Francesca Iwambe- Abuja
In a bid to improve on the health care facilities in the country, Governors of the nineteen northern States have jointly signed a memorandum of understanding with a billionaire American multi-national corporation, General Electric.
Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima who made this known after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding challenge the firm to produce practical results by next year.
Speaking on behalf of the 19 States, Shettima who is also the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum reaffirmed the confidence of the governors in the commitment of GE to meet up with the expectations.
He also stressed the urgent need for results of the MOU in the coming year in order to translate partnership ‘from paper to people’.
“I will like to emphasize the wish and commitment of the Northern Governors Forum that by next year, our partnership with the G.E should take practical stock of what we should have been able to accomplish.
” I would wish us to be in any of the Northern States to see what we are to able to improve. I will rule out Borno so as not to be selfish.
“By being able to showcase a practical difference, we will be translating the covenant of our signatures from the pages to the people. The Northern Governors Forum is absolutely committed to this partnership and we have supreme confidence in our selfless and versatile Malam Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, who is heading the Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integration Programme which is the facilitator of today’s partnership.
“As we go towards implementation, we should bear in mind that the lives of many people in Northern Nigeria depend on how quickly we are able to continually improve access to quality and affordable healthcare. The North is dealing with five most serious problems; low literacy, poverty, poor healthcare, unproductive population and bad economic position.
” To borrow from conclusions of one thoroughly researched presentation by former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr Suleyman Ndanusa, out of 79.6 million Nigerians living in poverty more than fifty million of them, representing about seventy percent live in the 19 States of Northern Nigeria” he stated.
General Electric was represented by the corporation’s Vice Chairman/President Global Growth, John G Rice and the President, Chief Executive Officer of G.E, Dr Lazarus Angbazo during the signing ceremony.
The Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integration Program (NNGERP) created by the Northern Governors under the chairmanship of former Presidential economic Adviser, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, is to work with GE to drive the implementation, on behalf of the Northern Governors.
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