- Considers increasing numbers of environmental health officers
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
As part if its effort to achieve a preventive healthcare delivery, the federal government has relaunched the national mosquito control and liquid management programme.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, said in order to ensure the effective control and management of the environmental challenges facing the country, the ministry, in partnership with Andelsta Limited have decided to reverse the trend with a sole objective of achieving a clean and green environment free of mosquitoes and other disease-causing vectors.
He added that the programme, which was first launched in 2009, failed to realise certain objectives due to funding constraints and the failure of several key stakeholders, including private sectors to key into the programme.
According to Jibril, “the present administration knows that eradication of mosquito vectors is key in achieving its mandate in preventive healthcare delivery. It is against this background that the programme is being relaunched which will be private sector driven, while government provide enabling environment in its implementation.”
“This programme is expected to eliminate the breeding spaces of mosquitoes and eradicate it in our environment, thereby preventing or reducing the incidences of malaria parasites which is a major cause of infant mortality and mobility,” he noted.
The minister emphasised FG’s believe that the launch would attract participation and funding from international agencies and corporate organisations for the implementation.
On his part, the Managing Director, Andelsta Limited, Engr. Fintan Ibeshi, said the relaunch marks the second phase of the collective effort to change the face of sanitation practice in Nigeria.
He noted that Andelsta recognised that success in the war against mosquitoe, access to clean water and sanitation for all cannot be achieved by the activities of the public sector alone without the involvement of the private sector.
Ibeshi revealed that Andelsta intends to replicate in all the states and local governments of Nigeria through various advocacy and campaign networks such as seminar, education and training.
Former Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, said malaria remains one of the health challenges in Nigeria and that the economic burden of the disease is very high.
“The total private direct cost is about N375 billion to our national budget. The national cost of malaria is over N2 billion, which represents about 7.3 per cent of our GDP. This is unacceptable.
