It was an emotional moment for the immediate past governor of Benue State, Rt Hon Gabriel Suswam, when the third set of medical doctors to graduate from the Benue State University College of Health Sciences paid him a visit to appreciate his role in the full accreditation of the course by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and completion of the construction of the BSU Teaching Hospital, leading to their eventual graduation 12 years after they gained admission.
The leader of the delegation, Dr. Tarlumun Surma, while thanking the former governor for his role in the transformation of the institution recalled that as governor, they had to on one occasion, march on his office to protest the accreditation challenge and non-completion of the teaching hospital and he not only granted them prompt audience but swung into action to see to the resolution of the matter, in addition to placing all medical students on salary grade level 7 in the state civil service to ease the financial burden on their sponsors.
“It is quite unfortunate that the incessant ASUU strikes and nationwide doctors’ strikes didn’t see you graduate the very first set of medical doctors of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital but for us, we know what roles you have played in our destinies that today, our families and our state is proud to have us as medical doctors. For us, you have done so much. History will never forget what you have done for all of us seated here,” he added.
Suswam who was happy to receive the medical doctors at his residence in Makurdi, the state capital, said the gesture had renewed his hope that Benue would rise again.
“Since I left office, this will be the first time I will receive appreciation for one of the things I did. I see you people as people who are thinking straight and are focused. Let me hasten to say that I’m encouraged. It means that Benue still has a future. I’ve been worried from the time I was in office up to when I left that as a people in the state, we seem not to matter in the project called Nigeria because of our attitude, lack of focus and disposition but what I’ve seen here today gives me hope and encouragement. For you to have the presence of mind to come and appreciate what I did as my obligation and responsibility as governor, I’m short of words to express how I feel,” Suswam said.
He went down memory lane to recall how he mounted pressure on and was able to attract some of Benue’s best brains in medical practice to accept to work at the institution as part of the accreditation process and how his administration hastened the completion of the university teaching hospital, leading to the eventual accreditation of the college by the NUC six months after he left office.
He charged the medical doctors to be professional in their conduct, saying, “It will be my joy to walk into a consulting room and one of you would be the one attending to me. I’ll be very excited. Be committed in your service to the state.”
The leader of the delegation, Dr. Tarlumun Surma, while thanking the former governor for his role in the transformation of the institution recalled that as governor, they had to on one occasion, march on his office to protest the accreditation challenge and non-completion of the teaching hospital and he not only granted them prompt audience but swung into action to see to the resolution of the matter, in addition to placing all medical students on salary grade level 7 in the state civil service to ease the financial burden on their sponsors.
“It is quite unfortunate that the incessant ASUU strikes and nationwide doctors’ strikes didn’t see you graduate the very first set of medical doctors of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital but for us, we know what roles you have played in our destinies that today, our families and our state is proud to have us as medical doctors. For us, you have done so much. History will never forget what you have done for all of us seated here,” he added.
Suswam who was happy to receive the medical doctors at his residence in Makurdi, the state capital, said the gesture had renewed his hope that Benue would rise again.
“Since I left office, this will be the first time I will receive appreciation for one of the things I did. I see you people as people who are thinking straight and are focused. Let me hasten to say that I’m encouraged. It means that Benue still has a future. I’ve been worried from the time I was in office up to when I left that as a people in the state, we seem not to matter in the project called Nigeria because of our attitude, lack of focus and disposition but what I’ve seen here today gives me hope and encouragement. For you to have the presence of mind to come and appreciate what I did as my obligation and responsibility as governor, I’m short of words to express how I feel,” Suswam said.
He went down memory lane to recall how he mounted pressure on and was able to attract some of Benue’s best brains in medical practice to accept to work at the institution as part of the accreditation process and how his administration hastened the completion of the university teaching hospital, leading to the eventual accreditation of the college by the NUC six months after he left office.
He charged the medical doctors to be professional in their conduct, saying, “It will be my joy to walk into a consulting room and one of you would be the one attending to me. I’ll be very excited. Be committed in your service to the state.”
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