VP Shettima Arrives in Sweden for a 2-Day Visit

By: Our Reporter

Trade, investment, ICT, education, mining, agriculture top agenda

Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Sweden for a 2-day working visit aimed at boosting trade and bilateral relations between both nations.

The Vice President is accompanied by the Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and some heads of government agencies and parastatals.

The visit, which is at the behest of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will see the Vice President engage in high-level talks with key government officials. He is also slated to meet with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the Swedish Prime Minister.

Targeted areas of strengthened collaboration between Nigeria and Sweden that will be pursued by the Vice President include ICT, digitalisation, education, sustainable transport, agriculture and mining.

The Vice President is expected back in the country on Saturday.

VP Shettima Arrives in Sweden for a 2-Day Visit

FG Asks Nigerians Not to Shun Handwashing Culture Insists It is Crucial for Public Health

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has encouraged Nigerians not to shun the handwashing culture, insisting that clean hands are crucial for public health and global health security.

Speaking at the commemoration of the Global Handwashing Day in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako while noting that about 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world, said: “Promoting proper handwashing in Nigeria is a strategic move to equip the nation in its fight against disease outbreaks as well as global threats such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).”

He lamented that children and other vulnerable population are more prone to such diseases like diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, because of poor knowledge about the importance and practice of effective handwashing. In order to create and promote awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing as an easy, effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives, noting that the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 declared 15th October of every year as Global Handwashing Day.

The Minister said this years’ theme: “Why Are Clean Hands Still Important?” reflects an important question which provokes the thought that irrespective of the significant progress made in promoting handwashing with soup under running water, “our journey is far from over. This theme therefore confronts every sector and every individual with the reason to continue practicing and promoting effective handwashing and not to neglect this simple but powerful practice seeing that the benefits are limitless.”

He stated that: “Hand hygiene inclusion in government plans and funding not only improves health but also boosts the economy by reducing the burden on health services and promoting high healthcare standards.

“It also contributes to attaining multiple target’s of the Sustainable Development Goals on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), nutrition, education, health and economic growth.”

He stressed that: “For businesses including markets, effective hand hygiene practices can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases leading to fewer sick days for businessmen/traders, and increased productivity. This enhances marketplace well-being, supports public health, and strengthens overall resilience against disruption of business.

“In schools and workplaces such as hospitals and offices, clean hands are important in preventing diseases including hospital-acquired infections, ensuring consistent school/work attendance, and increased productivity.

“In the home, clean hands are still very much important to maintain good health by reducing the transmission of infectious agents (germs), and lowering the risk of infections such as diarrhea, typhoid and respiratory infections. Clean hands are still important in the home to prevent cross-contamination of food thereby reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Very importantly clean hands help to protects vulnerable family members such as newborns, elderly and immunocompromised individuals who are more susceptible to infections.”

The minister insisted that: “Handwashing with soap under running water helps to reduce diarrhoeal diseases by 30%, respiratory infections up to 20%, and can also help to reduce the transmission of outbreak-related diseases such as cholera, Lassa fever, Ebola, COVID-19, m-pox etc. Handwashing is protective against up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during health care and also prevents the spread of antimicrobial resistance.”

FG Asks Nigerians Not to Shun Handwashing Culture Insists It is Crucial for Public Health

Nigeria Admissions of malnourished children rise amid 4-year high in food insecurity due to conflict and climate

By: Our Reporter

Admissions of severely malnourished children in health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in northeast Nigeria have increased by 24% between the third quarters of 2023 and 2024.

This increase is part of a trend affecting the entire Lake Chad Basin region, where an estimated 6.1 million people will not have enough to eat in the coming months due in part to both conflict and climate, the highest figure in four years.
The rise in the number of people without enough food mirrors an increase in violence, which has severely impacted communities’ ability to grow crops and access markets. Violent incidents in the Lake Chad region in the first half of 2024 rose 58% compared with the same period in 2023.

Climate hazards are also preventing people from growing crops and accessing their farmland and markets, contributing to a food security crisis being felt across Lake Chad – in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. In northeast Nigeria, the start of the harvest season coincided this year with heavy floods that washed away seeds and all hope of harvest after an especially dry lean season.

“The consequences of spiraling violence and climate variability are devastating for families trying to feed themselves. We see the proof in the health facilities we support, where the rising number of children with severe acute malnutrition is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, they only represent a fraction of those in need across the region,” said Yann Bonzon, ICRC’s head of delegation in Nigeria.

In September, the ICRC expanded its efforts to curb malnutrition rates by supporting two additional health centers for malnourished children in Yobe and Adamawa states, northeast Nigeria. This will allow medical teams to provide a range of key services including consultations, nutritional screenings, and treatment for malnourished children with complications.

The ICRC, alongside with its partners from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, carries out activities assisting millions of people impacted by the combining effects of conflict and climate across the Lake Chad Basin. In northeast Nigeria in 2024, 187’000 people benefited from assistance in response to food shortages, delivered by the ICRC and the Nigeria Red Cross Society.

“We are increasing our humanitarian assistance, but we are afraid it is not going to be enough, because the needs are so much higher than the help we are able to provide,” said Alhaji Abubakar Kende, Secretary General of the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

The ICRC reminds all parties to armed conflicts that it is their responsibility under international humanitarian law (IHL), to ensure that people living in the territories under their control can meet their essential needs, including food, water, medical care, and access to farmland and markets. The ICRC engages all parties to armed conflicts on the respect for IHL, including in their conduct of hostilities. Indeed, IHL violations can negatively impact food security by disrupting access to fields and markets, restricting seasonal movement of livestock, and limiting access of humanitarian actors to communities in need.

Nigeria Admissions of malnourished children rise amid 4-year high in food insecurity due to conflict and climate