BENIN CITY – Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday in Benin City settled issues over ownership of the Sickle Cell Centre in Benin reinstating clearly that “This Centre is Edo State Government owned Centre set up by Edo State.”
The Governor made the clarification when members of Sickle Cell Club, Benin led by its chairman, Dr. Osagie Onaiwu paid a courtesy visit to him during which he said further that the law establishing it indicates that “you can have one, at the very best one member to represent Sickle Cell Club, just one out of nine” of the centre’s board membership. “So I ask you to see yourself as a voice and not the owner and don’t interfere with how government seeks to manage the centre, but feel free to forward your memoranda, your suggestion, advice as how the centre can be managed.”
“What I thought you should be saying today, since there is no board, is to encourage the government to set up a board if there is no board at the moment, and that in doing so we should ensure that it is composed of persons, even though the law is clear about the kind of persons that can be appointed and see whatever can be done to raise funds because government alone cannot do what that needs to be done and we can use the centre to raise funds. This should be used not for boxing but among other things, to conduct research and even subsidise drugs, drugs required by identified sufferers so that this centre, for example if UBTH admits to sickle cell patient this centre can raise funds to contribute to the treatment of that patient regardless of where he or she is admitted. Now, I use UBTH as an example deliberately. It is not owned by Edo State but that does not mean that it cannot benefit, those admitted there cannot benefit from the services of this centre if it is properly managed and its funds properly accounted for,” he said.
Elaborating on the law that established the centre with emphasis on section 24, the Governor said.
“It says the Ministry of Health shall have the power to make for the centre regulations for the administration and organization of the centre in accordance with the provisions of this law. So how the centre is run, the rules and regulations are the prerogative of Edo State Government as represented by the Ministry of Health and therefore the authority of the Honourable Commissioner to regulate, organize, re-structure, re-order the affairs of the centre is provided for in this law. She has the full authority. So in your statement it appears your reaction to the actions of the commissioner, it is as if she is an interloper who was just a busy body going outside her mandate to interfere with an organization that is not her own business. Even though at some other level you seem to complain that she is not enough to support the centre but it is clear here that she has the authority along with the officials of the ministry to make regulations as she considers appropriate and so whatever she has done or abstained from doing, she has the authority so to do. This position is very clear and I advise you to read it.”
Still on the centre, he said “so let me assure you that it will take advantage of this meeting to review all aspects of the centre to re-constitute the board strictly as provided for under this law and re-focus and help the board to remain faithful to the provisions of this law and you will have opportunity as provided for here to nominate one person representing the club to sit on this board and you can channel your views, your advice, your suggestions through your representative on the board so that the board can begin to perform its role.
“For clarity, the centre will not become another hospital. It will not be because that will not be in the best interest of sickle cell sufferers.”
“Happily we are building a completely new central hospital and when it is completed and it will be completed this year by the special grace of God, we will be able to ensure that we have various consultants and doctors and health personnel from various fields of medicine to treat, not just sickle cell sufferers but indeed all those who need medicare in Edo State and they have the benefit of a very conducive environment for health care management.”
Responding to the accusations of the Chairman of Sickle Cell Club, Benin, Dr. Osagie Onaiwu, and the Legal Adviser to the Club, Barr. Dorothy Osuyi, the Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aihanuwa Eregie, explained some instances, she and other staff of the ministry has suffered harassment from the club adding that she had tried to sick to the mandate and run the centre the way it ought to be.