The governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has assented into three bills already passed by the State Assembly.
The three bills signed into law by the governor are; bill for the establishment of Benue State Health Insurance Scheme, bills for the conversion of Akawe Torkula College of Advanced and Professional Studies as well as Akperan Orshi College of Agriculture, Yandev both to polytechnics.
Ortom said that the State Health Insurance Scheme will help to facilitate the establishment of the State Health Insurance Agency.
He noted that Benue State Health Insurance Scheme is structured to cover the formal and informal sectors, as well as the category of people who are vulnerable such as the aged, the very poor and the disabled who have no means with which to pay for insurance services as well as address the medical needs of the people in urban and rural settings.
The governor further said that the conversion of the two institutions to Polytechnics was part of his administration’s deliberate efforts to reposition the education sector to meet challenges of the 21st century.
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He said that the assent was only the beginning of the process and that proactive steps would be taken to secure the necessary regulatory approvals to admit, train and graduate people who would add greater value to the state.
He urged the Benue State Executive Council to speedily approve recommendations contained in the report on the polytechnics and called on host communities to take advantage of opportunities created by siting of the institutions in their areas.
Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Uba, while presenting the bills to the governor for assent, acknowledged the enormous benefits that would be derived from the initiatives and solicited sustained support of the people.
The Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, said that already the ministry had in this year budget proposed N500m for the speedy take-off of the two institutions through the process for accreditation of the institutions.