National Hardship: Kaduna Governor Renames Specialist Hospital After Tinubu Nine Days After Renaming of ICC
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that a newly completed 300-bed specialist hospital in Kaduna State has been named after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, just days after the controversial renaming of the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC), amid growing discontent over the country’s current socio-economic situation.
OTN News further reports as gathered that the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, unveiled the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital on Thursday during a formal commissioning ceremony in Millennium City, Kaduna.
OTN News observes that the hospital, a flagship health project of the state government, was hailed by officials as a landmark achievement aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the region.
While unveiling the facility, Governor Sani showered glowing praise on President Tinubu, attributing his administration’s developmental strides to the President’s leadership.
“Your leadership is a beacon of light; it is working, it is changing lives,” the governor declared. “I also want to request your intervention to build a cancer centre here, Mr. President. That is the only thing that is missing.”
President Tinubu, who was present at the commissioning, responded with commendation for Governor Sani’s vision and leadership.
“I have no long comment but to assure you that we have witnessed progress,” Tinubu said. “You have prioritised people. It is only a far-sighted leader who cares about his people that can care about their healthcare needs, about their skills development and keeping them happy. I am very proud of what you are doing.”
The move to name the hospital after Tinubu comes just nine days after the Abuja International Conference Centre, built in 1991, was renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The event was attended by key figures including FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
OTN News further recalls that at the ICC ceremony, Wike justified the renaming by attributing the facility’s long-overdue renovation to Tinubu’s leadership.
“Last year, July/August, you (Tinubu) came here to inaugurate the ECOWAS Parliament. It is an embarrassment for a country to still have this as an international conference (centre) then, and you said, ‘how can we have this’? That shows leadership,” Wike said.
OTN News, however, observes that both gestures, the naming of the hospital and the renaming of the ICC, are generating criticism from some Nigerians who argue that symbolic honours are being prioritised over pressing economic and social issues.
With inflation, unemployment, and poverty levels on the rise, critics say the focus should be on alleviating public hardship rather than celebrating political figures.
Despite the growing discontent, Governor Sani insisted that the specialist hospital stands as a testament to effective governance and a step forward in addressing healthcare deficits in Kaduna and beyond.
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