Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) has regained its accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), following its complete renovation, by Governor Alex Otti.

The governor announced the development in a statement on Friday, stating that the development will alleviate the suffering of many people.

“I am glad to announce that the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu has successfully regained full accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) after a period of suspension lasting almost three years,” he said.

“One of my priorities, when I took office, was to restore the accreditation of our College of Medicine and Health Sciences ABSU, which was revoked due to inadequate facilities and staff welfare.

“I witnessed the suffering of our students, lecturers, and patients, and I promised to never let it happen again. We invested massively in the renovation and upgrade of the infrastructure, equipment, and personnel of ABSUTH,” he added.

One of my priorities, when I took office, was to restore the accreditation of our College of Medicine and Health Sciences ABSU, which was revoked due to inadequate facilities and staff welfare. I witnessed the suffering of our students, lecturers, and patients, and I promised to… pic.twitter.com/5vHPThrVLD

— Alex Otti (@alexottiofr) December 15, 2023

The National Universities Commission (NUC) withdrew accreditation for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Abia State University in June last year. This decision was a result of the teaching hospital’s near-inactivity due to its dire state and the poor welfare conditions of its staff.

The NUC found deficiencies within the institution, prompting the revocation of accreditation. The teaching hospital, reported to be in a severely dilapidated condition and unsuitable for learning, serves as a crucial training ground for clinical medical students.

As a consequence of losing accreditation, the college, which had previously graduated more than 22 sets of doctors, ceased admitting new students for Medicine and Surgery.

Otti called the school’s reinstatement “a remarkable achievement” for Abia State, which “affirms our commitment to deliver quality healthcare and education to our people.”

“With this accreditation, our medical students can now resume their training at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, with a higher admission quota and a valid accreditation to train house officers,” he said.

Reaffirming his resolute dedication to fortifying education and healthcare, Otti made reference to the allocation of 20% and 15% of the 2024 annual budget to these pivotal sectors. He emphasized that these allocations represent not just gestures but indispensable obligations owed to the people of Abia State.

“We believe that these are not favors, but obligations that we owe to our citizens. We will continue to do our best to provide quality service and governance to our state,” he said.

The College of Medicine was inaugurated during the 1988/89 academic session, with Professor Akpuaka, F.C., who specialized in Plastic Surgery, serving as its inaugural provost. In November 1994, the Medical and Dental Council conducted the initial evaluation of the clinical facilities within the Teaching Hospital Complex of the college. Subsequently, after a follow-up visit by the council in March 1996, the entire college received full accreditation as a Medical Training Institution in May 1996.

It was reported yesterday that the governor of Rivers State, Mr Sim Fubara, ordered the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex in order to distort the parliamentary session so that the defected House of Assembly members loyal to Mr Nyesom Wike will not carry out their impeachment ploy against him. 

As a person who has keenly been following Nigerian politics, I can take a wild guess that the reason why the River state governor has to rave down the state house of assembly complex contrary to whatever you may think is that according to Supreme Court rulings in 2007, in the case of Inakoju V Adeleke, if the assembly members meet in any other place other than the house of assembly complex and impeach the governor, the purported impeachment or whatever business conducted will be voided on the grounds that it didn’t meet up the constitutional procedure of impeachment of the governor as provided in section 188 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and the House of Assembly rules. 

In the infamous constitutional landmark case of Hon. Muyiwa Inakoju & 17 Ors v Hon Abraham Adeolu Adeleke & 3 Ors (2007), 4 NWLR (PT. 1025), the Supreme Court upheld Chief Wole Olanipekun’s argument that the House of Assembly complex is the one and only designated building that the official business of the house of assembly members is to be carried out and that D’Rovans Hotel, Ibadan where some of the assembly members held their plenary session and impeached the governor is not the House of Assembly of Oyo State, thereby invalidating the impeachment of the then Governor Rasheed Ladoja. 

Here is the full fact of the case;

On the 13th of December 2005, some members of the Oyo State House of Assembly held their plenary session at D’Rovans Hotel, Ring Road, Ibadan, where they purportedly suspended the Draft Rules of the Oyo State House of Assembly. They also purportedly issued a notice of allegation of misconduct against Senator Rasheed Ladoja, the then Governor, with the purpose of commencing impeachment proceedings against him. On 22nd December 2005, without following the laid down rules, regulations and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, they purportedly passed a motion calling for the investigation of the allegations of misconduct against Senator Ladoja and they went ahead and passed a vote of no confidence on the governor and impeached him. 

The Supreme Court voided the impeachment of the governor on the grounds that the parliamentarians did not follow the right impeachment procedure by meeting up the quorum and conducting the plenary session on the designated House of Assembly complex. 

Therefore, one can decipher the political game that Governor Fubara is playing by demolishing the House of Assembly complex so that if the parliamentarians who are loyal to Mr Wike succeed in impeaching him, he can easily contest the impeachment in court on one of the grounds that the impeachment was carried out on another ground other than the state house of Assembly complex thereby invalidating the process. 

The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has unveiled its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for November 2023, revealing a drastic escalation in the headline inflation rate to 28.20%, marking a sharp uptick from October 2023’s 27.33%.

This soaring inflation rate hasn’t been witnessed in Nigeria since August 2005.

Analyzing the data, November 2023’s headline inflation surged by 0.87% points in contrast to October 2023. Moreover, on a year-on-year basis, the inflation rate saw an alarming spike of 6.73% points from November 2022’s 21.47%, signifying an unsettling annual leap in price levels.

“Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in November 2023 was 2.09%, which was 0.35% higher than the rate recorded in October 2023 (1.73%),” the NBS said.

“This means that in November 2023, the rate of increase in the average price level is more than the rate of increase in average price level in October 2023.”

Food Inflation, the major driver

The report spotlighted the persistent driver behind this inflationary surge: the exorbitant cost of food items. Food inflation climbed to 32.84% year-on-year, escalating by 8.72% points from November 2022’s 24.13%. This surge is attributed to the soaring prices of essential food items such as Bread and cereals, Oil and fat, Potatoes, Yam and other Tubers, Fish, Fruit, Meat, Vegetables, Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa.

In assessing the month-on-month scenario, November 2023 witnessed a 2.09% inflation rate, surpassing October 2023’s 1.73%. This accelerated increment in the average price level indicates an aggravated inflationary trend from the preceding month.

“The rise in Food inflation on a month-on-month basis was caused by rise in the rate of increase in the average prices of Bread and Cereals, Oil and fat, Meat, Coffee, Tea and Cocoa, Pota-toes, Yam & Other Tubers,” the report stated.

State-by-state inflation

The regional disparity in inflation rates further amplifies the concerns. Kogi (33.28%), Lagos (32.30%), and Rivers (32.25%) recorded the highest year-on-year inflation rates, while Borno (22.47%), Katsina (24.91%), and Plateau (25.53%) exhibited the slowest increases. Moreover, Kano (3.55%), Kebbi (3.34%), and Borno (3.24%) witnessed the highest month-on-month rises, whereas Taraba (0.74%), Anambra (1.00%), and Enugu (1.18%) faced the least upticks.

Delving into food inflation disparities, Kogi (41.29%), Kwara (40.72%), and Rivers (40.22%) experienced the highest year-on-year surges, while Bauchi (26.14%), Borno (27.34%), and Jigawa (27.63%) witnessed the slowest rises. Cross River (4.37%), Edo (3.95%), and Rivers (3.91%) topped the month-on-month food inflation, with Anambra (0.63%), Oyo (0.91%), and Bauchi (1.00%) showing the most moderate increases.

The latest inflation report confirms the fears expressed by experts that the soaring cost of living, especially food items, if not mitigated, will shoot inflation above 30% in the first quarter of 2024.

“Specifically, our model suggests that the combined influence of fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange liberalization may drive headline inflation to about 30 percent by December 2023,” KPMG said in its macroeconomic review for the first and second half of 2023.

Though the latest inflation rate slightly falls short of the KPMG’s projected 30%, it underscores the slowness of the government’s reforms in revitalizing the economy.

The central bank said Thursday it expects exchange rate and inflationary pressures may to decline in 2024.