country.
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In another related report, the Nigerian Senate recently queried the Aso Villa over medical bills abroad.
The lawmakers asked the officials at the Aso Villa to ensure President Muhammadu Buhari uses official clinic instead of travelling abroad for medical treatment.
However, doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) faulted the move by the Senate to restrain the president from foreign medical trips.
Meanwhile, the inability of the government to address various health challenges has resulted in increasing medical tourism in which Nigeria loses over N400 billion on annual basis.
The disclosure was made in 2019 by President Buhari during the inauguration of Senior Executive Course 41, 2019 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, Plateau state.
The president, however, said his government has shown strong commitment in the revitalisation of the health sector.
N1,500 for health of Nigerians | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
