The Plateau government says it will prioritise primary healthcare, health workforce development and improved access to quality healthcare in 2027 to strengthen healthcare service delivery across the state.
Nicholas Ba’amlong, Plateau commissioner for health, stated this in Jos on Friday.
Mr Ba’amlong said the just-concluded joint annual health sector review provided a clear roadmap for the ministry’s 2027 priorities after identifying critical gaps in healthcare service delivery.
According to him, the presentations made during the review would be thoroughly analysed to ensure that the identified gaps were addressed and recommendations incorporated into the ministry’s 2027 operational plan.
Mr Ba’amlong said one of the state’s major priorities was the upgrade of the Plateau Specialist Hospital to a teaching hospital to support the training of medical students and strengthen tertiary healthcare services.
The commissioner explained that attaining teaching hospital status required substantial investments in infrastructure, modern medical equipment, skilled human resources and other facilities necessary for clinical training.
He identified inadequate infrastructure, a shortage of healthcare personnel and insufficient medical equipment as some of the major challenges facing the health sector.
Mr Ba’amlong said the government would also intensify efforts to strengthen primary and secondary healthcare services, improve disease surveillance, ensure the availability of essential medicines and expand digital health initiatives to improve service deliveHe added that the ministry would continue to work with development partners, professional bodies, local government councils, and other stakeholders to mobilise resources and implement evidence-based interventions to improve health outcomes across the state.tate.
The commissioner commended development partners and stakeholders for their contributions, describing their support as critical to the progress recorded in the health sector.
He reaffirmed the Mr Mutfwang administration’s commitment to building a resilient, equitable and people-centred healthcare system capable of meeting the health needs of all residents.
The two-day Joint Annual Health Sector Review was held in Jos on Wednesday and Thursday.
The event brought together officials of the Plateau Ministry of Health, development partners, local government health authorities, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to review the sector’s performance in the first half of 2026 and set priorities for 2027.
Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area in Plateau State has said he has received a threatening letter from suspected Fulani herdsmen vowing to attack and kill him along with members of his household.
Dachomo made the disclosure in a video shared on his X account, following fresh attacks on communities in the state by suspected armed herdsmen.
He claimed the letter, written in both Hausa and English, was sent by the herdsmen and that copies have been distributed to heads of various security agencies in the state.
In the video, the cleric quoted the letter’s senders as saying they would kill him and nine members of his household, just as they allegedly killed nine of his relatives.
Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo
“A few days ago, Fulani herdsmen sent a threatening letter to me and to members of my church. The letter was written in both Hausa and English, and its message was terrifying.
“They vowed to attack me and kill me soon, just as they killed nine of my relatives. Copies of these threatening letters have already been handed over to the security operatives,” Dachomo said.
Despite the threats, Dachomo said he remains unafraid, placing his life in God’s hands.
“Many people have asked me if I am afraid. My answer is no. I am not afraid because my life is in the hands of Almighty God,” he stated.
Rev Dachomo in Plateau community
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?”
The reverend recounted the profound personal losses he has endured from recent attacks, describing the pain of conducting burials for loved ones and comforting families who lost parents and relatives.
“I know what it means to bury those I love. I know what it means to wipe the tears of children who watched their parents murdered. I know what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ,” he said.
“Now they say I will be next. But I ask the world, what is my crime? Is my crime that I speak for widows who have no voice? Is my crime that I cry for orphaned children whose parents were murdered? Is my crime that I tell the stories of persecuted Christians in Nigeria so the world will not forget them?”
“If that is my crime, then I will continue until my last breath,” Dachomo added.
He emphasized that killing him would not silence the truth. The cleric called on the world to remember the victims and support justice for persecuted Christians.
“Remember the widows. Remember the orphans. Remember the innocent Christians who continue to suffer simply because of their faith. Stand with us in prayer. Stand with us in truth. Stand with us in demanding justice for every innocent life,” he urged.
“If one day my voice is silenced, let the world remember that I never carried a weapon. My only weapon was the truth. My only mission was to defend the persecuted.”
A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise and publish the names of the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Salim Ibrahim, in a judgement delivered on Friday, held that the plaintiffs, led by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit and consequently struck it out for want of jurisdiction.
The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by INEC and sustained similar objections raised by parties seeking to be joined in the suit, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported Interim National Working Committee or that they had the authority to sue on behalf of the PDP.