In a landmark move to tackle the longstanding challenges plaguing Abia State’s healthcare sector, Governor Alex Otti has launched a N10.78 billion project to rehabilitate and retrofit 200 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) across the state.

The ambitious initiative unveiled on Monday at the Ngwu Primary Healthcare Center in Uzuakoli, Bende Local Government Area, is set to be completed within 100 days.

The project, dubbed Project Ekwueme, forms a central part of Otti’s broader governance agenda, which prioritizes healthcare and education as the foundation for socio-economic development in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, described the “project 200 PHCs in 100 days” as a vehicle for delivering democracy dividends.

“This project, with a whopping cost of N10.78 billion, covers sites that are easily identifiable when you move around Abia, clearly making the state a healthcare construction site,” he said.

Years of mismanagement and neglect under previous administrations had left Abia’s healthcare and education sectors in shambles. Poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and a lack of resources had created a significant vacuum, leaving many communities without access to basic healthcare services.

Otti’s administration is seeking to reverse this legacy of neglect with a multi-pronged approach to governance, beginning with the health sector. Otti aims to restore public confidence in government services and ensure access to quality healthcare for all residents, especially those in rural communities, by rehabilitating 200 PHCs and equipping them with modern facilities.

The governor emphasized that an efficient healthcare system is not only vital for individual well-being but also crucial for the broader socio-economic growth of the state. Under Project Ekwueme, the selected PHCs will undergo complete remodeling, with renewable energy solutions, water supply systems, and secure storage for drugs and medical consumables.

The initiative also aims to curb the proliferation of quack medical practitioners and fake drugs, both of which have been rampant in underserved areas due to the absence of functional healthcare facilities.

Otti assured that high-quality materials would be used at every stage of the construction process, with contractors required to provide post-delivery maintenance for at least five years. Additionally, community leaders and stakeholders have been tasked with monitoring the projects to ensure accountability.

“We are committed to using high-quality and durable materials at every stage of the construction process because this is our own. We will not tolerate any form of mediocrity, and every contractor will be required to provide post-delivery infrastructure maintenance services for at least five years.

“Community leaders and other stakeholder groups are encouraged to be part of the project monitoring and evaluation efforts. All acts of sabotage or attempts to steal from the facilities will attract severe consequences by the government, with the cooperation of our people,” he said.

Education: The Next Frontier

In tandem with healthcare reforms, Otti has also outlined plans to overhaul the state’s education sector. Abia’s schools, much like its healthcare centers, have suffered from years of neglect, with dilapidated buildings, unpaid teacher salaries, and a lack of basic learning materials becoming the norm.

To address this, Otti’s administration has prioritized education as a key area for immediate intervention. Plans include the rehabilitation of public schools, improved welfare for teachers, and partnerships with private organizations to provide modern learning tools and technology.

The governor has explained that investment in education and healthcare are interconnected and essential for sustainable development.

The healthcare initiative, designed with sustainability in mind, will also include:

1. Training Programs for Medical Personnel: To ensure healthcare workers are equipped with the latest skills and knowledge.
2. Community Involvement: Leaders and stakeholders will play a critical role in monitoring progress and maintaining facilities.
3. Robust Security Measures: To prevent sabotage and theft, security agencies are mandated to oversee all project sites.

The project aligns with global health standards and contributes to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

Voices from the State

Uche hailed the initiative as a transformative step for Abia’s healthcare sector.

“This project not only addresses the immediate healthcare needs of our people but also sets the stage for a more sustainable and equitable health system in Abia,” he said.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Mrs. Ngozi Azodo, elaborated on the long-term vision for Project Ekwueme, which includes plans for an Abia Medical City and a College of Medicine.

“This is about building a system that lasts, one that future generations can be proud of. Every ward in the state will have a functional PHC as a testament to this administration’s commitment,” she said.

For many Abia residents, Project Ekwueme represents a long-overdue response to years of neglect. It is a bold statement from Otti’s administration, signaling a new era of governance that prioritizes the needs of the people.

It was a great business model on paper: have a fintech solution that will make it possible so that when African diasporas visit their homelands like Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, etc, they can use the same credit cards they have used in America, Germany, UK, etc to pay for things!

But there is a problem: payments in our part of the world have always attracted more chargebacks*. And in sub-Saharan Africa, we have taken that to an unfortunate level with severe implications for merchants, fintechs and the broad ecosystem.

For example, a bank in East Africa which provides the API that enables some of these payments lost its partnership with a leading payment processing and issuing company because of the unusual level of chargebacks in the continent. But startups did not give up as they continued on how to serve the diaspora market.

But what we’re reading on what happened in Nigeria in December 2024 is extremely unfortunate: some people used hotel services, restaurant services, paid with their foreign cards, and upon returning to their foreign bases called their banks that the payments were paid without their approvals.

Typically, in US, Canada and most Western European countries, the banks are expected to refund them unless the merchants can provide compelling evidence to support that they actually approved those payments. 

That is how banking works there: banks are there to protect you when bad things happen. Of course, that does not include approving spending, getting services, and then wickedly asking for a refund.

This falls to the #1 challenge for fintech companies in Africa and specifically Nigeria, as I noted: ‘Good People, Nigeria should declare a financial state of emergency on “Cyberfraud, Identity Theft & Wire Fraud” in the nation. In the last three years, many fintech startups have failed, not because of market conditions, but because of this fraud vector.” Indeed, for this Detty December issue, some of the fintech companies which have facilitated these sales will see their licenses revoked by their US, Canadian and European partners, for enabling an ecosystem with more than average chargebacks.

Yet, if you are a merchant, this is your defence: always request for your customers to sign their card payments and print a copy of that payment. And any purchase above $200, ask that person for an ID and copy the last 4 digits of his or her driver’s license or passport and write on that receipt. 

If you do have that copy, present it to the payment processing partner. When you do that, you will not be open to this chargeback risk as that person knows you have enough evidence to win the dispute. But where you have nothing, you could lose money.

*A chargeback is a reversal of a debit or credit card transaction. It happens when a cardholder or their bank disputes a charge and the dispute is resolved in the cardholder’s favor.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has unveiled plans for the General Multipurpose National Identity Card (GMPC), promising a streamlined solution for identification and service access.

The GMPC is designed to consolidate multiple identification cards into one, simplifying access to government services, financial transactions, and travel-related needs. NOA emphasized the card’s role in easing the burden of carrying multiple forms of identification, describing it as a step toward modernizing Nigeria’s identity management systems.

In a statement on Sunday, the agency explained: “The GMPC will serve multiple purposes, combining several existing cards into one. This new card will eliminate the need for citizens to carry multiple forms of identification, making it more convenient for everyday use.”

However, the announcement has been met with mixed reactions, as many Nigerians are skeptical about the initiative’s potential to deliver meaningful change.

While the initiative is being positioned as a landmark achievement, many Nigerians are not overly excited, citing past experiences with similar programs that failed to live up to expectations. The rollout of national identity cards in Nigeria has a long history of lofty promises, with little to show for the billions of naira spent over the years.

President Goodluck Jonathan launched a new national identity card on August 28, 2014, to replace the earlier version introduced in 2003 under President Olusegun Obasanjo. The 2014 initiative, a collaboration between the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and MasterCard, was touted as a revolutionary solution for identification and financial inclusion. Despite the grand launch, the system failed to gain widespread adoption, with many citizens unable to access the card or its promised benefits.

For many Nigerians, this latest effort to introduce the GMPC feels like déjà vu. Many believe that each new administration presents a different version of the national ID card, often abandoning the previous system, rendering earlier investments wasted.

Expressing their frustration, many have asked: Every new government wants to start a fresh ID card project. Why can’t we improve on what we already have instead of spending billions on the same thing every few years?

Others have also raised concerns about the likelihood of this program being sustained beyond the current administration. Given Nigeria’s history of abrupt policy changes, many fear that a future government could discard the GMPC, just as previous systems were phased out. This lack of continuity often leads to wasted resources and public disenchantment.

The financial burden of launching a new identity card system is another contentious issue. It is believed that funds allocated to the GMPC could be better spent on pressing national concerns such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Additionally, challenges related to accessibility and implementation remain unresolved. In rural areas, many citizens lack access to the National Identification Number (NIN), a prerequisite for obtaining the GMPC. Past initiatives have often struggled with logistical bottlenecks, raising questions about the feasibility of delivering the GMPC to every Nigerian.

While the NOA has positioned the GMPC as a game-changer, public perception paints a different picture. For many Nigerians, the initiative appears to be another expensive exercise with little guarantee of success.

However, the NOA insists that the GMPC will improve access to financial services and government programs, reduce reliance on foreign payment systems through the AFRIGO card scheme, and bolster national security. Applications for the GMPC can be made through NIMC offices, participating banks, or online, with card issuance managed by applicants’ banks.

The NOA emphasized that transparency will be a cornerstone of the program, promising to publish weekly updates on issuance and utilization.