The House of Representatives is proposing a law that will prohibit public and civil servants from patronising private schools and healthcare services.
The bill sponsored Amobi Ogah and
read on the floor of the House aims to revive confidence in Nigeria’s public institutions.
Ogah, while briefing journalists at the National Assembly, said the proposed legislation seeks to compel government officials and their families to use public schools and hospitals.
He said the mass exodus of government functionaries and civil servants to private and foreign institutions has contributed to the poor state of Nigeria’s public education and healthcare systems.
“This bill intends to prohibit all public and civil servants, including their immediate family members, from patronising private schools and healthcare services in order to avoid conflict of interest, maintain public trust and ensure high uncompromised standards and integrity of these public institutions,” Ogah said.
Citing Nigeria’s founding fathers, the lawmaker noted that Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Tafawa Balewa were all products of public schools, unlike the present trend where public officials shun government institutions.
He said “In 2024 Nigeria allocated a total of N1.336 trillion Naira to health care in the 2024 budget, which is a far cry from the estimated N1.6 trillion Naira or over $1 billion dollars, Nigerians spend annually on medical treatments abroad.”
“Nigerians also spent at least $29.29 billion dollars on foreign medical expenses during the 8 years of late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. In education Nigeria spent $38.17 million on foreign education expenses between January and March, 2024 while in 2023 she spent a whopping $218.87 million dollars.”
“The time for us all to tell ourselves the truth is now; we can no longer continue to inflict serious damage to the psyche of Nigerians.The time to be patriotic is now. If we have started the removal of petroleum subsidy, we must also enforce this bill to prohibit the patronizing of private schools and health care services by Public and Civil Servants.Because of the patronage of private schools and health care facilities, our institutions of learning and medical care have become a shadow of themselves, with little or no infrastructural development and fallen standards of services.”
“We must of necessity restore confidence in our government institutions, like public schools and government hospitals, thereby promoting the image of our country in the comity of Nations, he concluded.”
