NMA Faults FG On Economy, Urges Support For Girl-Child

Posted on: Tue 06-08-2013

PRESIDENT of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osahon Enabulele, at the weekend faulted the Federal Government’s claims that the country’s economy was on the rise when, in contrast, Nigerians were actually getting poorer by the day.

Enabulele spoke in Benin City, Edo State capital, during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the state chapter of NMA. He also urged the Senate to revisit Section 29 (4)(b) with a view to removing the clause, which he said, could be used to abuse the girl-child. According to him, the disasters afflicting the country are man-made “and attributable to inept leadership, negative political character and the insensate disposition of the political class, brazen and unbridled acts of corruption, poor adherence to the rule of law, and unprecedented degradation of our God-given environment.”

Consequently, there is “increased pauperisation of a vast majority of the Nigerian population, who most times are transformed into very sorry appendages of sham reformism with unmitigated socio-economic, political, cultural and flood disasters.

“To date, over 70 per cent of Nigerians still live on less than N150 a day; over 60 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to electricity; physical and financial access to quality healthcare is still a major issue confronting Nigerians, unemployment (particularly of youth) is still over 70 per cent.

“Yet, warped economic indices deceptively show that the economic fortunes of Nigeria (as shown by the GDP figures) is on the upward swing, whereas in reality, an increasing number of Nigerians now live in a state of misery and in perpetual fear of being consumed by flood and other man-made and natural disasters.”

Meanwhile, he said the NMA also condemned the crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly and called on the feuding parties “to sheath the sword, peacefully reconcile their differences and adhere to the principles of democracy.”

The body urged the Senate to delete “the repulsive and ambiguous” Section 29 (4)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as “doing otherwise will undoubtedly expose the Nigerian girl-child to all forms of physical abuses and exploitation, as well as health, socio-economic, educational and physical developmental challenges.”

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