Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Tuesday said his administration was determined to turn the corner on the various negative statistics in the health sector in the state.
In that regard, the state government said it will partner with the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) to train nurses and midwives from the 23 local government areas of the state.
Speaking when he declared open the 5th National Conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the university, Tambuwal said he has made education the number one priority of his administration, and will rely on the expertise of groups and institutions for optimum result.
According to him, the government will also adopt and implement research results concluded by the university’s Energy Research Centre, which he described as one of the best in the country.
In that regard, he said from next budget cycle, special grants will be set aside by the government to assist research institutions in the state to carry out research in areas of need to the Sokoto and neighbouring states.
Tambuwal noted that insecurity has led governments at all levels to divert funding from other key and strategic sectors of the economy in order to respond to its challenges.
“This diversion and the erosion of confidence of foreign investors have impacted negatively on Nigeria’s drive to sustainable economic growth and development. This conference, it is hoped, will provide the avenue for social scientists to examine thoroughly the factors and forces responsible for Nigeria’s drift to a state of mounting insecurity and the implications for national integration and development,” he added.