The Ondo State House of Assembly has assured relevant stakeholders that the House would continue to do the needful by scrutinising any bill sent to the Assembly before its passage in the interest of peace and for the benefit of all the people of the state.

The Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Health, Dr   Kaseem Suleiman, gave the assurance at a one-day public hearing on a bill for a law to amend the State University of Medical Sciences Law 2014 to integrate the Ondo State School of Nursing and Midwifery, Akure and Allied Matters, held at the hallowed chambers.

The assurance followed the protest by Akure Community and its inhabitants calling for the rejection of the bill. Akure Community and its inhabitants comprising traditional rulers, members of the academia, chiefs, religious leaders, Iyalojas, Iyalajes, Hausa community, youth groups among others, stormed the Assembly to register their grievances against the Executive Bill.

Suleiman, a lawmaker representing Akoko South-West State constituency 1 in the parliament, however, lauded all the stakeholders that attended public hearing for their contributions and inputs to the bill.

He noted that three memoranda were received by the committee each from the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, the Laboratory Scientists and the Akure Community.

The Chairman specifically advised Akure community to remain calm and eschew violence, saying that justice would be done on the bill before its passage into law and that the House would not do anything that would downgrade the status of Akure.

He added that necessary measures would be taken and government would be advised on the best way to handle the situation, urging the people to always maintain peace in their domains

During the public hearing, Akure Community and its Inhabitants in their memorandum submitted to the Ad-hoc Committee on behalf of the Deji, rejected the bill, alleging that it seeks to make Akure Specialist Hospital an Annex of UNIMED Teaching Hospital in Ondo town.

In their separate responses at the public hearing, prominent Akure Indigenes including Professor Olusegun Ojo, Professor Olu Aboluwoye, the Aro of Akure, Chief Anthony Falowo,  Chief Dapo Filani and others, stressed that “any part of the bill seeking to convert the State Specialist Hospital, Akure- the only Secondary Health Facility in the most populous city in Ondo state – to one of the subsidiaries of UNIMED Teaching Hospital be expunged.

But Dr Oluwole Ige, the Acting Chief Medical Director, UNIMED who took his time to explain that the purpose of the Executive Bill was being misconstrued by Akure community, said the State Specialist Hospital, Akure, would not be moved from Akure to Ondo as being speculated.

According to him, the bill would rather ensure improvement on the health facilities to enable the people have access to good and quality medical care.

He noted that the state governor has just committed the sum of one billion to the capital development of the health facility, urging Akure community to support the governor in developing the facility.

Ige particularly called on Akure community to shun primordial sentiments but complement government’s efforts aimed at developing the health institution.