Dr. Muazu Omeiza, The Executive Director of the Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) has lauded Gov. Ahmed Ododo for fulfilling his pledge of cash rewards to outstanding health officers and Local Government Health Authorities in the state.
Omeiza gave the commendation on Wednesday in Lokoja during the presentation of cheques at the primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards.
The Cheques were resented to seven Local Government Health Authorities (LGHAs), seven Officers-in-Charge (OICs) who got N250,000 cash each and one Health Management Information System (HMIS) Officer also got N250,000 reward.
Ogori Magongo Local Government Area (LGA), emerged the LGHA overall best, and the LGA got a cash reward of N5m while 3 Local Government Area (LGA) in the first best position, Mopamuro, Ogori Magongo and Bassa LGA got a cash reward of N3m each.
Also three other LGA, Kogi, Ofu and Ajaokuta emerged in the second best position and they each got N2m.
The ED also expressed appreciation to Dr. Abdulazeez Adeiza, The Commissioner for Health for his pivotal role in ensuring the successful disbursement of the rewards, as well as his continued guidance and support to the Agency’s activities.
He emphasized that the PHC Leadership Challenge is not a one-time initiative but an ongoing performance-driven programme.
According to him, LGA’s and health workers must remain committed, as their performance, work ethic, responsiveness to emergencies, and timeliness in data submission will continue to be closely monitored.
The ED further highlighted that the initiative serves as a preparatory platform for strengthening local government and community ownership of primary health care services.
He noted that funding support from the Federal Government and the World Bank is intended to revitalize health facilities, improve infrastructure, and enhance service delivery.
However, he stressed that achieving better health outcomes ultimately depends on the collective efforts of stakeholders, including local government chairmen, traditional rulers, and religious leaders.
Addressing the awardee LGHAs, he reminded them that the funds disbursed are strictly meant to improve primary health care delivery in their respective areas.
He disclosed that the implementation of the submitted work plans would be closely monitored to ensure accountability and compliance, warning that any deviation would attract sanctions.
The State, he added, operates on the understanding that the approved work plans were jointly developed and endorsed by local government chairmen. As such, it does not anticipate disputes or setbacks during implementation.
Clarifying the second category of awardees, the Executive Director explained that the cash rewards given to OICs and HMIS Officers were based on individual merit and dedication to duty.
He stressed that these rewards are personal recognitions and not allocations to facilities, LGHAs, or local governments.
He concluded by assuring stakeholders that a dedicated monitoring team has been established in line with the Governor’s directives to ensure strict compliance and accountability across all levels.
In his address, the National Coordinator of KSPHCDA, Mr. Shola Babatunde, commended the efforts of Governor Ododo and Dr. Adeiza, the Commissioner for Health for providing an enabling environment for healthcare delivery to thrive in the state.
He further urged health workers to remain committed to their duties, emphasizing the importance of integrity and the fear of God in service.
Babatunde also charged the award recipients to uphold the standards that earned them recognition and to serve as mentors to their colleagues.
In their remarks, the beneficiaries, Mr. Emmanuel Ohmei and Mr. Umar Jatto, expressed gratitude to the government for recognizing their contributions. They pledged to redouble their efforts in the discharge of their duties to uphold the honour of the award.
