Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has recounted a conversation he had with the late President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Radda recalled how Buhari told him he pitied President Bola Tinubu for being brave enough to remove the subsidy on fuel.

Buhari passed away on Sunday at a London clinic at the age of 82 and was buried on Tuesday at his Daura residence with full military honours.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of Buhari’s burial in Daura, the governor said: “Let me use his words: ‘I pity Bola (President Tinubu) for what he is doing. He is a brave man for removing the fuel subsidy.

“When I was president, whenever I made an attempt to remove the subsidy, a lot of people would give me too many reasons not to do so.

“But Bola did it immediately. If he had consulted people, he could not have removed the fuel subsidy now’.”

The governor also noted that the former President’s death has created a vacuum that would be difficult to fill.

The Niger State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Health, Nutrition, and Primary Health Care has raised concerns over the excessive strain on healthcare facilities caused by the large number of students present at centres visited in Minna, the state capital.

The committee explained that the overloading of healthcare facilities would negatively impact their mode of operation.

Led by its chairman, Umar Nasir, member representing Paikoro Constituency, the committee made this known during an oversight visit to level-two primary healthcare facilities in Minna.

He noted that the facilities do not provide a conducive environment for staff to discharge their duties in line with professional standards.

“This visit is a significant step towards ensuring that the health care system in the state is functioning effectively and efficiently,” the lawmaker said.

He stated that the committee undertook the visit as part of its legislative duty to support the efforts of the executive arm of government, adding, “the oversight is not restricted to only Minna, but we intend to spread it to other level-two primary health care facilities.

“At the end of the oversight function, we will come up with a conclusive report to be presented at the plenary of the House for further legislative action.

“This report will undoubtedly provide valuable insights and recommendations for improving the health care system in the state.”

The committee visited Idris Ibrahim Kuta Memorial Primary Health Care Centre, Lafiya Jari, Soje B Kpakungu, Taimakon Juna GPMC, Peter Sarki Road, and the Ministry of Primary Health Care.

The Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana, commended the committee for the oversight visit.

“The essence of the visit is to strengthen the committee’s oversight function to ensure accountability in the system, service delivery, and people’s satisfaction with the services. This collaborative effort between the executive and the judiciary is a good development in the quest for better service delivery,” he stated.

The officers in charge of the facilities visited, including Hadiza Ahmed of the Idris Ibrahim Kuta Memorial Primary Health Care Centre, and Aminu Shehu of Lafiya Jari Soje B Kpakungu, thanked the committee for the visit, while highlighting challenges such as manpower shortages and lack of power supply (notably solar lighting), among others.

They also assured the committee that all observations made would be acted upon accordingly.

Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has reduced its premium motor spirit price.

OSUNDAILY NG correspondent who went round NNPCL retail outlets in Abuja on Tuesday gathered that state-owned firms have also slashed their petrol pump price to N895 per litre from N910.

This comes as NNPCL filling station along Kubwa Expressway, Wuse Zone 4, Wuse Zone 6 (Berger), and other locations in Abuja visibly adjusted their fuel pump price to reflect the new price.

The reduction represents an N15 downward petrol price review in NNPCL retail outlets.

NNPCL is not alone in the petrol reduction; Dangote Refinery’s retail partner, MRS filling stations in Abuja, also reduced their petrol price by N25 to N885 per litre from N910.

Similarly, other filling stations in Abuja, such as Ranoil and Empire Energy, also reduced their petrol pump prices to N910 and N915 per litre on Tuesday from the previous N920 and N935.

The development comes hours after OSUNDAILY NG exclusively reports that Nigerian Petroleum Products Marketers announced a plan to slash petrol prices to between N900 and N920 per litre in Abuja.

Recall that Dangote Refinery reduced its ex-depot petrol price twice this July so far.