Day: June 19, 2024

The Metropolitan Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged 20 identifiable groups in the metropolis to mark the Commission’s 23rd annual constitutional week celebration.

The 2024 celebration was on the theme: ‘Together, We Can Build Ghana: So, Get Involved.’

Ms. Gifty Agyeiwaa Badu, the Tema Metropolitan Director of the NCCE, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the celebration was one of the flagship programmes of the NCCE, and since its inception in 2001, had been celebrated annually from April to May in commemoration of Ghana’s return to Constitutional Democratic Rule in 1993.

Ms. Badu said some of the groups engaged during the period were women groups, artisans, faith-based organisations, youth groups, and traders, among others.

She noted that civic educators briefed participants during the engagements on the history of Ghana’s return to constitutional democratic rule in 1993, highlighting that, on April 28, 1992, the majority of Ghanaian electorates voted favourably in
a referendum to adopt the draft Fourth Republican Constitution, which subsequently came into full force on January 7, 1993.

She drew the attention of the public to the fact that Ghanaians would again be going to the polls for the ninth time since the inception of the Fourth Republic to elect their leaders at the Presidential and Parliamentary levels on December 7 this year.

She stressed that it was important for everyone to understand and fulfil their roles and duties as responsible citizens as enshrined in Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution.

These duties, she noted, included defending and upholding the Constitution, respecting the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of others, promoting national unity and living in harmony, participating in democratic processes, cooperating with lawful services in maintaining law and order, and many others.

Ms. Badu urged the public to avoid any form of violence, intimidation, or acrimony as the December polls draw near, emphasising that peace is paramount for a
credible electoral process.

She encouraged Ghanaians to be ambassadors of peace in their communities, advocating non-violent ways to address grievances and differences.

She implored the public to fully participate in relevant electoral processes and turn out in their numbers on election day to vote, noting that engaging in the electoral process was a fundamental duty that ensured that citizens voices were heard and represented.

The Tema Metro NCCE Director said that the groups were also engaged in ways to combat potential threats, signs of extremist activities, and the importance of reporting suspicious behaviour to relevant authorities.

‘Article 3(4) of the 1992 Constitution charges every citizen of Ghana to defend the Constitution, to resist any person or group that threatens the very fabric of our democracy, and to reject oppressors’ rule in any form or way that will disturb the peace and stability we enjoy. Thus,

considering this, collaboration with security forces to maintain a safe environment, the
y said, was imperative,’ she said.

On other topics discussed, she noted that the negative impact of money in politics and vote buying were highlighted and urged the public to reject any form of monetary inducement but rather vote based on policies and the candidates’ competencies.

She also called for religious, political, and ethnic tolerance, stating that mutual respect was needed in the diversity within the various communities, be it political affiliations or religious beliefs.

‘I encourage everyone to respect each other’s religious and ethnic differences and also advocate peaceful dialogue and understanding as tools for building a cohesive and harmonious community,’ she said.

Ms. Badu cautioned Ghanaians against misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, advising that they must verify information from credible sources before sharing and be cautious of the spread of false information that could incite unrest or violence in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Heart for Children Foundation Ghana, a non-government organisation (NGO) based in Nsoatre, has provided 68 boreholes to address water challenges in the Sunyani West municipality.

In 2023, the NGO provided 22 boreholes and an additional 46 were provided in 2024 to benefit 75 communities in the municipality.

This initiative is aimed at providing sustainable access to clean water, ultimately to improve the overall quality of life for residents in the beneficiary areas.

During an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Nsoatre, Mr. Solomon Boateng, the Founder and Director of the Foundation stressed the significant impact of the project on the beneficiary communities.

He noted that some community members previously had to walk up to 14 kilometers to access clean water.

Mr. Boateng said the provision of clean, healthy water was a crucial aspect of the foundation’s mission, saying they were dedicated to improving the lives of children and ensuring a better future for them.

He said while the focus wa
s on children, the benefits of the projects were also extended to adults in the communities.

Highlighting the support the Foundation had provided in the health sector, Mr . Boateng stated in the year 2023 a brand-new Toyota ambulance was donated to the Nsoatre Polyclinic, along with the construction of a new Outpatient Department (OPD) block, consulting room, maternity block and ward.

He added that the facilities were equipped with electronic hospital beds and other necessary equipment to enhance the clinic’s capacity.

Mr. Boateng mentioned that in the first quarter of 2024, the Foundation continued its support by constructing a new pharmacy, laboratory and a recovery ward at the clinic.

Additionally, an anesthesia machine was purchased, along with other essential machines and equipment for the facility.

He said all the efforts were aimed at strengthening the clinic’s resources to provide quality medical care to residents of Nsoatre and surrounding communities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Eighty-six thousand printed passport booklets are gathering dust at the Passport Offices across the country because applicants have failed to collect them.

The refusal by passport applicants to collect them comes at a great loss to the Government since it subsidises each passport printed by more than 70 per cent.

For instance, there are 8,000 uncollected printed passports in Takoradi Office, 8,696 in the Cape Coast Office and 19, 500 in the Accra Office.

Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, a Senior Presidential Advisor, announced this at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday, to update the public on the Public Sector Reform for Results Project (PSRRP).

Mr. Osafo-Maafo, who also has an oversight responsibility over the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, therefore, called for comprehensive research to ascertain why people were so anxious to apply for passport and later refused to collect them.

‘It’s a big problem and you can’t even understand it,’ Mr. Osafo-Maafo said.

Currently, a 32-page leaflet Ghanaian passport cost
GHc500 after a legislative instrument allowed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to increase from GHc100.

Detailing the achievements of the Public Sector Reform for Results Project (PSRRP), Mr Osafo-Maafo said the World Bank provided a credit facility amounting to $35 million in 2018 for the PSRRP.

However, he said, the project was restructured within the period July to December 2021, which reduced the amount to $24 million to cover 13 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The Financing Agreement was signed on November 12, 2018. It was intended to improve efficiency and accountability in delivering selected services by selected entities.

The beneficiary institutions were Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority, Passport Office, Births and Deaths Registry, Public Services Commission, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat.

Other institutions were the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, m
inistries of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Transport and Environment, Science Technology and Innovation.

The funding for the PSRRP was also to strengthen the capacity and organisational management of the beneficiary institutions and expand access to public services by the citizenry.

Mr. Osafo-Maafo,for instance, stated that the funds enabled the Passport Office to purchase biodata equipment for capturing the biometric data of passport applicants.

That, he said, enabled the Passport Office to clear the backlogs of unprocessed applicants which significantly improved the passport application ecosystem.

Since August 2023, Mr. Osafo-Maafo said, the Passport Office processed and printed about 700,000 passport applications including 100,000 passport application backlogs as against the annual average target of 500,000 printed booklets.

On efficiency at the DVLA, he said, the 33 operational centres of the Authority were offering standard servic
es to clients and had reduced the vehicle registration time per day from six hours to two hours.

Also, the production of driver’s licenses increased from 700 to 2,500 per day in 2022, while the backlog of driver’s licenses reduced from 76,000 to 8,455 as of March 2024.

The Public Services Commission, he said, also conducted 510 interviews using the video conferencing facility while the Office of Head of Civil Service cleared backlogs of 14,657 staff promotions using the video conferencing facility for the interviews.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government of Ghana has reaffirmed its ties with South Africa, pledging to continue working closely with that country to promote mutual development.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the ‘bond of friendship between the two nations is strong’, consequently, the authorities ought to leverage the existing bilateral ties for mutual benefits.

‘Together, we can achieve the aspirations of our people for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development,’ he noted in a congratulatory message to South Africa’s seventh democratically elected President, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa was officially sworn in Wednesday for a second term in office, after his reelection by the South African Parliament last Friday during its first sitting.

Running on the ticket of the African National Congress (ANC), Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the party, received 283 votes, defeating Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who garnered 44 votes.

‘Your re-election is a vindication of the trust and confidence
reposed in you by the Members of the Parliament of South Africa, and by your party, the ANC,’ President Nana Akufo-Addo stated.

The message acknowledged that the people, through their vote, had demonstrated their commitment to unity and shared governance.

‘I am confident that under your leadership, South Africa will continue to reinforce her position as a champion of progress and prosperity on the African continent.

‘A strong, united, and prospering South Africa is indeed a great force for progress in Africa,’ the President said, and reaffirmed the need for close collaboration ‘to advance the collective interests of our beloved continent’.

The message reminded the reelected South African President that his assumption of office ‘comes at a crucial time when the continent is striving for economic recovery, social development and continental integration’.

‘I am confident that, under your continued leadership, South Africa will attain greater heights, and make significant strides towards the realisation of t
hese goals,’ President Nana Akufo-Addo added.

The ANC, once led by civil rights icon Nelson Mandela, had dominated South African politics over the last three decades until losing its majority in the May 29 national elections.

The party, with its 159 lawmakers in the 400-member National Assembly, found it difficult forming a government on its own, thereby proposing the formation of a government of national unity.

The ANC reached a deal to form a national unity government with the Democratic Alliance, Patriotic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has commended his community, Bako Ward of Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa, for the ongoing construction of an Islamic Centre Complex.

Ribadu gave the commendation in Yola on Wednesday, after inspecting the ongoing project, which consists of a mosque, Islamic learning centre and other facilities.

He commended members of the community and other philanthropists who worked for the realisation of the project.

He called for more efforts and financial support to enable completion of the complex, ‘which is currently at 80 per cent completion.’

The NSA advised members of the community, particularly the youths, to use the complex, when completed, as a rallying point and to advance learning for their educational growth and development.

‘We complain a lot about eroding values. A lot of it is because we have abandoned proper learning and inculcating morals in our young ones.

‘I hope this place will help address that,’ he said.

He pledged to suppor
t the project to meet the aspiration of the community.

Alhaji Ahmadu Baminda, a community leader and member of the Mosque Project Committee, explained that Ribadu was invited to the project site to see the community’s efforts and to seek his support.

The goal, according to him, is to galvanise more support to ensure the completion of the project.

‘We appreciate all you are doing as an illustrious member of this community.

‘We hope that you will help us so that the dream of our community to have a befitting Islamic centre is realised,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has charged commanders to be proactive and to intensify efforts in actulising a safe and secure nation.

Abubakar gave the charge at the opening of the meeting with Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding and Directors as well as the entire senior leadership cadre of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Wednesday in Abuja.

He reiterated the commitment of the NAF alongside sister services to reinvigorating the fight against terrorism, insurgency, banditry and other security threats facing the nation.

‘All these threats have global and regional perspectives and attendant impacts on Nigeria’s national security,’ he said.

He added that the implications of the broader strategic external security outlook must never be overlooked.

The CAS said that key global and regional challenges like the Russian-Ukraine war, upsurge in coups in West Africa and withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had ne
gative impacts on collective regional security architecture.

He also said that the withdrawals of UN troops from MINUSMA, 2000 Chadian troops from Mali as well as Niger Republic troops from the Multi-National Joint Task Force could aggravate the security challenges in the Sahel Region.

He noted that this could cause the influx of more weapons and terrorists into Nigeria.

‘Invariably, this situation militates against our counterinsurgency efforts. Consequently, we would likely witness a continued growth in the pattern of threats I have previously highlighted.

‘Hence, it is no gainsaying that we must be proactive and intensify our efforts to meet the Federal Government and Nigerian citizens’ expectations for an expeditious actualisation of a peaceful, safe and secure nation for prosperity to thrive.

‘In the past 12 months, to enhance our gains against these threats of terrorism, insurgency, banditry and other criminal activities, we have re-strategised and adopted new air power measures in line with my com
mand philosophy,’ he said.

Abubakar further said the NAF had so far, achieved modest, yet significant progress in fighting insurgency, terrorism, banditry, oil theft and other criminal activities in the country.

He commended the top officers and commanders for their efforts and support over the last 12 months, adding that there was still so much more to do.

According to him, the harsh economic realities such as high rate of youth unemployment, increasing inflation and high multi-dimensional poverty have further aggravated the security situation in the country.

He explained that the leadership meeting was crucial, as it would holistically review their performances and actions in the past 12 months in transforming the NAF to effectively meet the air power demands of Nigeria’s security.

He added that the purpose of the meeting was to look back at the set objectives in line with his command philosophy and key enablers, discuss performances and achievements as well as the militating challenges.

According to
him, the meeting will also allow us to directly interact and exchange ideas towards achieving more in the coming year, going forward.

‘I assure you of my commitment to continuous improvement at all levels in the NAF,’ he added.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dr Olushola Odusanya, Director-General, National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) has affirmed the centre’s commitment to revamp interest in vocational education in the country.

Odusanya disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the move was crucial, considering that 70 per cent of job opportunities abound in vocational training and need to be tapped.

He explained that a reliable way of infusing knowledge into the informal sector was to focus on vocational training.

He, however, said that revamping interest in vocational education called for right investments and issuance of quality certificates as well as quality accreditation.

He disclosed that NACETEM, a Certiport training and certification centre, had structured training in which certificates were offered.

‘These certification schemes are now for vocationally trained people and their numbers are also very large, probably larger than other trainees.

‘These are people required i
n the economy and we feel this would be of particular interest to politicians because they need to empower their voting population,’ Odusanya said.

The NACETEM boss explained that the Academy which was formed in partnership with a private firm was a huge Learning Management System, which provided for the training, thereby allowing several people to come on board.

He restated that acquisition of vocational skills was quite important, especially to people who were not necessarily educated but required some form of skills.

He reiterated that vocational training encompassed all of these.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has urged civil servants to remain diligent and value-oriented in the execution of their official duties.

Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary in the ministry gave the charge when Ali Seidu, Chairman of the union in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside some members of staff, visited him in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit was in appreciation of Aduda’s impactful role during his tenure as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from December 2020 to October 2022.

Aduda said that the civil service was the engine room of government adding that, it was their responsibility as civil servants to ensure effective service delivery to Nigerians.

He further said that the civil service was crucial in actualising the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu-led Administration.

He, therefore, urged civil servants to always give their best in their service to humanity.

‘Always put in your best at eve
ry opportunity you are given to serve. You may never have a second chance to make a first impression, so always put your best foot forward.

‘Never relent in supporting your subordinates and superiors,’ he advised.

Aduda reaffirmed the government’s commitment to capacity development for workers; enhance efficiency and productivity for effective service delivery in the public sector, in line with global standards.

Responding, Seidu, the union chairman expressed gratitude to the permanent secretary for his contributions to staff career progression and capacity building at the foreign ministry.

He acknowledged Aduda’s efforts in facilitating the conversion of staff from the Executive Cadre to Officer Cadre.

Seidu said that the knowledge and opportunities gained from these initiatives would be utilised to achieve the goals and objectives of the federal government.

NAN reports that the high point of the event was the presentation of a customised, handcrafted thank-you card by the group.

Source: News Agency
of Nigeria

As Nigerians revel in the nation’s 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, a cross section of citizens, including stakeholders in the health sector have expressed different views on how the sector fared.

Mr Chibuzor Akpa, a businessman, said the years of uninterrupted democracy has been good for the health sector as it has seen changes that would otherwise have been absent had the nation continued to tow the line of military rule.

According to Akpa, the re-birth of democracy in 1999 brought about health insurance for Nigerians, which has helped to reduce out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare.

He said ‘though that has only served civil servants, others in the private sector and who make up the bulk of Nigerians are yet to be captured.

‘I am also of the opinion that those who are above 18 years, as well as other Nigerians in the private sector or who work for themselves should be captured too so that everyone can benefit.’

For Mrs Victoria Akande, a retired civil servant, democracy is the best thing that happe
ned to Nigeria.

Dwelling on the health sector, she said that in the past, old people were made to wait long hours in the queue before being attended to in hospitals.

She said senior citizens now have their own section and they are promptly attended to, as medical personnel are friendlier with them now.

‘I also noticed that there are more and better medical equipment than there were before and the outlook of the hospitals are better and neater than in the past.

‘Also, the health insurance system is better now for retirees, we pay N15,000 to access services for one year, which is better than not having access to healthcare like it was in the past.’

As for Prof. Mike Ogirima, the former President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the last 25 years was a departure from military style of planning and execution of policies.

According to him, the pre-democratic era witnessed diversed health policies acquired from the missionaries and colonial rule.

‘However, with democracy, we witnessed health insura
nce scheme and authority to reduce out-of-pocket expenses on health.

‘There were episodes of upgrade of selected tertiary hospitals though with less emphasis on Primary Health Care (PHC) with poor and total lack of secondary level of healthcare in many states of the federation.

‘Overall, there is little improvement in the budgetary provision for health at the federal level (4.67 per cent of 2024 budget).

‘Few states are however spending close to 15 per cent of their budgets on health with visible impacts’, he said.

Ogirima added that more than before, the health sector is witnessing massive brain drain.

He, however, commended the efforts of the present administration, adding that it is gradually turning the drains into gains through the attraction of specialists from developed centres to provide services in form of outreach and establishment of specialised care centres.

For him, medical tourism is slowly being discouraged, while epidemics are being effectively restricted although with heavy extra- budge
tary spending with variable governance issues.

‘The present administration will need to do more to saturate the labour market to stem migration by improving the training facilities and motivating human resource for health,’ the former NMA President advised.

On his part, the Managing Director of Society for Family Health (SFH), Dr Omokhudu Idogho, said 25 years of unbroken democracy is a commendable step for Nigerians, judging from the benefits and the gains recorded over the years.

He said that prior to democracy in 1999, the health sector was just struggling, with the country being like a pariah nation.

This, he said, meant that a lot of the foreign donor support were not coming in and the resources that were available to respond to health challenges were mostly domestic.

He, however, said that since 1999, there has been significant growth in terms of inflow of resources to support the health sector in different areas.

‘We must be honest with significant achievements in certain spaces. For example, inf
ectious disease as a country, I would say, in the last 25 years, we’ve almost moved to epidemic control for HIV.

‘We made very giant strides in tuberculosis control and those are things that are commendable and worth celebrating, while immunisation coverage has also gone up in this timeframe.

‘We have also seen some moderate increase both in terms of contraceptive prevalence rate, as well as Safe Motherhood as the number of women who actually have care during delivery increased.’

Idogho said though there have been lots of improvements in the sector, there have also been areas of challenge.

He said that in 25 years, with the resources the country has, it could have done better if some of the resources were better coordinated.

‘We could have done better if we have had maybe strong leadership within the health sector, in terms of clarity of direction.

‘We also must celebrate the moment that at least some of that is slowly coming together with the leadership of Prof. Ali Pate and his team who are now at the
helm of affairs in the ministry.’

On the issue of brain drain popularly referred to as ‘Japa Syndrome’ in the health sector, which seems to have increased unlike pre-1999, he said it is a global issue.

According to him, there is need to recognise that human resource is a global phenomenon.

‘If you’re looking at the difference between 25 years ago and today, it is an increasing realisation that when you train your doctors, pharmacies, nurses, they become globally mobile.

‘It is one of the outcomes of globalisation that you can ply your trade anywhere in the world, which was less so a couple of years back, but it may have been there.’

He, however, said that it’s a situation that should be converted into an opportunity.

‘That is really where we should focus on, we have the population, we have the intellect. So, the idea is how do we build pipelines of healthcare workers that will save us as Nigerians?.

‘Generate a surplus that would still serve the wider human resource market with a caveat that we do this
in a proactive way, so that we get the value of that approach.’

For the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, a lot of the developments recorded in the last 25 years occurred in the context of sustained democratic system that allowed interface between different levels of government and everyone in government priority setting.

According to him, health is the responsibility of the federal, state and local governments.

Going down memory lane, Pate told NAN that in 2004, the first National Health Policy was enacted, assigning the responsibility of PHCs to local governments, the states attend to secondary care and support the local governments, while the Federal Government support the states, local governments and PHCs.

The minister said ‘that phase tried to rationalise the roles and responsibilities of various actors and kicked off the development of the National Health Bill and ultimately the National Health Act that was passed in 2014, signed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

‘That National
Health Act created a national health system that has continued to develop and with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, his Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the sectorwide approach that we are implementing in the health sector.

‘This is the bulk of the reforms that preceded our time, but are now being executed to improve the health outcomes of Nigerians, using the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which allocates one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to PHC Centres to make them functional.

‘In addition, with the democratic process that we’ve been implementing, the National Health Insurance Scheme gradually evolved and in 2022, became National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) that mandated insurance for everyone.’

Pate also said that the NHIA created the vulnerable group fund that is now expanding to ensure that healthcare services are affordable for the majority of Nigerians for the poorest and vulnerable to also be protected.

He added that there is also the expansion of the hea
lth infrastructure through federal teaching hospitals, with several of them being expanded, while institutions like the National Centre for Disease Control deals with public health crisis.

He noted that in terms of public health intervention, Nigeria has made tremendous progress in vaccination against critical diseases like polio and eventually eliminated the Wild Polio Virus.

He said that moving away from military rule has seen health policies being developed under a democratic dispensation, while in a non-democratic setting, it’s primarily by fiat and as directed.

He recalled that before 1999, many development partner support to Nigeria had exited the country, but with the re-installation of democracy, the confidence of Nigerians was enhanced.

He said ‘there is a sense of positivity that wouldn’t have happened if we had a dictatorship.

‘This year, we have our president as Africa Union Champion for Health, Human Resources, as well as for community health delivery, chosen by the African Union Heads of St
ates.

‘We have the Africa Centre for Disease Control that has established office here in Abuja, and the President was gracious to give them a location.

‘We have ourselves here representing the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, elected by the West and Central Africa to serve as representative of the region in the Global Fund Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

‘These are all because we have a democratic dispensation.’

Envisioning another 25 years of the health sector in a democracy, Pate said he shares the President’s vision that in 25 years, Nigeria’s youthful population would be healthier.

He also said that the health system would have developed with a strong public sector, as well as a strong private sector and that the nation would be able to manufacture drugs, commodities, devices that it uses.

‘We will have robust health infrastructure and equipment that other countries in the region and perhaps even globally can come to Nigeria and seek for healthcare services, and that many of our citizen
s that are in the diaspora will find it comfortable to come back home.

‘Those who are leaving will find no reason to leave, and the country will be on its path to greatness, as envisioned by the President and the work that his administration is doing across sectors, including health and social welfare.’

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

In response to suspected and confirmed reports of cholera outbreaks in some parts of Nigeria, a sanitation expert has called for improved hygiene practices in schools.

Mr Benson Attah, the National Coordinator, Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that school management authourities need to immediately increase their level of alertness and intensify cholera awareness.

He urged local government councils with reported outbreaks to disseminate hygiene messages to pupils and students in affected areas.

Attah advised students to share the messages with their families, neighbours, and communities to ensure widespread awareness and preventive action.

‘This outbreak should serve as an early warning to the councils and states yet unaffected,’ Attah said.

He underscored the necessity for proactive measures even in regions not currently experiencing outbreaks.

‘The recommended hygiene practices include; regula
r hand washing with safe, clean water and soap, especially before eating.

‘We must all practice food safety by washing fruits and vegetables with salt and water, followed by thorough rinsing and ensuring that all cooking and eating utensils are cleaned with soap and water.

‘Another issue is insect and rodent prevention through preventing flies and other insects from contacting food and keeping rodents out of homes, particularly kitchens and food storage areas’.

The national coordinator noted the importance of water safety, saying drinking only potable or boiled water should be encouraged at all times.

Attah said that school management authorities must immediately increase their alertness and cholera awareness efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease.

He urged everyone to maintain a high level of hygiene at home, in schools, on buses, and in other public places to prevent further outbreaks.

‘The level of seriousness and commitment to hygiene practices must be heightened across all affected and unaff
ected areas, collective responsibility is essential in combating the cholera outbreak.

Attah also advised everyone to avoid buying and eating street food in areas with reported cholera cases, saying clothes and bedding should be soaked in soap, boiled water, and disinfectants, or bleach.

He said floors, walls, toilets, and bathrooms should be washed with disinfectants or bleach where cholera patients stayed or were treated.

‘Everyone should drink boiled or potable water, additionally, people should adopt regular hand washing with safe water and soap or use hand sanitiser.’

NAN quotes the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as saying ‘as of 11 June 2024, 1,141 suspected cholera cases had been recorded across 30 states in Nigeria since January 2024.”

The 10 states that recorded 90 per cent of the cases are mostly located in the South (Bayelsa-over 400 cases, Lagos, Abia, Cross River, Delta, Imo States), with some situated further north (Katsina, Nasarawa, Zamfara States).

Source: News Agen
cy of Nigeria