Rivers State is set to intensify its battle to curb malaria scourge to the barest minimum as it plans to carry out an indoor response spraying (IRS) within the state.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi  gave the hint yesterday while speaking during the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Town Hall meeting, organised in collaboration with the state government in Port Harcourt.

While ensuring that the biolaruicide programme runs its full course, the governor noted , “we must invest in the biolaruicide, but we must also invest in the indoor spraying”.

The indoor spraying, according to the governor, had become imperative because of the shortcomings of the aerial spraying conducted earlier.

To this end, he said efforts would be intensified to ensure that by 2015, malaria is eradicated, even as he lamented that Nigerian has not been able to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He also harped on the need for ECOWAS to fulfill its financial obligation, “ this is serious for me. So you have on board, so lets see the cost for six states, so we can start from there”.

Amaechi stated that a pilot programme for the six Niger Delta states will provide pilot test on the efficacy of the progrmme, as he urged the citizenry to support the scheme by keeping their environment clean.

Rivers State and ECOWAS have agreed to build a biolaruicide factory at Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and the partnership is aimed at producing an environmentally friendly insecticide capable of eliminating larvae of mosquitoes in the sub region.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government says it has spends not less than N480billion on malaria cure and prevention yearly, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said, as he disclosed plans to deploy sanitary inspectors as part of the onslaught against the scourge of malaria in the country.

Prof Onyebuchi, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Town Hall meeting on Malaria held in collaboration with the Rivers State Government, yesterday in Port Harcourt, said the Federal Government would also commence malaria test across the federation.

Lamenting that malaria cure and prevention had taken a huge toll on the economy to the tune of N480billion yearly; an amount, which according to experts, was capable of paying the salary of 2.2 million Nigerian civil servants, the minister said, government would borrow a leaf from Rivers State by carrying out biolarvicide exercise in malaria-prone states.

He identified human beings, mosquitoes and infecting organism – plasmodium – as three major agents responsible for the transmission of malaria, while urging for concerted efforts to check the menace.

On his part, President of ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Quedraogo said the forum was organised to provide a platform to fight malaria scourge in West Africa

He, therefore, lauded the Republic of Cuba and Venezuela for partnering technically and financially to ensure that the scheme was successful.

In his remarks, Governor Chibuike Amaechi observed that the anti-malaria fight was crucial in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Amaechi believed that the onslaught against poverty could only be successful if common diseases like malaria were eliminated, considering the economic impact.

The Rivers State governor, who said ECOWAS must fulfil its promise by bringing its counterpart funding to ensure the scheme was successful, further urged the populace to keep their environment clean to support government efforts.