Opinion
Still On The Malaria Scourge
One of the health problems of the world is the scourge of malaria.
Malaria which is mainly a tropical disease has taken millions of lives. And this is in spite of the effort made by several agencies and governments to check the scourge of malaria. Meanwhile, in an effort to control the devastating effects of malaria the Rivers State Government, has decided to collaborate with a Cuban company to build a malaria control factory in Port Harcourt. Speaking when the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Elio Savou Oliva paid him a courtesy visit at Government House in. Port Harcourt recently. Governor Rotimi Amaechi said since the partnership had blossomed into an agreement he was confident that in five years malaria would be eradicated in Rivers State. He assured the Cuban Ambassador that his government was prepared to fulfill its part of the agreement so that between December 2009 and January 2010 there would be reduced cases of malaria in Rivers State. He stated that the Port Harcourt malaria control factory when completed would produce about six million cubic litres of vector insecticides for malaria control.
Also speaking, the Cuban Ambassador Mr Oliva said they were in a special mission to the state to collaborate with the state government to fight the deadly vector and the malaria parasite. He stressed that Cuba was ready to assist the state government to eradicate malaria by building the malaria control factory adding that the factory would be first of its kind in Africa. The Ambassador said, this represented the first major cooperation between Cuba and the Rivers State Government. As already noted, malaria is a deadly tropical disease that has killed millions of people in Africa. We therefore welcome the cooperation between the Rivers State Government and Cuba to fight the disease and the malaria vector. Obviously, the factory when completed will go a long way in checking malaria in this part of the world. The Rivers State Government should not relent in this.
In the meantime, the representative of the National Roll Back Malaria programmes, Dr Olayemi Shofolu has announced that about 300,000 children died from malaria attack every year in Nigeria. Dr Shofolu announced this recently while visiting the Ekiti State Governor Mr Segun Oni in Ado-Ekiti. He described malaria as a deadly killer which must be eradicated in the country. Dr Shofolu further announced that the deadly disease’ was responsible for the death of over eleven percent of pregnant women in the country annually adding that fifty per cent of Nigerians were vulnerable to the killer disease. He appealed to the three levels of government in the country to pool resources to eradicate malaria. The representative promised that his organisation would provide free insecticide treated nets for Nigerians in its’ efforts to eradicate malaria. In his response, Governor Oni said his government had already commenced the free distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets to boarding schools and pregnant women. He stressed that the state would partner with the National Roll Back malaria in the country. We are all aware that malaria is one the
deadliest diseases in the world. We should therefore make every relevant and necessary effort to eradicate malaria in the country.
In a similar development, Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State has described malaria as a scourge that must be eliminated through keeping our environment clean at all times. The Governor made the remark while speaking at the Roll Back malaria programme sponsored by Chevron Nigeria Limited in I):atsina on October 8,2009. He said malaria had caused the death of minions of people in Africa adding that we must ensure its elimination from the surface of the earth. He announced that about 400,000 doses of anti-malaria drugs had been purchased and distributed to health institutions in the state as a means of preventing the spread of the disease in the state. However these are all important efforts at checking malaria. Hopefully they would be sustained.
In any case, according to the World Health Organisation report, malaria parasites account for thirty percent of all hospital admission in the tropical region and twenty five percent of death among children under the age of five years. The report adds that 800,000 children under the age of five die from malaria every year making it one of the major causes of infant and juvenile mortality. The case of Africa is even more bleak. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every thirty seconds and one out of every five children dies before his/her first birthday. Malaria puts, at least, forty percent of the world population at risk.
Malaria is caused by mosquito bites. It is one of the commonest causes of death in Africa as already noted. The malaria germ and its vector were first identified in the 19th century by a British medical practitioner, Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932). However, efforts to find a permanent cure for the disease have not succeeded yet. Nevertheless, there is a ray of hope as Swedish researchers have succeeded in developing a vaccine that had been successfully used on a boy suffering from severe malaria. Medical scientists working at Stockholm,’s Karolin Aka institute found a molecule that prevented the red blood cells infected by the malaria parasites from sticking together and blocking blood vessels. The leader of the team of scientists Professor Mats Wahlgren said that the vaccine had provided a good protection.
However, malaria is a deadly tropical disease whose vector is mosquito. A definitive cure therefore means killing all the mosquitoes in our region. We should therefore wake up to the challenge of malaria. Tolofari Fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Abuja.
Dr Mann Tolofari
From all indications, Nigeria possesses enough human and material resources to become a true economic powerhouse in Africa. According to the National Population Commission (NPC, 2023), the country’s population has grown steadily within the last decade, presently standing at about 220 million people—mostly young, vibrant, and innovative. Nigeria also remains the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with enormous reserves of gas, fertile agricultural land, and human capital.
Yet, despite this enormous potential, the country continues to grapple with underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2023) show that about 129 million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line. Most families can no longer afford basic necessities, even as the government continues to project a rosy economic picture.
The Subsidy Question
The removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been one of the most controversial policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the president, subsidy removal was designed to reduce fiscal burden, unify the foreign exchange rate, attract investment, curb inflation, and discourage excessive government borrowing.
While these objectives are theoretically sound, the reality for ordinary Nigerians has been severe hardship. Fuel prices more than tripled, transportation costs surged, and food inflation—already high—rose above 30% (NBS, 2023). The World Bank (2023) estimates that an additional 7.1 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty after subsidy removal.
A Critical Economic View
As an economist, I argue that the problem was not subsidy removal itself—which was inevitable—but the timing, sequencing, and structural gaps in Nigeria’s implementation.
- Structural Miscalculation
Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries remain nonfunctional. By removing subsidies without local refining capacity, the government exposed the economy to import-price pass-through effects—where global oil price shocks translate directly into domestic inflation. This was not just a timing issue but a fundamental policy miscalculation.
- Neglect of Social Safety Nets
Countries like Indonesia (2005) and Ghana (2005) removed subsidies successfully only after introducing cash transfers, transport vouchers, and food subsidies for the poor (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria, however, implemented removal abruptly, shifting the fiscal burden directly onto households without protection.
- Failure to Secure Food and Energy Alternatives
Fuel subsidy removal amplified existing weaknesses in agriculture and energy. Instead of sequencing reforms, government left Nigerians without refinery capacity, renewable energy alternatives, or mechanized agricultural productivity—all of which could have cushioned the shock.
Political and Public Concerns
Prominent leaders have echoed these concerns. Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, described the subsidy removal as “good but wrongly timed.” Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party also faulted the government’s hasty approach. Human rights activists like Obodoekwe Stive stressed that refineries should have been made functional first, to reduce the suffering of citizens.
This is not just political rhetoric—it reflects a widespread economic reality. When inflation climbs above 30%, when purchasing power collapses, and when households cannot meet basic needs, the promise of reform becomes overshadowed by social pain.
Broader Implications
The consequences of this policy are multidimensional:
- Inflationary Pressures – Food inflation above 30% has made nutrition unaffordable for many households.
- Rising Poverty – 7.1 million Nigerians have been newly pushed into poverty (World Bank, 2023).
- Middle-Class Erosion – Rising transport, rent, and healthcare costs are squeezing household incomes.
- Debt Concerns – Despite promises, government borrowing has continued, raising sustainability questions.
- Public Distrust – When government promises savings but citizens feel only pain, trust in leadership erodes.
In effect, subsidy removal without structural readiness has widened inequality and eroded social stability.
Missed Opportunities
Nigeria’s leaders had the chance to approach subsidy removal differently:
- Refinery Rehabilitation – Ensuring local refining to reduce exposure to global oil price shocks.
- Renewable Energy Investment – Diversifying energy through solar, hydro, and wind to reduce reliance on imported petroleum.
- Agricultural Productivity – Mechanization, irrigation, and smallholder financing could have boosted food supply and stabilized prices.
- Social Safety Nets – Conditional cash transfers, food vouchers, and transport subsidies could have protected the most vulnerable.
Instead, reform came abruptly, leaving citizens to absorb all the pain while waiting for theoretical long-term benefits.
Conclusion: Reform With a Human Face
Fuel subsidy removal was inevitable, but Nigeria’s approach has worsened hardship for millions. True reform must go beyond fiscal savings to protect citizens.
Economic policy is not judged only by its efficiency but by its humanity. A well-sequenced reform could have balanced fiscal responsibility with equity, ensuring that ordinary Nigerians were not crushed under the weight of sudden change.
Nigeria has the resources, population, and resilience to lead Africa’s economy. But leadership requires foresight. It requires policies that are inclusive, humane, and strategically sequenced.
Reform without equity is displacement of poverty, not development. If Nigeria truly seeks progress, its policies must wear a human face.
References
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2023). Poverty and Inequality Report. Abuja.
- National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Population Estimates. Abuja.
- World Bank. (2023). Nigeria Development Update. Washington, DC.
- World Bank. (2005). Fuel Subsidy Reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and Ghana. Washington, DC.
- OPEC. (2023). Annual Statistical Bulletin. Vienna.
By: Amarachi Amaugo
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