Jobson Ewalefoh, the director-general of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), has applauded the approval of the MediPool project as a major breakthrough to improve drug access in Nigeria’s most underserved regions.

This is contained in a statement on Sunday by Ifeanyi Nwoko, ICRC’s director-general. He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the project.

Mr Ewalefoh said the approval of the project, which also includes the six megawatt Ikere Gorge Hydropower Project and the Federal Coastal Fishery Terminal, Borokiri Fishing Terminal, would improve the lives of Nigerians.

“Imagine a Nigeria where no child dies due to the unavailability of vaccines, where every health facility, no matter how remote, has access to life-saving drugs.

“MediPool is just the beginning under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are driving infrastructure delivery across all sectors, ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind,” Mr Ewalefoh said.

He added, “With MediPool, President Tinubu is restoring hope to neglected regions by ensuring access to essential medicines—a right, not a privilege, for all Nigerians.”

Mr Ewalefoh said the MediPool initiative, part of the presidential initiative for unlocking the healthcare value chain, aimed to centralise the procurement and distribution of essential medicines, vaccines, and consumables.

He said this would be achieved through a high-efficiency Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO).

Mr Ewalefoh emphasised that the project would promote transparency and affordability and ensure no region was left behind, particularly rural and hard-to-reach areas.

He said in addition to MediPool, FEC approved the Ikere Gorge Hydropower project (Oyo State), which was originally initiated under the Obasanjo military regime.

Mr Ewalefoh said the dam would be redeveloped under a Finance-Build-Operate-Transfer (FBOT) structure to generate over six megawatts of electricity.

He said the dam would also provide potable water to towns like Iseyin and Saki and irrigate thousands of hectares of farmlands.

Mr Ewalefoh listed other projects as the Coastal Fisheries Terminal (Borokiri, Rivers State).

“This project aims to boost Nigeria’s fishery value chain through modern cold-chain logistics, job creation, and enhanced export capability,” Mr Ewalefoh said.

Mr Ewalefoh said the ICRC would continue to provide regulatory oversight to ensure project transparency, value for money, and full alignment with global PPP standards.

(NAN)