Nation
Nigeria’s Active Covid-19 Cases Increase By 39
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that the country’s COVID-19 active cases increased by 39, bringing the total number to 7,821.
The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Saturday.
It, however, recorded 60 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 164,207.
The agency noted that the newly recorded infections were reported across nine states, with Lagos state leading with 22, Rivers 15, Bayelsa 7 and Kaduna 5 cases.
Others were Ogun 4, Akwa Ibom 3, Osun 2, Kano 1 and Ebonyi 1.
The NCDC said that no death was registered as at April 17, while the country’s total fatalities stood at 2,061.
It disclosed that 21 people had successfully been treated and discharged from various isolation centers across the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the recovery number to 154,325.
The agency said the country had also tested 1,838,174 people since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on February 27, 2020.
It noted that a multi-sectoral National Emergency Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities in the country.
More than 100 million people globally have been infected 16 months after the detection of the coronavirus.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University published on Saturday, the number of global deaths that can be traced to COVID-19 have risen above three million,
“The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 4,408,245 as of Saturday,” the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
It said the death toll from the pandemic stood at 117,378, while 3,951,191 patients across the continent had recovered from the disease.
South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are among the African countries with the most cases on the continent, according to the Africa CDC.
It noted that Southern Africa was the most affected region, followed by Northern Africa and Eastern Africa regions, while central Africa was the least cases.
South Africa has recorded 1,564,355 COVID-19 cases, Morocco 504,847, while Tunisia was ranked the third on the continent with 281,777 COVID-19 infections.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
A pan-Nigeria organisation committed to the promotion and preservation of indigenous languages, Indigenous Language and Culture Promoters (ILCP), has called for the deliberate development and compulsory teaching of indigenous languages in both primary and secondary schools across the country.
The group made the call during its maiden Congress held in Bori, Rivers State, which was convened to examine challenges hindering the official adoption and effective teaching of Ogoni languages in schools.
Speaking at the Congress, the Executive Director of the organisation, HRC Mene Magnus Edooh, Amb.P, emphasised the critical role of indigenous languages in preserving a people’s culture, values and history. He warned against the gradual extinction of native languages, noting that language loss equates to identity loss.
“Years ago, Latin was a language of global relevance, but today it is largely extinct. We do not want Ogoni languages to suffer a similar fate. As a people, we cannot afford to lose our identity through the death of our languages,” Edooh said.
He explained that the Indigenous Language and Culture Promoters was established to collaborate with language stakeholders to ensure that children and younger generations remain connected to their mother tongues. The organisation also appealed to governments at all levels, as well as relevant institutions and individuals, to take strategic actions aimed at promoting and sustaining Nigeria’s indigenous languages.
Also speaking, the newly appointed Director of Media and Information, Prince David N. Gbarato, questioned the rationale behind government reluctance to accord indigenous languages their rightful place in national development policies.
According to him, “People with well-developed languages are people with well-developed indigenous systems and affairs,” stressing that language development is fundamental to cultural and societal advancement.
The Congress further served as a platform for the ratification of key officers of the organisation and featured the participation of representatives from various indigenous language groups and other language stakeholders, all of whom echoed the call for renewed commitment towards safeguarding Nigeria’s linguistic heritage.
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