Nigeria’s House of Representatives has passed into law the bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The bill was passed on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 during plenary.

Recall that the House Committee on Health Institutions had on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 laid its report before the House for consideration and adoption.

At the Committee of the whole penultimate Wednesday, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, the House scrutinized and considered the sections, schedule and explanatory memorandum where further amendments were effected.

The bill was later adopted at the resumed sitting of the House. When it was put up for Third Reading, the bill got a resounding ‘ayes’ and subsequently passed into law.

With the passage of the bill, sponsored by Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, Member representing Degema/ Bonny Federal Constituency (with 12 other members from Rivers State as co-sponsors) the Lower Chambers has granted legal framework to the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre.

The Medical Centre will cater and address the consistent surge in the population of Bonny and Rivers State at large owing to the oil explorative activities constantly ongoing on the Island, with the figures of persons estimated to increase drastically especially with the construction of the Train 7 of the NLNG in progress.

Farah Dagogo, had in his debate, noted that the few health facilities on ground are incapable of handling serious health related ailments or emergencies ‘thus the availability of a good Health Care Facility is critical at this point, and ought to be a matter of grave concerns to the government.’

” Currently, existing facilities look more like mere consulting clinics. Besides, Bonny is an Island, that grapples with many security challenges on the water – way. So, no medical Centre in the Area can withstand an outbreak of serious epidemic or hazards caused by industrial or social related activities.

The absence of a good Secondary Health Care facility is a concern to the residents, and this has led to vociferous calls and clamour for the provision of an improved health care system, hence, this Bill, which seeks to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Bonny, Rivers State in order to assuage the health needs of the people, given its peculiar location, and the related industrial activities ongoing in the Island, ” he explained.

When fully operational, the Medical Centre would also generate employment and take-away some job seekers from the labour market and impact positively on the state of security and reduce criminality in the Local Government.