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Delegates to the ongoing National Conference yesterday approved a restriction of medical tourism describing it as unnecessary capital flight, while also approving free health services for all Nigerians from 65 years and above.
It further recommended free health services for all children within the age bracket of five years and those with disabilities as well as prisoners.
The conference further voted in favour of a recommendation asking the various state governments to return all schools which were taken over from religious bodies by the government forty-two years ago.
The decision came amidst a controversy over the circumstances that led to the take over of these schools.
A former Minister of Education, Prof. Jubril who justified the policy said the missionaries were paid compensation by the Gen. Yakubu Gowon regime at that time and that there was no reason for their return.
According to him, since the schools were taken over about four decades ago, the institutions have stayed longer in the hands of government than it ever stayed in the hands of their original owners.
Aminu explained that there were several reasons why government chose to take over the schools. According to him, besides the political reasons, the schools were taken over because there were discriminations in their admission policies.
Former Governor of the defunct North Western State, Mr. Usman Farouk said the schools were taken over because they were abandoned during the civil war as their owners had deserted the northern region. Farouk said that compensations were paid to the owners of the schools in the then Northern region.
However, Bishop Joseph Bagobiri from Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna said the earlier speakers were being economical with the truth. The schools, the cleric said were not abandoned but forcefully taken over by the government without compensations paid to their owners.
Meanwhile, delegates have adopted a resolution asking the federal government to convert its Almajiri schools to conventional schools.
According to the resolution, the schools upon conversion should incorporate Koranic education into the curriculum to take care of the thousands of pupils of the Islamic faith who were hitherto in the Koranic schools.
A move to entrust the regulation and management of primary and secondary schools in the hands of the state government was rejected.
However, the plenary session turned rowdy when the presiding chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi ruled against the clamour by female delegates that the affirmative principle of 35 per cent be moved up to 50 per cent in the sharing and appointment of women into offices. It was later ruled as unnecessary as the Beijing Convention of 1995 had already ratified and Nigeria is a signatory to it.
Also, the conference adopted the recommendation that all employers of labour with more than five staff should register with National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The conference also said that telecoms mast should not be within residential areas.
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