National News
Government Advised to Fight Malaria Beyond Distribution of Mosquito Nets

Government Advised to Fight Malaria Beyond Distribution of Mosquito Nets
By: Michael Mike
The fight against malaria in the country should not stop at distribution of mosquito nets, the Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) has advised government, stating that at stakeholders at all levels should implement other preventive measures against the disease.
Speaking at the commemoration of World Mosquito Day at Jahi II community in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chairman PECAN, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Mr. Terungwa Abari, said the main purpose of the World Mosquito Day is to raise awareness about mosquito-borne diseases and their impact on global health in honour of Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery on August 20 in 1897 that anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria.
Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2022 report on the disease, Abari who is also the national vice chairman of PECAN, said malaria is a major public health concern in Nigeria, with an estimated 68 million cases and 194,000 deaths due to the disease in 2021.
He noted that: “Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for nearly 27% of the global malaria burden. The risk of transmission exists throughout the country, all year round. However, the incidence of malaria is highest in the northern and north-eastern parts of the country,” he said.
He said beyond commemorating Sir Ronald Ross’ seminal discovery, the day provides another opportunity to review how far the fight against mosquito has gone in the country and enlighten more people, assist communities, save lives, and make a difference.
He said mosquitoes also cause dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya diseases.
He said: “According to the Atlanta based Center for Disease Control and Prevention, malaria alone claimed over 600,000 lives in 2022, a stark reminder of the challenges we face in eradicating this preventable disease.
“The theme for the world mosquito day 2024 is ‘accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’. This year‘s theme stresses the need to address the gaps in accessing malaria prevention, detection and treatment.
“PECAN Abuja is, therefore, calling on all stakeholders from the Government, Health Organizations, Environmental Health Practitioners, International Donor Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, Media Practitioners, Civil Society Organisations, Community based Associations, Faith based organisations, to synergise their efforts in tackling the world’s deadliest killer – the mosquito, through multi-pronged approaches.
“We call on governments at all levels to step up deliberate efforts at controlling and minimising mosquitoes in our communities to the barest minimum. A lot of attention has been focused on diagnosis and treatment which is commendable. There has also been some progress in vaccine development. But more efforts need to be directed at the causative agent – the source of the whole malaise – the mosquito,” Abari added.
He stressed the need for continuous enlightenment and increased advocacy for sustainable practices that protect the environment while controlling mosquito populations is critical. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches, which combine cultural practices, biological control, habitat management, technological innovations and community participation, can be effective in reducing the scourge of the mosquito.
“Source site management has to be enhanced. That’s where we the professionals come in. Intensive source site management activities including larviciding, adulticiding and other professional interventions will go a long way in this battle against this tiny devastating devil -the mosquito,” he further said.
He highlighted the need to engage only licensed and certified professionals in this sector should be engaged in this fight, to ensure the safety of both human health and the environment. Engaging the services of quacks can lead to more dangers than expected gains.
During the commemoration, members of the association cleaned the dirty Jahi environment, fumigated some parts of the slum and distributed over 50 mosquito nets.
The Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) was established in 1989 as an Association of Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) certified professional pest control providers. The objectives of the Association include maintaining ethical and professional standards in the pest control industry as well as safeguarding the health and wealth of the public and the environment.
Meanwhile, Suleyman Fatima, an Environmental Health Officer who represented the Registrar, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Dr. Yakubu Baba, said health education is critical in the fight against malaria, saying most locals in rural communities lack adequate knowledge on the dangers of mosquito as a vector.
The Chief Jahi 2 community, Salihu Adamu, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, thanked PECAN for the intervention in their community, saying it will go a long way in helping the people fight the killer disease malaria.
Government Advised to Fight Malaria Beyond Distribution of Mosquito Nets
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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