From: Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The T. Y. Danjuma Foundation, on Monday, donated an ultra-modern maternity health facility built by the Foundation to Takum community, in Taraba State, to check the prevalence of child and maternal mortality in the state.
The founder and Chairman of the Foundation, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), while commissioning the Rufkatu Danjuma Maternity in Takum, on Monday, said that he was alarmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s report that 140 women and 2,000 children, less than five years old, die daily in Nigeria.
Danjuma, who described the facility as a ‘state-of-the-art, modern, sustainable and specialised mother and child facility aimed at providing enhanced maternal and perinatal healthcare services’ said it would provide the needed services to Takum and surrounding communities.
He said the project was a partnership between T. Y. Danjuma Foundation, the Taraba State Government and Development Africa who would subsequently manage the facility.
“According to WHO, 140 women and 2000 children who are less than five years old die daily in Nigeria. This is not only alarming but also totally unacceptable. It was as a result of this development that I took the initiative to put this facility in place to contribute my quota in checking this ugly trend.
“I therefore urge all our people to take advantage of this facility to prevent unnecessary deaths and illnesses among women and children”, Danjuma said.
Governor Darius Ishaku also said the project demonstrated the “Concern of Danjuma towards the wellbeing of the people especially the most vulnerable in the society and the state government is most pleased to identify and contribute towards this noble project”.
Governor Ishaku, therefore, urged the people of the area to take the facility as their personal property that must be “guarded jealously against any form of threat”.
Meanwhile, Governor Darius Ishaku also, on Monday, laid the foundation stone for Government International Model Secondary School, Takum, to be built by the Victim Support Fund (VSF), in Takum.
Executive Director of the VSF, Prof. Sunday Ochoche, said that the siting of the programme was in recognition that the state was greatly affected by the Boko haram insurgency through massive influx of Internally Displaced Persons IDPs, thus over stretching the facilities in the state.
Ochoche assured that the fund was committing 1.25 Billion Naira to the project and is expected to be completed within eight months.
Governor Ishaku, in his remarks, said the school, when completed, would not only compliment the current reform his administration has embarked upon in the education sector, but would help to accommodate students with deficiency in their O’level exams by providing remedial studies to fastrack admission in to universities.
Daily Sun reports that the governor also commissioned 1×7.5MVA/33/11 KV injection substation, Takum, flagged off the Takum Chanchangi road construction, and other projects.