Ẹdun
The office of the Health Minister as stipulated in Chapter 5, Section 28 of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall Constitution was given five strands of duties. In essence, the Health Minister is saddled with the responsibility of the healthy and hygienic well-being of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall and its residents, the Zikites.
It is with this aim, that Ajiboye Elisha, a former 300-level student from the Department of Biochemistry, and now a 200-level transfer student of Medicine and Surgery, decided to take up the responsibilities attached to the office of the Health Minister by contesting for the office. It is, however, important to evaluate the crop of plans that he pledged while contesting for the office. This review is imperative to evaluate the pledges and promises made by Elisha if he has kept up with them and how well he has done so.
Improvement and Provision of Health Services.
The first on the list of plans made by Elisha was to improve the health services in the hall by refurbishing and restocking the First Aid Box with all required items for the assessment and use of all Zikites during emergency and sporting activities. However, Elisha has failed to execute this plan in any way. Although it is known that there is a First Aid Box at the disposal of his office, there has not been any accessibility of Zikites to the box in times of emergencies which has left Zikites with no choice but to queue at the University Health Service even at the minimum need that the First Aid Box should provide. Although there is a First Aid Box at the disposal of the Health Minister, how efficient it is which differentiates it from a cosmetics box remains a question. Also, the Health Minister has failed to deliver on the second part of the plan where he promised the availability of a First Aid Box during sporting activities. Since the inception of his administration in the Health Ministry of the Hall, the First Aid Box has not been made available at the Hall's football pitch, Maracana Stadium, including during the Barr. Rotimi Alli Interfloor Football Competition, the highly rated football competition in the hall. There has not been the availability of both the Health Minister and the First Aid Box during all the matches. It is evident that Elisha has failed in executing his first major plan as it was promised in his manifesto.
Promoting Mental Health
Elisha made a promise to plan for the promotion of the mental health of all Zikites in two parts. (i) by partnering with the Asido Foundation to educate Zikites on their mental well-being. (ii) encouraging Zikites to prioritize their mental health and to get help when necessary by promoting awareness and resources like info-graphics on social media and through other communication channels. In assessing these plans, the first part was meant to be a program in partnership with a specified organization. This facade is like a realistic plan as Elisha promised, although there was a presence of the Asido Foundation during the Freshers orientation program, it can not be short changed for the actual program he promised to all Zikites. Therefore, the inability to organise such a program till these concluding weeks of his administration mean another failure. The second part which is also practicable at the initial stage of probation when he promised it as a plan also did not go beyond the pages of the papers called manifesto. These two plans have evidently become infeasible and proven another failure on the plans promised by Elisha.
Promotion of Good Health
Under the broad plan to promote good health, Elisha made several promises like regular tank washing exercises, ensuring that reading rooms are kept clean, inspecting the hygienic quality of cafeteria and vendors of consumable items, increasing the number of waste bins, and, providing STIs protection for Zikites. As much as the health minister has kept some of his promises by making condoms available to all Zikites at the beginning of the session, the execution of the 'regular' tank washing exercise remains vague. The period during which regular tank washing exercise is done should be at least, once a month but until the time this article is being written, the only tank washing exercise that was widely announced this semester was on the 13th of January, 2024 and the only health-related exercise was the General Hall Sanitation that held on the 10th of February, 2024. Although the tank washing exercise has been done a number of times this session, how regular it is remains a question.
Health Education
The Health Minister also promised in his manifesto to promote health education by organising programs like the Health Education Campaign, Pest Control Talk Show, First Aid Box and CPR Education, and Fitness Education in partnership with different to enlighten Zikites on their health. The inability of Elisha to organise at least one of all these programs has further ascertained his failure in the office. Furthermore, Elisha promised to include Jaja Sensitization for Freshmen on why and how to do their Jaja registration. Having such a plan at his discretion with execution has again intensified his failed administration as the Health Minister.
Feedback Channel and Report
Elisha concluded his list of plans in his manifesto with a promise to carry out monthly health reports from his office and also release an online means of gathering feedback concerning his office from Zikites. From the beginning of his administration until these concluding weeks of his time in office when this article is being written, he has not deemed it fit to fulfill any of his plans on feedback and monthly reports.
General downgrade in Zik Hall's Health Sector
Diverting away from the plans that Elisha promised to execute if he was elected as the Health Minister which its evaluation has turned out to be a failure and plans that did not transcend beyond the pages of his manifesto, it is equally significant to include the negligence of duties he has exercised whilst in office. Constitutionally, as the Chief Health Officer of the Hall and the Chairman of the Health Committee, he is saddled with the responsibility of attending to the emergency and minor sickness of Zikites. This duty which could be best attended to through procurement and availability of a well-equipped First Aid Box where drugs that treat these minor illnesses like headache, catarrh, stomachache, etc will be made available. However, the reverse is the case, as many times Zikites have been unable to secure ordinary paracetamol from the Health Minister and his cosmetic First Aid Box.
Another absolute negligence of duty that was orchestrated by Elisha in the capacity of the Health Minister was when a stagnant sewage waterlog at the second gate entrance into Zik Hall. Despite how this route is always used by Zikites and Non-Zikites both during the day and night and the dangerous diseases that such a thing can cause, the Health Minister decided to leave the sewage unattended to for more than a week until Gideon Utaka, a freshman in the hall took the neglected responsibility of the Health Minister upon himself by pouring sand into the sewage waterlog to evaporate the sewage and made the route more accessible to all pedestrians.
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