25/10/2025
RAAF’s Position on the Federal Medical Center, Rigasa
The Rigasa Action and Awareness Forum (RAAF) is compelled to speak out firmly on the abandoned struggle for the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Rigasa.
In 2020, Senator Uba Sani the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, then representing Kaduna Central, sponsored the Bill for the establishment of FMC Rigasa. The Bill successfully passed all required stages in both the Senate and House of Representatives, including the third reading. At that point, it only awaited the assent of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sadly, due to lack of follow-up and the change of administration, the Bill did not receive assent before the end of that government.
That Bill was not just paper. It was hope. It was the recognition of Rigasa’s strategic importance and the dire need of its people for accessible and specialized healthcare services. It was the product of years of advocacy and the vision of having Rigasa positioned as a hub for advanced healthcare, medical research, and training.
Unfortunately, after the 2023 elections, our new representatives have failed the people. Instead of building on the foundation already laid, we witnessed diversion and insincerity:
• A new Bill was proposed to take the FMC to Rigachikun, while Rigasa—the rightful and original beneficiary—was told to settle for an orthopedic center.
• To this day, despite repeated engagements, no clear commitment or progress has been shown by our current representatives to revive the FMC Rigasa Bill.
• Worse still, all attempts by RAAF leadership to secure a meeting with Distinguished Senator Sen. Lawal Adamu Usman - Mr, La and Honourable Hussaini Jalo were ignored. Courtesy visit requests were made, yet we were never accorded the respect of an audience.
• On the occasions when our President joined the Elders Forum delegation to meet with them and brought up the issue of FMC, the response was even more disheartening. Barr. Hon. Hussaini Jalo openly stated that he had already initiated a Bill for FMC Rigachikun and that Rigasa would have to accept an orthopedic hospital instead.
Sen. Lawal Adamu Usman on his part, confessed that he was not even aware of the FMC Rigasa Bill that had already passed third reading in both chambers. These positions reflect either negligence or deliberate disregard for Rigasa’s rightful demand.
This is unacceptable.
RAAF wishes to state without ambiguity:
1. We hold our current representatives—Honourable Hussaini Jalo and Distinguished Senator Lawal Adamu—directly responsible for the failure to continue this struggle, for their diversionary stance, and for ignoring the people’s call. The people of Rigasa will remember this betrayal if concrete steps are not taken immediately.
2. We demand from our national assembly representatives that, the Bill be revived in the name of Rigasa. Which is their duty and the reason why we elected them with voters more than any other ward. Rigasa will not accept anything less than the Federal Medical Center as already legislated upon ealier.
3. We categorically reject any attempt to divert this project or substitute it with another facility, as suggested by Honorable Hussaini Jallo. Rigasa deserves the FMC—not an orthopedic hospital, not a watered-down alternative.
4. The people of Rigasa have been historically marginalized. Denying us FMC Rigasa after it had already reached presidential assent stage is an insult and a continuation of this injustice.
5. We call on Governor Uba Sani, who initiated and successfully championed this Bill in the National Assembly, to once again rise to the occasion and ensure that this proposed project is not killed by political games and personal interests.
6. We call on all Rigasa stakeholders—elders, youth, women, religious leaders, professionals, and civil society organizations—to unite and raise their voices. Silence is complicity. Rigasa must demand what is rightfully hers.
RAAF is resolved: the Federal Medical Center, Rigasa is not a privilege—it is a right, it is overdue, and it must be delivered.
Finally, we wish to stress that Rigasa community must return to the drawing board. We must come together collectively, with sincerity and dedication, to harness the potential of our vast population in the political space. If we fail to unite, we will continue to be victims of neglect and discrimination, and our numbers will mean nothing. We must resist manipulation by politicians and stand firm for our collective interest.
We will continue to mobilize, advocate, and hold every political office holder accountable until FMC Rigasa becomes a reality.
Enough is enough. Rigasa deserves justice. Rigasa deserves FMC now.
e-Signed
Rigasa Action and Awareness Forum (RAAF)
1st October, 2025
