By Becky John
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday 28th May 2015 had formally presented the much awaited Hand-over notes of his administration to the in-coming administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The event was historic as it was the first time in the history of Nigeria that we are witnessing the democratic and orderly transfer of power at the Federal level from one political party to another.
The Hand-over notes covered the governance philosophy, strategies, policies, programmes and activities of Jonathan Administration for the period 2011-2015 as well as objectives, targets and implementation strategies, achievements and challenges of our key policies, schemes, initiatives as well as the status of commitments and liabilities of the various MDAs.
The health sector has gotten its share in the notes. He mentioned amongst others that “we recognized human capital as the most important agent for transformational development. Our reforms in this sector focused on Health, Education and Social Development and also on Women and Youth Empowerment and Social Safety Nets.”.
Also specifically focusing on health he emphasized that “in the Health sector, the comprehensive National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) of 2011 laid the foundation for widening access and improving the quality of healthcare with lower infant mortality rates and higher life expectancy for the populace. Our effective curtailment of the Ebola epidemic has continued to receive worldwide acclaim as an example in prompt and effective national disease management. On our watch, guinea-worm has been eradicated from Nigeria and we are on the verge of wiping out polio entirely.”
