IITA DG Commends Ajimobi over Transformation of State Article | November 20, 2013 - 7:33am | By MuSodiq Adekunle The Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, has commended what he called a holistic transformation of Oyo State by its governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, stating that he takes a cue in the development of the institute from Ajimobi’s transformational initiatives.  The DG made this known on Tuesday at the IITA premises during the commissioning of the Wellness Centre, medical unit and crèche of the institute by the governor. According to him, the infrastructural and aesthetic situation of the state before 2011 was deplorable which was only rescued by Ajimobi’s emergence in the saddle of governance. “In 2011, Ibadan was very bad but now, you have changed its face; you have inspired me for today you are going to commission some of those projects that I did in taking after you. When you move from Mokola to IITA which used to take hours (because of its traffic hold-up), it now takes about 15 minutes. Let the good job continue,” Dr. Sanginga said. In his speech, Governor Ajimobi commended the organization and research inputs of IITA in the economy of Oyo State. “I thank successive managements of the IITA for keeping the flag flying and continuing a tradition of excellence bequeathed unto this institution by its forefathers,” he said. While commending IITA for its focus on the wellness of its staff, Ajimobi said that this would help save the flight of capital which medical tourism had brought to the country. “A Nigerian newspaper reported that Nigerians spend over N120 billion every year on medical tourism. In the same vein, the newspaper reported that about 5000 patients travel out of this country each month for medical treatment. The trend was described as ugly and unacceptable. “Specifically, many of you are aware that diabetes is becoming prevalent across the world and sub-Saharan Africa is no exception. The total annual cost of treating diabetes patients in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at USD $67.03 billion, or US$8836 for every patient… What is fascinating about these statistics is that an estimated 75 percent of the amount spent on hypertension is related to the cost of hospitalization,” the governor said. According to him, the statistics underscored the importance of the impact that the wellness centre that IITA established would have on the institute, while thanking the management of IITA for paying attention to the health and welfare of its staff. In stating that there were lots of complementarities between what IITA was doing and the developmental efforts of his administration, Ajimobi urged a continuation of this synergy which he said would benefit a great number of the people. He promised that in line with this partnership, especially in the production of cassava, the state government would train 10,000 youths in its Catch them Young agricultural programme, as well as in the establishment of a health farm at the Agodi Gardens which will help stem the traffic of Nigerians abroad for medical tourism. Highlight of the occasion was the commissioning of the Wellness Centre, Medical Unit and Creche of the institute by the governor, while Ajimobi and members of his cabinet were taken on a tour of the institute
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 14:51:58 +0000
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