The Confab also set strict conditions for public officers seeking medical treatment abroad.
The National Conference on Wednesday unanimously threw out an amendment seeking the recognition of the Office of the First Lady by the 1999 Constitution.
It also rejected a proposal calling for the reduction of the minimum ages for Nigerians seeking election to the office of the president, governors and membership of the National Assembly by five years.
The Confab also set strict procedures that would be observed by public officers seeking medical treatment abroad.
These are some of the decisions taken while voting on the recommendations of the Committee on Social Sector and the amendments proposed to them.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Josephine Anenih, a former Women Affairs Minister and her deputy, Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, a former Minister of Education, earlier presented the report before amendments were proposed and considered.
During debate on the report, a delegate had proposed an amendment to the Constitution to ensure the incorporation of the Office of the First Lady.
However, when the Deputy Chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi, who moderated the voting session put it to vote, almost all the delegates voted against it.
Another amendment proposed by a Federal Government delegate, Mike Ozekhome calling for the reduction of the minimum age for presidential aspirants from 40 to 35, senatorial aspirants from 35 to 30 and House of Representatives from 30 to 25 to ensure that youth participate in political leadership, was roundly defeated.
However, in a bid to reduce the current negative impact of medical tourism on the image and integrity of Nigeria and her healthcare system, the delegates resolved that there should be restriction of government sponsorship of public officers for foreign medical care.
The confab agreed that unless for exceptional cases that require referral abroad, all public officers should mandatorily utilize local health facilities. These exceptional cases, it said, must be screened by a medical board made up of appropriate medical and healthcare professionals.
The Conference noted that seeking medical treatment abroad resulted in immense capital flight and drain on Nigeria’s economy resulting from medical tourism.
It cited abuse of existing processes for screening of referrals for foreign medical treatment as one of the reasons.
The delegates expressed desire for improvement in the quality of healthcare services in Nigeria; a deliberate effort to refocus the attitude of healthcare workers to patients in Nigeria; and improved
political commitment to health by political office holders.
Other resolutions reached by the conference are that:
-Free-healthcare be established for children aged 0-5 years; senior citizens from the age of 65 years; persons living with disability or the physically challenged persons; free maternal services and free school health programmes;
-Government and owners of mission/private schools should dialogue to facilitate the handover of all mission and private schools to their original owners.
However, owners of such schools should ensure that they are affordable and able to serve wider variety of the public as it were in the original concept of the mission schools;
-There should be regulation of fees charged by the schools; the schools should provide assistance to the local community through scholarships and other services; and that children from other
denominations should not be marginalized in the admission process;
-Government should convert all Almajiri schools to normal schools and integrate Quranic education curriculum to absorb the millions of out of school children;
-Government should provide free basic education with free uniforms, books and midday meals for all children from primary one to junior secondary three;
-Government should build additional Almajiri Schools to bring them up to 400 as originally planned while a 10 year plan of sustained implementation should be put in place with a view to providing acces to all children;
-The 2004 Pension Act should be amended so that payment of pension to beneficiaries would continue throughout their lifetime instead of the current practice where payment is only made to people between 15 and 18 years post-retirement. The Conferees agreed on the urgent need to
amend the 2004 Pension Act to include a provision to hold the pension commission responsible and also prescribe penalties;
-Salary reviews should be reflected in calculating benefits across the board, particularly in reference to long-time retirees; salary increases should automatically affect retirees in both the old and new
pension systems;
-Pension fund administrators and the national pension commission should be obliged to begin a comprehensive programme of registering the informal sector workers under the 2004 Pensions Act;
-Social security policy be put in practice to cater for the well being of the elderly in addition to the pension policy;
-Federal Government should put into effective use, the National Policy on Women adopted in 2004 which was replaced with the National Gender Policy in 2006;
-Government should draft for passage and implementation, a Bill on the Abolition of all Forms of Discrimination against Women in Nigeria to address the issue of discrimination and violence against women and maltreatment of widows; and
-Government should legislate to prohibit installation of telecommunication mast in residential neighbourhoods and to prohibit other practices that negatively impact on health including female
genital mutilation.
Meanwhile, the proceedings at the Conference were held down for over 10 minutes as all the female delegates protested an amendment seeking to reduce the affirmative action on the appointment of women into political offices from 35 per cent to 30 per cent.
When delegates voted in support of the amendment, most of the female delegates left their seat demanding a reversal of the decision or else they would walk out.
However, some male delegates including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba spoke in favour of the women causing the leadership of the Conference to drop further action on the matter and accept the 35 per cent
Also, shortly after 6 p.m., a delegate from Kebbi State, Haliru Mohammed, protested the continuation of the session, saying since most delegates had left and the decisions of the Conference would be a
nullity.
Despite the protest, Mr. Akinyemi continued with the proceedings apparently determined to conclude work on the report of the Social Sector Committee.
A few minutes later, Mr. Mohammed rose again to resume his protest, but was rebuked by the Chairman of the Conference who repeatedly shouted “You can’t intimidate us.”
The Conference subsequently adjourned at about 7.30 p.m. the first time since March 17 when it commenced sitting.
The National Conference on Wednesday unanimously threw out an amendment seeking the recognition of the Office of the First Lady by the 1999 Constitution.
It also rejected a proposal calling for the reduction of the minimum ages for Nigerians seeking election to the office of the president, governors and membership of the National Assembly by five years.
The Confab also set strict procedures that would be observed by public officers seeking medical treatment abroad.
These are some of the decisions taken while voting on the recommendations of the Committee on Social Sector and the amendments proposed to them.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Josephine Anenih, a former Women Affairs Minister and her deputy, Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, a former Minister of Education, earlier presented the report before amendments were proposed and considered.
During debate on the report, a delegate had proposed an amendment to the Constitution to ensure the incorporation of the Office of the First Lady.
However, when the Deputy Chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi, who moderated the voting session put it to vote, almost all the delegates voted against it.
Another amendment proposed by a Federal Government delegate, Mike Ozekhome calling for the reduction of the minimum age for presidential aspirants from 40 to 35, senatorial aspirants from 35 to 30 and House of Representatives from 30 to 25 to ensure that youth participate in political leadership, was roundly defeated.
However, in a bid to reduce the current negative impact of medical tourism on the image and integrity of Nigeria and her healthcare system, the delegates resolved that there should be restriction of government sponsorship of public officers for foreign medical care.
The confab agreed that unless for exceptional cases that require referral abroad, all public officers should mandatorily utilize local health facilities. These exceptional cases, it said, must be screened by a medical board made up of appropriate medical and healthcare professionals.
The Conference noted that seeking medical treatment abroad resulted in immense capital flight and drain on Nigeria’s economy resulting from medical tourism.
It cited abuse of existing processes for screening of referrals for foreign medical treatment as one of the reasons.
The delegates expressed desire for improvement in the quality of healthcare services in Nigeria; a deliberate effort to refocus the attitude of healthcare workers to patients in Nigeria; and improved
political commitment to health by political office holders.
Other resolutions reached by the conference are that:
-Free-healthcare be established for children aged 0-5 years; senior citizens from the age of 65 years; persons living with disability or the physically challenged persons; free maternal services and free school health programmes;
-Government and owners of mission/private schools should dialogue to facilitate the handover of all mission and private schools to their original owners.
However, owners of such schools should ensure that they are affordable and able to serve wider variety of the public as it were in the original concept of the mission schools;
-There should be regulation of fees charged by the schools; the schools should provide assistance to the local community through scholarships and other services; and that children from other
denominations should not be marginalized in the admission process;
-Government should convert all Almajiri schools to normal schools and integrate Quranic education curriculum to absorb the millions of out of school children;
-Government should provide free basic education with free uniforms, books and midday meals for all children from primary one to junior secondary three;
-Government should build additional Almajiri Schools to bring them up to 400 as originally planned while a 10 year plan of sustained implementation should be put in place with a view to providing acces to all children;
-The 2004 Pension Act should be amended so that payment of pension to beneficiaries would continue throughout their lifetime instead of the current practice where payment is only made to people between 15 and 18 years post-retirement. The Conferees agreed on the urgent need to
amend the 2004 Pension Act to include a provision to hold the pension commission responsible and also prescribe penalties;
-Salary reviews should be reflected in calculating benefits across the board, particularly in reference to long-time retirees; salary increases should automatically affect retirees in both the old and new
pension systems;
-Pension fund administrators and the national pension commission should be obliged to begin a comprehensive programme of registering the informal sector workers under the 2004 Pensions Act;
-Social security policy be put in practice to cater for the well being of the elderly in addition to the pension policy;
-Federal Government should put into effective use, the National Policy on Women adopted in 2004 which was replaced with the National Gender Policy in 2006;
-Government should draft for passage and implementation, a Bill on the Abolition of all Forms of Discrimination against Women in Nigeria to address the issue of discrimination and violence against women and maltreatment of widows; and
-Government should legislate to prohibit installation of telecommunication mast in residential neighbourhoods and to prohibit other practices that negatively impact on health including female
genital mutilation.
Meanwhile, the proceedings at the Conference were held down for over 10 minutes as all the female delegates protested an amendment seeking to reduce the affirmative action on the appointment of women into political offices from 35 per cent to 30 per cent.
When delegates voted in support of the amendment, most of the female delegates left their seat demanding a reversal of the decision or else they would walk out.
However, some male delegates including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba spoke in favour of the women causing the leadership of the Conference to drop further action on the matter and accept the 35 per cent
Also, shortly after 6 p.m., a delegate from Kebbi State, Haliru Mohammed, protested the continuation of the session, saying since most delegates had left and the decisions of the Conference would be a
nullity.
Despite the protest, Mr. Akinyemi continued with the proceedings apparently determined to conclude work on the report of the Social Sector Committee.
A few minutes later, Mr. Mohammed rose again to resume his protest, but was rebuked by the Chairman of the Conference who repeatedly shouted “You can’t intimidate us.”
The Conference subsequently adjourned at about 7.30 p.m. the first time since March 17 when it commenced sitting.
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