By Sola Ogundipe
THE essence of innovation, continuity and teamwork were amongst core values of leadership advocated by the Nigerian delegation  to the 63rd World Health Assembly, WHA, in Geneva, Switzerland, even as Nigeria was applauded on the floor of the  meeting of the Ministers of Commonweath nations her efforts and achievements in the area of health.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who led the Nigerian delegation observed that the WHA was not for fighting for personal  positions, but for advancing the health interests of Nigerians in the health ministry and other health instututions.

Chukwu who joined his counterparts from other Commonwealth countries at the Ministers’ meeting ahead of the opening of the  WHA noted that Nigeria was becoming innovative with its new leaders.

He said: “Of course we want action. At the Commonwealth Ministers of Health  meeting, people are becoming bored passing the same resolutions. We need people who should carry out action and come back to tell us  what they have done  in the period. Team work is very important. I’m proud to say even though this is my first time at the WHA, the teamwork is encouraging.”

Addressing a gathering comprising members of the Nigerian Permanent Mission in Geneva and the Nigerian delegation to the 63rd WHA,  the Minister said: “Sometimes circumstances beyond our control make us continue having new people on the block, there is no doubt that in any organisation, we have rankings about who always take the lead, and much as I’m happy to be here at the WHA,  my prayer is that one day we’ll come to a stage where Ministers can serve at least four years in office. Such would help for stability.

“The same goes for our leaders in any of the various levels of the sectors. If we continue to promote these leaders, they’ll stay on, learn, acquire experience, and become ranking members and when opportunities come, they’d be the first to be reckoned with.”

He remarked that since the exit of of Prof. Eyitayo Lambo as Minister of Health, Nigeria had not occupied any significant position at the WHA. “This hurts because given the interest and potential of Nigeria to be a positive force in health at the global level, we can do a lot better than we have done. We need to recognise this fact and see how we can pull our human and material resources together to achieve this.”

Noting that Nigeria is physical in terms of human resources, he gave credence to  great Nigerians working in the secretatriat of the World Health Organisation, WHO and its allied institutions whose resources he said the nation could tap into with the assistance of the permanent Mission of Nigeria.

“We want to see how we can better utilise the Nigerian Permanent Mission in Geneva to advance the interests of Nigeria in the WHA. It is a serious matter and we are taking it seriously because the mission exists with the tax payers’ money,” Chukwu avowed

“That was why when the Minister of State for Health and myself came on Board,  we agreed on a common agenda. Whatever we are doing at the Ministry of Health, we  cherish all the core values, but we want people to see that we are here for continuity. This is very important. We cannot sacrifice stability for anything, but that is not to say there will not be innovation.”

On the Commonwealth Ministers’ meeting, he said there  are many things Nigeria shred in common with the Commonwealth countries especially in the area of health. “Therefore the WHA presents opportunity for us to meet at least once a year outside meetings of the Heads of Government to discuss issues of common interest.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Federal Minstry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, said the fact that Nigeria was applauded at the floor of the ministers of commonweath nations for efforts and achievements recorded  was an indication that the nation’s  scorecard had improved in a great way from the last WHA.

“The sprit with which we have come to attend to the demands of the WHA is encouraging. We are here with all manner of seriousness. We have harmonised the programmes and we are coming with the hope of celebrating our milestones and to learn from experiiences of other nations where they have excelled.”

Awute emphasised that Nigeria was at the WHA to impart knowledge of her own programme implementations. “The country was applauded at the floor of the Ministers of Commonweath Nations for efforts and achievements recorded and it was  also indicated that our scorecard has improved in a great way from the last WHA. One thing is to come with a scorecard and another is to have it endorsed,” he observed.