The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Monday Onyeme, has said that a malaria-free environment is achievable in Nigeria.
Onyeme made the observation on Thursday, during an advocacy visit on the Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) Campaign by the top management of the Ministry of Health and its partners, led by the Commissioner for Health Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, in Asaba, Delta State.
He said, “We will be glad to be the first state in Nigeria to have a malaria-free environment, and I am sure that we have a very capable team to ensure that the goal is achieved.
“Tell us what is expected of us and we will do it to achieve the desired result, because a malaria-free environment is achievable in our country.
“I want to assure you that we are ready, and whatever is required of us as a state government should be conveyed to us.
“We are ready to participate in this campaign and to take the campaign to every nook and cranny of Delta State.
“A healthy society is a wealthy society. Beyond every other developmental achievement by a government, if the citizens are not healthy, then everything will come to nothing.
“As a government, we are happy to see that you, as Nigerians in the health sector, are carrying out your duties as lovers and keepers of your brothers.
“By coming to Delta State to carry out this campaign, it is a great assistance to us and to our citizens. It shows that you care about us.
“I want to assure you that the Delta State government is ready to partner with you to ensure that our people are healthy” Onyeme added.
Earlier, the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Alipate Mohammed, represented by the Director of Personnel Management, Mr. David Oyeleke, noted that malaria remains a major public health challenge and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Nigeria.
He emphasized that concerted efforts made over the years by governments around the world, development (donor) partners, including the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, are yielding good results, adding that it is not over yet.
Speaking further, the Commissioner for Health, Delta State, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, said that the visit was a significant high-level advocacy and sensitization effort toward the Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) mass distribution campaign.
He noted that malaria remains a major public health challenge in the state and across the country, accounting for a significant burden of illness and death, especially affecting pregnant women and children under five years of age.
