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Child Mortality Drops To 4.9m In 2022 -UN Report

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022, according to a UN report.
The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) report was released on Wednesday.
According to it, despite progress, an estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday somewhere in the world, or 1 death every 6 seconds.
Mrs Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, said that behind these numbers lie the stories of midwives and skilled health personnel helping mothers safely deliver their newborns.
“Health workers vaccinating and protecting children against deadly diseases, and community health workers who make home visits to support families to ensure the right health and nutrition support for children.
“Through decades of commitment by individuals, communities, and nations to reach children with low-cost, quality, and effective health services, we’ve shown that we have the knowledge and tools to save lives,” Russell said.
The report revealed that more children are surviving today than ever before, with the global under-five mortality rate declining by 51 per cent since 2000.
It said that several low and lower middle income countries have outpaced the decline, showing that progress was possible when resources are efficiently allocated to primary health care including child health and well-being.
According to it, for example, the findings show that Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia, and Rwanda have reduced under-5 mortality by over 75 per cent since 2000.
It said that but the findings also show that despite the progress, there was still a long road ahead to end all preventable child and youth deaths.
“ In addition to the 4.9 million lives lost before the age of 5, nearly half of which were newborns, the lives of another 2.1 million children and youth aged 5-24 were also cut short.
“Most of these deaths were concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia,” it said.
The report said that the tragic loss of life was primarily due to preventable or treatable causes, such as preterm birth, complications around the time of birth, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria.
It said that many lives could have been saved with better access to high quality primary health care, including essential, low-cost interventions, such as vaccinations, availability of skilled health personnel at birth.
Others, it said are support for early and continued breastfeeding and diagnosis and treatment of childhood illnesses.
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General said that while there has been welcome progress, every year millions of families still suffer the devastating heartbreak of losing a child, often in the very first days after birth.
“Where a child is born should not dictate whether they live or die.
“It is critical to improve access to quality health services for every woman and child, including during emergencies and in remote areas,” Ghebreyesus said.
He said that improving access to quality health services and saving children’s lives from preventable deaths requires investment in education, jobs, and decent working conditions for health workers to deliver primary health care, including community health workers.
WHO boss said that as trusted community members, community health workers played an important role in reaching children and families in every community with life-saving health services like vaccinations, testing and medicine for deadly yet treatable illnesses, and nutrition support.
According to him, they should be integrated into primary health care systems and paid fairly, well trained, and equipped with the means to provide the highest quality of care.
Ghebreyesus said that studies showed that child deaths in the highest-risk countries could drop substantially if community-based child survival interventions could reach those in need.
According to him, the package of interventions alone would save millions of children and would deliver care closer to home.
“Integrated management of childhood illnesses, especially the leading causes of post-neonatal death, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, and malaria, is needed to improve child health and survival,” he said.
Dr Juan Uribe, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank and Director, Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents said that the year’s report was an important milestone showing that less children die before their fifth birthday.
“But this is simply not enough.
“ We need to accelerate progress with more investments, collaboration and focus to end preventable child deaths and honor our global commitment.
“ We owe it to all children to ensure they have access to the same health care and opportunities, regardless of where they are born,” Uribe said.
He said that while the global numbers showed welcome signs of progress, there are also substantive threats and inequities that jeopardize child survival in many parts of the world.
“These threats include increasing inequity and economic instability, new and protracted conflicts, the intensifying impact of climate change, and the fallout of COVID-19, which could lead to stagnation or even reversal of gains and the continued needless loss of children’s lives.
“Children born into the poorest households are twice as likely to die before the age of 5 compared to the wealthiest households, while children living in fragile or conflict-affected settings are almost three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs said that the new estimates showed that strengthening access to high-quality health care, especially around the time of birth, helps to reduce mortality among children under age 5.
“While the milestones in the reduction of child mortality are important to track progress, they should also remind us that further efforts and investments are needed to reduce inequities and end preventable deaths among newborns, children and youth worldwide,” Junhua said.
The report said that at current rates, 59 countries would miss the SDG under five mortality target, and 64 countries would fall short of the newborn mortality goal.
According to it, that means an estimated 35 million children will die before reaching their fifth birthday by 2030, a death toll that will largely be borne by families in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia or in low and lower middle income countries.
The report also noted large gaps in data, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, where the mortality burden was high.
“ Data and statistical systems must be improved to better track and monitor child survival and health, including indicators on mortality and health via household surveys, birth and death registration through Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), and Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS),

Featured

Rivers Assembly Approves Fubara’s 2026–2028 MTEF

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State House of Assembly has approved the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

This reaffirms the lawmakers’ commitment to enacting laws and taking legislative actions geared towards the overall development of the State.

The Assembly gave the approval during its Second Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session held last Friday.

Speaking on the MTEF document during plenary, the House Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, noted that by the provision of Section 10(1)(b) of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law No. 8 of 2010, the MTEF ought to have been laid before the House in September 2025.

Amaewhule explained that traditionally, the document is expected to be presented four months before the commencement of the next financial year and immediately after the expiration of every three-year fiscal cycle.

He, however, stated that in the interest of the State and its people, the House considered it necessary to deliberate on the document, describing it as a precursor to the 2026 Budget Estimates.

The Speaker expressed concern that the year had already progressed significantly before the presentation of the framework.

During deliberations on the document, members examined the assumptions and projections contained in the MTEF and observed that strict adherence to the outlined fiscal parameters would ultimately serve the interest of Rivers people.

The lawmakers maintained that effective implementation of the framework would promote prudent financial management and enhance developmental planning across the State.

Following the debate and positive consideration by members, the Speaker put the question to the House and members voted overwhelmingly in support of the approval of the MTEF.

Meanwhile, during the same sitting last Friday, the House also received a petition from the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Dr. Gift Worlu.

The petition was presented by the member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon. Emilia Amadi.

According to the petition, concerns were raised over an imminent security breach, threats to lives, destruction of property and alleged forceful takeover of property by some lawless persons within parts of the Local Government Area.

Presenting the petition before the House, Hon. Amadi appealed to the lawmakers to revisit the matter and take necessary steps aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the affected communities.

The House is expected to further deliberate on the petition and consider measures to address the concerns raised in order to sustain peace and security in the area.

King Onunwor

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Fubara Reaffirms Commitment To Blue Economy, Private Sector Growth …Calls For Protection Of Marine Resources

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Government has reaffirmed its commitment towards fostering private sector-driven economic growth and harnessing the vast opportunities within the blue economy to drive national development.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, made this known during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), held in Port Harcourt, last Thursday.

Represented by his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, Governor Fubara described the conference theme, “The Gulf of Guinea and Blue Economy: Pathways to Trade, Investment and Security Towards a $1 Trillion Economy,” as both timely and strategic.

?The governor welcomed the leadership of NACCIMA, delegates from the 115 Chambers of Commerce across Nigeria, members of the diplomatic corps, captains of industry, investors, and other distinguished guests to Rivers State.

?He commended the National President of NACCIMA, Engr. Jani Ibrahim, for choosing Rivers State as the host of the 2026 conference, noting that the decision had drawn national attention to the immense economic opportunities embedded in the blue economy.

?Fubara stated that the blue economy possesses the capacity to generate revenue that could surpass earnings from the oil and gas sector if properly developed and managed.

?He stressed the need for Nigeria and other countries along the Gulf of Guinea to take deliberate steps toward maximizing the benefits of their maritime resources while guarding against the continued exploitation of coastal assets by foreign operators.

?Expressing concern over the activities of foreign fishing trawlers operating in Nigerian waters, the governor noted that many harvest seafood resources without making meaningful economic contributions to the country.

?He emphasized the need for stronger monitoring mechanisms and enhanced protection of Nigeria’s marine resources.

?”We must wake up and hit the ground running. If we do not capitalize on and utilize our blue economy, other nations will utilize it for us,” he stated.

?The governor thanked NACCIMA for what he described as a timely wake-up call on the importance of the blue economy and maritime security, adding that the successful hosting of the conference in Rivers State demonstrates the state’s safety, hospitality, and readiness for business and investment.

?Earlier in his remarks, the President of NACCIMA, Engr. Jani Ibrahim, expressed appreciation to the Rivers State Government for hosting the 66th Annual General Conference of the Association and for the warm reception accorded delegates.

?He noted that the state’s commitment to hosting the conference reflects its readiness for business and has helped restore investors’ confidence in its economic potential.

?According to him, NACCIMA highly values the cordial relationship between the Rivers State Government and the organized private sector, emphasizing that the association remains the foremost voice of the Nigerian business community.

?In her welcome address, the President of the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, described the conference as a historic milestone, noting that it was the first time in the Chamber’s 66-year history that it was hosting the national body of NACCIMA.

Nwoga commended the national leadership for entrusting PHCCIMA with the hosting rights and pledged the Chamber’s continued commitment to advancing the objectives of the association and promoting sustainable economic growth through private sector engagement.

News

Fubara Seals Off Collapsed Building Site, Orders Investigation

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has ordered a complete seal-off of the site of a five-storey building which collapsed last Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several others in Port Harcourt.

Fubara gave the order during his visit to the site of the collapsed building last Thursday to assess the situation.

He said the site will remain “completely sealed off” until the government gets to the “root cause” of the incident.

He described the incident as unfortunate but observed that preliminary investigation had shown that the developer had earlier refused to subject his site to inspection by the state authorities and comply with the necessary building regulations.

The governor, who inspected the site alongside the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sir Amairigha Edward Hart, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Special Duties, Dabite Sokari George, explained that he couldn’t visit the site the previous day because he was awaiting formal briefing from the relevant agency of government on the situation.

“We’re here to see for ourselves the very unfortunate incident that took place here. I didn’t come yesterday because I wanted to get the report first, and the Commissioner did brief me that the incident site, first, is not as claimed by the developer, that it’s not under the jurisdiction of the state; that it’s under the jurisdiction of the Federal Housing Authority.

“He also informed me that when the project was ongoing, they came here severally to inspect what was happening and also to see the level of compliance. But unfortunately, that the developer kept claiming that we don’t have any right to interfere,” he said.

Fubara said that the issue was no longer about interference but about the life lost to the building collapse and the collateral damage brought upon the family of the deceased.

He extended condolences to the families of the victims, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the developer had complied with the rules guiding the engineering design and construction of such a structure in the 21st century.

“We feel very sorry and very regretful that such an incident should be happening in this 21st century because technology has advanced, engineering has developed. I wonder what kind of engineer would even allow this kind of project to go on when everything about it from inception has been faulty.

“I think that at this point, nothing is going to happen on this site any more. We are going to make sure that this place is completely sealed off until we get to the root cause of this incident,” the governor said.