House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday welcomed the first babies born in his Surulere 1 Constituency, Lagos State this year.
He harped on the need to strengthen child education if the country is to reach its potential.
The ‘Surulere Baby of the Year’, a female named Lateefat, was born in the Gbaja Maternal Child Care Centre, Surulere at exactly midnight on January 1, weighing 3.2kg.
The Speaker also welcomed the Okotie triplets who were born between 9:52am and 9:54 am on Saturday.
The hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Madewa Adebajo, urged the state government to build more mother and child hospitals, saying this would help in the fight against maternal deaths.
The Speaker further visited the nearby Heart of Gold Hospice, a care and management centre for children with mental and extreme physical disabilities, where he donated food items to the children, some of whom were marking their birthdays.
There was a pleasant surprise when two of the hospice’s patients announced their engagement and plans to get married by April.
Gbajabiamila detoured to the Randle General Hospital where he inaugurated a solar mini grid at the Randle General Hospital, comprising a 40 KVA solar panel inverter and 40 KVA generator.
He ended the tour with an inspection of the construction work on the 1.7km Babs Animashaun Road, the 50-bed Femi Gbajabiamila Hospital at Iyun Road and the upgrading of the Abalti Barrack Football Pitch to a mini stadium.
Explaining his passion for infrastructure development, Gbajabiamila said: “This country, we have so much potential, God has blessed us.
“The things that divide us are way less than things that unite us and that is what propels me when I do these things.
“If God has been kind to you to put you in a position where you can influence lives positively, please do.”
He noted that the projects being inaugurated since Thursday fall under various categories, including health, roads and education, among others.
Gbajabiamila said: “The hostel for international students is something after my heart and the project will be done by April, this year.
“My message is very clear to Nigerians, peace and unity can only bring one thing and it is progress, no progress without unity.
“Education must always take its rightful place in every developed society, education remains the bedrock of every society, the society cannot move forward without education.
“No child must be left behind, education to me is not a privilege but a right and we must treat it as a right.”
He urged Nigerians to “come together as a nation and harness our resources as one people.”
Since Thursday Gbajabiamila has been inaugurating the 137 completed physical projects he facilitated since assuming office as Speaker in 2019.
