The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof. Epiphany Azinge, has criticised Nigeria’s slow progress in addressing key health challenges.

He expressed his concern on Monday while receiving the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Trypanosomiasis Research, NITR, Dr. Joachim Ajakaiye, who paid him a visit. The monarch lamented that the country appeared to be going in circles under the guise of making progress.

He wondered why an Institute established in 1947 would still be struggling to eradicate river blindness and sleeping sickness after nearly eight decades, noting similar concerns about malaria, which continues to claim lives.

While stressing that it was regrettable that Nigeria had yet to achieve self-reliance 65 years after independence despite abundant resources, he observed that some progress had been made in disease eradication with the help of international donors. However, he expressed disappointment at the inability of Nigeria to fully address fundamental health challenges.

“Mr DG, there always comes a time when a leader must stand up and show leadership, demonstrate leadership and make a difference. I believe that time has come, under your watch, to stand up and make a difference. You can run away with the issues around your mandate and make that difference.

“There’s work to be done. Is it because the Bill Gate Foundation, amongst others, has not veered into this? The one they’ve done is as if they’re achieving a lot of success on that. I always tell this country, we are a shameless nation.

“The money we fritter away; the money we lavish through nebulous ways, corruption, amongst others, is much more than what Bill Gate is bringing to Nigeria. Why must we rely on donors to address some of our basic issues? We are rich enough both in human and natural resources; more than enough to take care of our challenges. This is the time for us to take the bull by the horn.

“For me, from 1947 till date, we shouldn’t be talking about eradication, we should be mopping up in areas where you still have issues. We should be talking about total elimination at this point in time, almost 80 years after. That is what it should be.

“That’s why in the developed world, wherever they know they have ailments they attack them frontally. U.S and Europe, they are not sleeping over cancer. At any point in time you see them investing in research.

“I’m happy, though, that something is coming up in Delta, particularly at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; we want to see that as a veritable instrument for addressing this issue and vigorously too, hopefully to make a turn around of the whole matter. Having said that, I want to welcome you. I believe I have sufficiently challenged you; I have sufficiently provoked your thoughts. There is really work to be done.

“More often in Nigeria, what we glamorise is the title of office, we don’t face the challenges of the office. We are not students of history because time will always fly past, the next thing you will ask yourself is “what have I been able to achieve on the saddle? If you challenge yourself of what you are capable of achieving on the saddle, then that will propel, motivate reinvigorate and energize you to achieve the best you can, not for yourself, but for the country” the Asagba stated.

Earlier, the DG/CEO of NITR, Dr. Joachim Ajakaiye, informed the Monarch that the Institute had in the past carried out extensive control interventions of African Trypanosomiasis in the three senatorial districts of Delta State, in collaboration with critical stakeholders. He expressed confidence that, if sustained, the partnership would significantly benefit rural communities, the state and its neighbouring areas by improving early diagnosis, reducing healthcare costs, and creating jobs.

According to him, the NITR’s mandate is to develop appropriate technologies and employ research tools and processes towards the elimination of African Trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and their vectors, tsetse and black flies.

The DG further disclosed that the State Ministry of Science and Technology had agreed to partner with the Institute for the establishment of its proposed Diagnostic Centre at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba. He assured that the Institute would fully take charge of the construction, equipping, and staffing of the centre.