The Niger State Health Insurance Agency (NiCare) has held its 2024 productivity award and dinner night, appreciating those who contributed immensely to make the agency attain its present status.
The Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji was present and also represented the State Governor, His Excellency, Mohammed Umaru Bago, as the Special Guest of Honour at the event, which was the first of its kind by the agency in its six years of establishment by the state government. The event took place at the Athena Events Centre, Minna.
He explained that the event was a challenge and an eye-opener to all the top government officials present at the occasion to reward excellent and dedicated staff and ad hoc staff under them.
Rt. Hon. Sarkin Daji further explained that they were proud of what the Executive Secretary of NiCare, Dr. Abu-Bakri Sulayman, was doing to actualise the mandate of the agency, highlighting that he was particularly not surprised given that the Executive Secretary is a relatively young man filled with initiatives.
He noted that the youths in the incumbent Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago-led administration in the state were the secrets of the success of the government, saying they were proud of all the youths serving in the present government.
“This is what you get when you give the youths an opportunity to serve. The youths are always creative, so this is the true manifestation of the creativity of the youth. Dr. Suleiman is very creative, proactive, committed, and dogged. I appreciate his sagacity all the time,” said the Speaker.
He added that the event would go a long way to motivate other staff, while those who were recognised would do more to keep the award, and others who didn’t get the awards would be spurred to do more, emphasising that what the Executive Secretary did was very commendable.
In his separate remarks, the state commissioner for secondary and tertiary health, Dr Tukur Mohammed, noted that he was part of the journey of NiCare so far, saying that he was pleased with the present status of NiCare.
He observed that the health sector of the state is in the hands of NiCare because the agency is all about providing access to healthcare with ease, stressing that the health facilities and equipment provided by the government will be useless if people cannot have access to them.
Dr. Tukur stated that the award event by the agency is in line with the vision of Governor Umar Bago, which is to recognize merit, service, and the inputs of individuals who are working actively to make Niger State a better place.
The state Head of Service, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, said the event was in line with the intention of the Governor, who had earlier given approval for a state productivity award for civil servants across all MDAs.
He disclosed that they want to step up from giving just cash or material items to naming streets and monuments after civil servants who have distinguished themselves during their service years so that they won’t be forgotten easily after their meritorious service to the state.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of NiCare, Dr Sulayman Abu-Bakri, said the agency observed that the best way to get the staff committed was by appreciating what they were doing, hence the rationale behind organizing the event.
He said the event was meant to unwind a little and appreciate how far they have come, prepare for the journey ahead, and recognize staff who were working day and night to ensure that all enrollees of the agency have access to quality healthcare, and to also implement the Governor’s vision of the New Niger Agenda.
“I hope that our award recipients will see this as a form of motivation so that they will continue to sustain it, and also those who are not recognized today to know that they are always recognized at NiCare and their time will also come,” said the Executive Secretary.
Former State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mustapha Jibrin Alheri, under whose leadership NiCare was birthed, spoke on behalf of all the awardees, appreciating NiCare for recognizing their contributions towards the establishment and growth of the agency.
There were also goodwill messages from the state Commissioners of Primary Healthcare and that of Budget and Planning, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana and Hon. Mustapha Ndajiwo, as well as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Murtala Mohammed Bagana.
Four retired and three serving staff of the agency, two former Commissioners of Health, and the pioneer Executive Secretary of the agency were recognised during the evening event.
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