Nigerian youths caution public office-holders: Revamp health sector, stop medical tourism
The Nigerian Youth Union (NYU), an umbrella body of young people across Nigeria, has cautioned public office-holders against medical tourism.
NYU National President, Mr Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said most unexplained foreign trips were for medical tourism.
Obasi said there was a need to revamp the health sector and equip Nigerian hospitals with requisite facilities to address medical tourism.
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He said that employing qualified personnel to man the hospitals would also boost the confidence of Nigerians to attend local hospitals thereby making medical tourism unattractive among the elite.
“NYU wishes to state in unequivocal terms that it will no longer accept ambiguous foreign trips by public office holders under the guise of private visit.’’
Obasi said that President Bola Tinubu, just like every other human being, could fall ill and was entitled to medical treatment or checkups.
He, however, said medical trips by public officer holders, funded from public coffers, had continued to be shrouded in secrecy giving room for speculations.
“No doubt, we wish the president well; but also wish to state that we will mobilise and resist within the ambits of the law, any of such cryptic trips in the future.
“Public office holders serve the people and are expected to be discerning; empathic and conduct themselves in manners reflective of the pulse of the nation.
“Now, that the president is back to the country, he is expected to, as a matter of urgency, introduce measures to address the current hyper-inflation and strangulating prices of food stuffs which has triggered a wave of protests across the country,” he said.
Obasi said NYU was unveiled on Oct.1, 2020, as the voice of Nigerian youths with a vision to offer opportunities that breed inclusiveness in governance; and provide national information for youths.
According to him, the NYU’s goal is to create synergy between the Nigerian Government and the youths to encourage participation of young Nigerians in governance aimed at fostering national growth and economic development.
