BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
BENIN – SICKLE cell patients in Benin Monday staged a peaceful protest over the continuous occupation of their premises by the Edo Ministry of Health.

With placards bearing different inscriptions such as “Ministry of Health move out of the Sickle Cell Centre; “Government, please treat us as human beings”; “Comrade Oshiomhole save sicklers”, the patients staged their peaceful demonstrations at the centre and Oba Akenzua 11 cultural Centre.

It would be recalled that the Edo State Sickle Cell Centre was established in 1993 by the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun administration was commissioned by former military President Ibrahim Babangida shortly before he stepped aside.

However, the Chief Lucky Igbinedion administration moved the Ministry of Health to the centre when their former premise was handed over to the 4th Mechanized Brigade of the Nigeria Army, its original owner.

The patients accused the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry as being responsible for their plight, saying that,“ he has done everything to frustrate us by sitting on all our correspondences to the Commissioner on the matter,’’ one of the protesters said.

They also complained that about 20 of their sickle cell staff had over the past ten years remained as casual workers and lamented that the government has refused to absorb as permanent staff.

They alleged that because of the occupation of the centre by the Ministry, “the doctors and nurses usually have to discharge and send patients home who ordinarily would have been admitted.

The sickle cell suffers also alleged that  the ministry has refused to contribute to the operational expediency of the centre.

The patients displayed a 2002 memo to the ministry asking it to vacate the premises but which the ministry relied and pleaded for time, saying its occupation was temporary.

A Sickle cell board member, Mr. Ayo Omeje corroborated the patients’ allegation and took a swipe at the ministry’s insensitivity towards the plight of the sickle cell patients.

“Do you believe we do not have enough Medical personnel to attend to the needs of these patients yet, the Commissioner and the Permanent Secretary (PS) have their offices with the premises of the centre and do not seem to be bothered by the sufferings of these people

However Edo government has since directed all ministries occupying illegal offices to relocate to the state secretariat building along Sapele road.

While only the ministry of transport seems to have complied with the directive while others like health are yet to relocate to the new office complex situated within the state secretariat .

As at the time of filing this report, neither the Commissioner nor the PS was in the office for comment.