The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has condemned the alleged forceful take over of the structures housing public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan and their conversion into lock up shops and shopping malls by the state government describing the development as not only shameful and ill-conceived but also grossly unacceptable. Not a few residents of Ibadan- the state capital were stunned recently when they observed sudden erection of massive structures believed to be private business complexes and shopping malls within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board in which the the defunct Western Region government built public libraries and other facilities being put into premium use by students, researchers, tourists among others until now. In a statement issued at the weekend and made available to the journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC also raised the alarm over another alleged ridiculous sale of the entire modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan built by the administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Sources have it that the Park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church situated very close to it. “It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archive in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures and the implication of this is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by the same administration which has refused to address the issue of poor reading culture among young students. “Without mincing words, the word ‘library’ is now strange to many students in public primary and secondary schools in Oyo state because a government does not care to build such facility or fix the existing ones which require good attention. How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock up shops in the name of making money and thereby subject the entire society into the danger of illiteracy and ignorance? “It has also got to that stage when silence is no more golden as all well meaning individuals and stakeholders should begin to ask Gov. Makinde questions on why he keeps selling off public heritage and properties which his government inherited from previous administrations. In the same vein, we have had cases of fraudulent lease or concession of public facilities to proxies as it happened to OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan. “Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and others resources belonging to the state have paved the way for the surge in the cases of land grabbing in most parts of the state capital. Even there many cases of land grabbing involving some appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, serving local government officials and chieftains of the ruling party. Meanwhile, this trend has to stop now.” Oyo APC stated.BBC Strictly's Claudia Winkleman tearful as Sarah Hadland praises partner Vito before final
One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from "significant widespread misinformation" about the policy. "To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services," the statement said. "The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines." Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used "physician work time values," which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it’s unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to "reverse the proposal immediately," saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It’s not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado . People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the "nuanced, unpredictable human element" of surgery and was a clear "money grab." "It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care," he said. "If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses." Prior to Anthem’s announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the "concerning" policy wouldn’t affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City.
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