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Nigeria Tops TB Burden In Africa …Ranks 2nd In HIV Spread
The Nigeria Medical Association has called on the Federal Government to make the fight against Tuberculosis one of its centenary anniversary projects by massively investing in TB research activities towards the discovery of the much needed anti-TB vaccine.
In a statement as part of the group’s efforts to mark the 2013 World Tuberculosis Day yesterday with the, theme, ‘Stop TB In My Life Time,’ the President of the association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele said different stakeholders in the society needed to wake up to the reality that Nigeria has the highest TB disease burden in Africa and 10th largest in the whole world.
According to the 2012 global TB report, considerable progress has been made all over the world despite the insurgence of HIV/AIDS considered hitherto as a major impediment to the control efforts.
Dr. Enabuelele emphasized the need for the Government to take heed to the slogan ‘Stop TB In My Life Time’, and called on research organisations to give greater attention to Nigerian prone issues like TB.
The NMA said there are over 84,263 new infections yearly and over 27,000 mortality rate.
According to the NMA, “tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is mostly transmitted from person to person via inhalation and ingestion of droplets from the throat and lungs of infected individuals with the active form of the disease.”
“The disease also affects a wide range of other organs such as the lymph nodes, intestines, kidneys, reproductive organs, skin, central nervous system and the bones including the spine which are all susceptible.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said over 2 billion people in the world are infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The NMA said the disease mostly affects those between 25-34 years (36.6 per cent) with Lagos, Kano, Oyo and Benue states being the states with the highest level of infections; while Ekiti and Bayelsa States have the least cases of infections.
People with HIV/AIDS are mostly vulnerable to the disease with 26 per cent of them infected with 3.1 per cent of this number infected with the Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
The association decries the unavailability of drugs and modern treatment facilities to treat the disease in the country.
“Poor availability of microscopy (smear), culture, drug susceptibility centre and presence of only one national reference laboratory at the national tuberculosis and leprosy control programme headquarters in Kaduna,” it said.
It also decried the poor budgetary allocations and dwindling international funding to fight the spread of the disease.
“Funding of TB control activities was another area of poor performance with only 71% budget implementation; only 28% came from domestic sources and 48% from the Global Fund an international funding partner of the United States Government, an observation considered as ominous.
“Confirming those fears, 2013 budget estimates show that whereas there is a marginal increase of 2% in domestic funding, the contribution from the Global Fund has depreciated to 42%, a sign for Nigeria to start looking inwards for other funding options for the fight against TB,” the doctors said.
With Nigeria lagging behind in all areas of rolling back the disease, the association doubts that the country “will be able to achieve the goal of 50% reduction in the prevalence and death from TB compared with the 1990 baseline by 2015 and eliminating TB as a public health problem by 2050.”
The NMA said the realisation of the fact the tuberculosis “is an entirely preventable and easily curable disease if simple public health regulations, hygiene practices and the treatment guidelines are strictly adhered to” makes the difficulties being faced in fighting the disease more disheartening.”
The association therefore called on the government to increase its commitment in the fight against the disease by increasing budgetary allocations for health to 15 per cent. It also called on the government to “establish a National Centre for Disease Control for effective surveillance and control of diseases,” including tuberculosis.
The association also said the government should embark on a massive vaccination campaign as a means to eradicate the disease.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has been ranked the second highest prevalence of people living with HIV in the world while only 30 per cent of people requiring HIV treatment are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
This was made known by the head, Grant Management Division of the Global Fund, Mark Edington in Lagos during the signing of five grant agreements worth $335million.
The agreements were signed between Nigeria and Global Fund to support programmes aimed at fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Nigeria.
Edington said that the grant agreements were a critical part of the $3billion in 169 grants that the Global Fund has committed in 2012.
“For Nigeria, the grant agreements address a tremendous need: Nigeria has the second highest number of people living with HIV in the world and only 30 per cent of people requiring HIV treatment are receiving antiretroviral therapy,” he said.
Mr. Edington said that the grant-signing followed the launch in October by President, Goodluck Jonathan, of a national programme aimed at “Saving One Million Lives” by 2015 by increasing access to effective basic health services.
He said the country announced that it was committing $500 million to support the programme.
“Nigeria has made some big strides and to turn back now is unthinkable, but the challenges are formidable and much remains to be done,” he said.
He said there is now an excellent opportunity for government to close the funding gap for antiretrovirals.
The Global Fund leader said that the HIV epidemic in Nigeria is highly concentrated among high-risk groups with 20 per cent of infections attributed to female sex workers.
He added that Injecting drug users and men who have sex with men account for 9 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, of annual new infections.
“Grant resources will be targeted to achieve a very significant increase in numbers of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy and prevention of mother-to-child-transmission services.
“During a transformation of the Global Fund’s grant management structure this year, Nigeria was identified as one of the 20 “high impact” countries.
The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, while speaking, said that the grant signing was another giant step in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“With the commitment of a spirited organisation such as the Global Fund, solutions are being offered and answers are emerging.
Also, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, commended Global Fund for the attention they gave to Nigeria, saying “we are greatly encouraged that the Global Fund is paying particular attention to Nigeria.
“I look forward to a very fruitful future relationship between Nigeria and the Global Fund. But that relationship must be based on performance and accountability,” he said.
Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria.
The Global Fund also promotes partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector, and local communities.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.