By Becky John
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has reiterated his administration’s commitment to partner with non-governmental organizations in promoting infant and maternal healthcare in the State. Ahmed restated this commitment at the inauguration of Maternity Referral Centre built by Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited in Ilorin on Wednesday. The project was executed in partnership with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company in collaboration with Kwara State Government.
Ahmed described the project as an intervention that would give birth to hope and midwife succour, especially in rural and district communities. The governor said the significance of the referral centre laid in the fact that child and maternal health were a major index of any efficient system.
According to him, pregnant women and infants are some of the most vulnerable in the society, especially in rural communities. Ahmed stated that in spite of the prevailing funding challenges, the state remained focused on achieving the global target for infant and maternal health and other vital health indices. The Group Managing Director of Esso Nigeria, Dr Muhammad Aliyu, said the centre, built at a cost of N160m, was to complement efforts by governemnt to realise the Millennium Development Goals on Infant Maternal Health Care.
