GOVERNOR SAMUEL ORTOM MIRACLES AT THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY.

By Teryila Ibn Apine

The world over the education remains a fundamental tool for the development of both the individual and the society.

Education is essential for everyone. It is the level of education that helps people earn respect and recognition. In my opinion, it is indispensable part of life both personally and socially. However, the unequal standard of education is still a major problem that needs to be deeply looked into.

The greatest problem with education in our part of the continent is the quality of education obtainable in our places of learning. From unavailability of staff to infrastructure to the condition of learning. All these pose a big threat.

My concern today is with health education. Health, no doubt is wealth. With the general out break of epidemics like the lassa fever, HIV, Ebola etc. Every leader and everyone should be concerned with training and equipping health personel and institutions to surmount such challenges.

Part of the score card of the Ortom administration in its early days is in the health sector. The Governor paid for the accreditation of the Benue State University school of health Sciences. This has culminated in the graduation of the first ever set of indigenous medical doctors from our own university. These doctors had stagnated for a period of twelve years.

Similarly, the school of nursing and midwifery Makurdi suffered total neglect. Worthy of commendation is the fact that without the Governor's show of concern, this all important school would have been closed down by may this year after the graduation of the current last set of students in the school. The school had lost accreditation three years ago and as such could not admit new students for same three years.

The Governor has sunk 200 million into the school for a wholistic renovation after which there will be reaccreditation of this all important nursing school.

For the Ortom administration, while it has set the Benue State University Makurdi to produce medical doctors for the state, it is positioning the school of nursing and midwifery Makurdi to produce quality midwives and nurses.

This will remain indelible in the hearts of the first set of medical doctors and the students and the school of nursing. Those who would have been denied their dream career as a result of the withdrawal of the accreditation owing to the inability of the past government to provide the needed infrastructure and manpower.

While I visited the school this evening to see the work going on there the students were visibly excited about the renovation and expressed gratitude to the Governor. They informed me that the entire turn around in the school looks to them like a dream and a miracle.

What caught my attention was the quality and enormity of the work done. For a school that Was decaying, decrepit, taken over by bats and mushroomed the renovation is very timely.

See pictures of ongoing work below.