Date: 2020-09-06

...as lawmaker equips 200 youths with digital skills

Kwara state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday announced the enrolment of 10,000 Kwara indigents on the state government's health insurance scheme.

The governor added that the scheme is 100 percent free, stressing that the state had fully paid for the premium of the beneficiaries.

Governor AbdulRazaq said this in Ilorin, the state capital, at the official launch of "go alive" (Access to care) of the Kwara state Health Insurance Agency. He said, "We are starting this scheme by on-boarding at least 10,000 indigents as a test run. These indigents have had their premium fully paid. This means the health insurance is 100 percent free for the indigents. We hope to enrol many more indigents in the coming years.

"I commend our partners for their support and the leadership and staff of the health sector in Kwara State for their hard work. I specifically commend the leadership of the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency for seeing this through. We are also proud as an administration to have made the necessary investments in that regard.

"Health insurance scheme boosts life expectancy of our people, promotes good health, and ultimately strengthens the economy. It has the potential to prevent families from sudden fall into poverty as a result of unforeseen health crisis. The insurance scheme takes care of basic health issues before they become complicated. Studies have shown that most of the health issues found in secondary and tertiary health institutions arose majorly because they were not tackled on time.

"I therefore urge our compatriots in the formal and informal sectors — who are to pay a token as their own premium — to enrol in the scheme. It is cheap, affordable, accessible, and is supported by carefully selected functional facilities and committed medical experts in the state."

Earlier, Executive Secretary of the agency Dr.(Ms) Olubunmi Jetawo-Winter, hinted that affordable healthcare services of sufficient quantity and quality is the antidote to rising healthcare demands in the country.

She added that "the launch of the scheme today provides one of the most sustainable and long-term solutions to addressing our existing and future health challenges. This scheme will make basic healthcare available and accessible to every inhabitant of the state irrespective of their socio-economic class."

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives member representing the Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency of Kwara State, Raheem Olawuyi, has sponsored the training of 200 youths on digital technology in the state.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-week programme in Omu-Aran, Irepodun local government area of the state, at the weekend, Olawuyi said the programme was designed to empower youths with digital knowledge as a premise for entrepreneurial skill and self-reliance.

The beneficiaries of the programme were presented with 200 laptops and tablets as well as start-up fund. Their business names were also registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

He said, "In this age of Information Communication Technology (ICT), we recognise the role of digital knowledge as a major driver of our economy and critical to our future as a nation. Sequel to this, we see the need to leverage on digital knowledge to curb the recurring menace of unemployment in our state and especially our dear constituency.

"The novel coronavirus pandemic has unravelled importance of digital processes and the need for the youth to embrace such skill. It has necessitated digital transformation and alternative ways of achieving our objectives using technology.

"Experts have also predicted increased dependency on technology through various platforms like; digital marketing, social media marketing, web designing among others. This, however, is a paradigm shift in the way we do things. Meanwhile, to ensure that our youth are fully equipped and prepared for the new normal, we facilitated the digital empowerment programme to help our youths cushion effect of unemployment," he said.