The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is making fresh moves to stem the high rate of capital flight from the health and transport sectors of the Nigerian economy.
An estimated $100 billon is believed to have been spent in the last 10 years to foreign tourist sites and hospitals, as more Nigerians continue to seek medical and recreational options abroad owing to their absence at home.
Director General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, who spoke at the weekend when he received a delegation from Greenpark Worldwide, led by a one-time British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Richard Gozney, decried the non-regulation of the health sector in the country, which he lamented had resulted in high medical pilgrimage abroad by Nigerians.
He said it was for that reason that the Federal Government was keen on reforming, particularly the health sector. The reforms, he said, have commenced with a joint preliminary review of existing legislations in the sector by the Federal Ministry of Health and the BPE.
Dikki lamented that at present only the medical practitioners in Nigeria were being regulated, leaving out the services and practice thus making the sector open to unqualified operators.
He further informed his audience that government was also working on reforming the sports, hospitality and tourism, river basins, housing and road sectors.
He noted that five bills in the transport sector were being reviewed by the government for possible re-representation to the National Assembly for enactment.
The DG noted that unfortunately the five transport sector bills with three others were not passed before the expiration of the 7th National Assembly and he expressed the hope that the 8th National Assembly would expeditiously pass the bills when presented by the executive arm.
