Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, has described Nigerian returnees from Libya as “President Muhammadu Buhari’s children.”
The Minister made the remark while warning Nigerians against stigmatizing the returnees who are arriving Nigeria from Libya to reunite with their families in various states across the country.
Speaking during a stakeholder’s meeting held at the returnees’ camp in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Wednesday, Adewole advised the public not to condemn the returnees for their mistakes which, according to him, was caused by ignorance.
The Minister urged stakeholders to ensure the welfare of the returnees while in camp.
He called on stakeholders made up of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Ministry of Health, the Red Cross Society, Nigeria, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Police Force, Rivers State Command, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and enlightened members of the public to educate the masses on happenings around the world to forestall similar occurrence in the future.
Adewole stressed that the primary responsibility of the federal government towards the returnees involved linking them with government social engagement programmes, providing jobs and skill acquisition.
He said, “They must be involved in one skill or the other, some of them could be trained on various types of farming”.
Commenting on those hospitalized for various medical problems, the Minister said, “These are President Muhammadu Buhari’s children thus the management of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) should spare nothing in treating them”.
Assuring that he would disburse the 4 million naira earlier pledged to the teaching hospital, when it is released, Adewole said, “Funds must not be a hindrance.”
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