The Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Abdulrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, PhD, has decried the deplorable state of healthcare system in rural communities of his constituency when he assumed office in 2023.

Senator Sumaila lamented that he inherited a senatorial district with an estimated population of about seven million people in 16 local government areas with 171 wards, with fewer than 10 medical doctors serving at Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs).

Besides the shortage of medical personnel, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Downstream Petroleum said he met several failing healthcare centres with dilapidated structures and obsolete equipment when he was elected to the 10th Senate in 2023.

He, however, said the situation had significantly improved within the period of three years following his interventions and the attraction of Federal Government resources to the constituency, particularly in healthcare and other critical sectors.

Presenting his scorecard in the past three years at an event organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano Council, at the weekend, Senator Sumaila expressed satisfaction with the improvements recorded in healthcare infrastructure and human capital development.

Senator Sumaila explained that he came fully prepared for legislative service with the objective of improving the well-being of residents of Kano South, anchored on a four-point agenda covering health, education, agriculture and water resources.

According to him, eight Primary Healthcare Centres have undergone structural rehabilitation, while basic and critical healthcare equipment, including 110 automated hospital beds, have been provided.

On the shortage of healthcare personnel across the 16 local government areas that make up Kano South, the Senator disclosed that he initiated a programme to train youths in health-related courses.

He said 1,737 candidates from his wards had been shortlisted to benefit from scholarships to study medical and allied health courses, while 437 beneficiaries were currently undergoing training.

On security, Senator Sumaila said he facilitated kinetic operations in collaboration with security agencies to flush out criminal elements and restore peace to communities bordering Bauchi, Kaduna and Katsina states.

The Federal lawmaker regretted that the activities of criminal elements had resulted in the kidnapping of several villagers and farmers, with victims and their families subjected to ransom demands running into millions of naira.

He expressed satisfaction that, after sustained operations over the past three years, the criminal elements had been largely flushed out of the district.

On agriculture, Senator Sumaila said he had contributed to improving farmers’ productivity and production, noting that his interventions had helped promote all-year-round farming through the rehabilitation of irrigation systems.

According to him, 6,090 tube wells had been sunk on farmers’ plots, while 6,090 water-pumping machines had been distributed across the 16 local government areas to sustain farming throughout the year.

He added that 300 hand-pump boreholes had also been provided in villages, schools and mosques across the district.

Education was another area the Senator highlighted, citing the rehabilitation of dilapidated school structures, provision of educational materials and capacity-building programmes for teachers.

While outlining his efforts to improve the quality of education, Senator Kawu said he had provided 3,000 three-seater desks and 1,000 whiteboards, as well as refurbished existing structures and constructed new classrooms.

Speaking at the occasion, Islamic scholar Sheikh Mohammed bin Usman identified security, education, food security and healthcare, among others, as part of the primary responsibilities and covenant between government and the people.

Sheikh Bin Usman applauded the Senator representing Kano South for improving the welfare and basic needs of his constituents, in addition to carrying out his primary responsibility of legislation at the National Assembly.

The convener and Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Murtala Adewale, explained that the event, tagged “Review of Campaign Promises of 2023: Exhibition of Senator Abdulrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila’s Scorecard in Three Years,” was part of the Chapel’s initiative to hold elected political office holders accountable to the people.

Adewale said Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, empowers the media to hold government accountable and demand transparency in the management of public resources entrusted to public office holders.