The Katsina State Government on Saturday reacted to the reported decline in the rate of water borne diseases in the state, attributing the development to improved health care responses from government agencies like Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies (RUWASSA), and the massive deployment of health monitors in the rural communities

The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, Dr Kabir Mustapha, told The Nation during an exclusive interview that the multi-sectoral approach also undertaken by the state government in addressing emerging health care challenges in the state, including focusing on improved environment, ensuring clean water supply and rural sanitation also contributed to the success story

He said: “water is key, about 90% of activities at the rural areas revolve around water supply, as clean water supply ensures hygiene through hand washing and other health activities.

‘’Also the introduction of health education in schools, advocacy campaigns and lots of sensitization on community health activities contributed in creating the needed awareness and result’’

‘’Again government’s direct, purposeful and proactive approach, like the appointment of Disease Notification Officers who swung into action also contributed in ensuring timely intervention and reduction of the prevalence of the diseases

Read Also: Kastina flood: 2000 benefit from Air Force medical treatment

Recall also that an investigation by The Nation on 26 out of 34 local Government areas of Katsina State revealed a massive decline in cases of water related or water borne diseases in the rural communities, thanks to the improved tempo of activities by the state owned Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASA

Alhaji Ahmed Sani, a Community Health Extension Worker and Officer in Charge of Maternity and Child Health Clinic, Kakarku village in Sandamu Local Government Area told The Nation exclusively, that there is a noticeable decline in reported cases of water borne diseases due to improved water distribution and sanitation as well as healthy environment as experienced in the schools and the rural communities

He said: “diseases like diarrhea for instance, between 2016 t0 2019 have reduced considerably from 572 cases to 189, Typhoid from 336 to 63, Cholera from 557 to 89’’.

“The same decline is also experienced in other diseases like dysentery, rashes, gastro entreaties, pneumonia, and so on. All through most of our rural areas, the activities of the agency have brought about cleaner environment and an improved health care’’

Executive Director of RUWASSA, Engineer Aminu Dayyabu Safana said the availability of water especially in the rural areas is having a serious positive impact on the lives of people in different ways.

He said: “provision of water is necessary and it must be clean, purified and free from any contamination to make it safe for drinking and other domestic purposes.’’

Mr Muazu Yusuf, the Director, Kaduna State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources says it has started clearing of drainage across the state to avert flooding.

Yusuf made this known on Friday in an interview .

According to him, the ministry is taking proactive measures to combat flood disasters, which can destroy lives and property, if waterways are blocked.

He said the project was being handled by Cape Gate Nigeria, the company given the responsibility to evacuate refuse in the state.

He advised motorists plying the roads to be careful, while driving along the affected areas as men would always be at work.

Yusuf said the ministry in its rapid mitigation response had also started sensitisation residents on indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways.

He said the sensitisation would be carried out in five local government areas prone to flooding as predicted by NIMET.

He said the affected local government areas are Igabi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, and Chikun.

According to him, the Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA) has been mandated to enforce and sanction offenders for indiscriminate dumping of refuse and building of illegal structures on waterways.

He therefore urged the public to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse or face appropriate sanction.

Zamfara State First Lady Hajiya A’isha Bello has donated a brand new motorcycle, writing materials, wrappers and cash gifts to a primary school pupil who trekked two kilometers to school.

Fatima Isma’il Lawwali of Unguwar Tofa in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state is a primary two pupil who’s father chose for her to school at Model Primary School in Tsafe town, 2 kilometers away from her home because of his zeal for his daughter to be highly educated and become a medical doctor.

Lawwali said that the closest school to their home was practically in a shambles, explaining that his daughter might not be able to cope academically in such environment which makes him feel it is necessary to choose an enabling enrolment for her to study.

A’isha Matawalle while presenting the gifts disclosed that she saw the picture of the girl on Facebook trekking to school and decided that something positive should be done to assist the family in their quest to educate their child.

“It is heartbreaking when I saw the picture of the girl on social media and this donation is in line with my pet project’s mission to ensure the educational development of the girl child in Zamfara State,” A’isha said

The First Lady stressed that she’ll empower about three thousand female students with uniforms and other educational materials with a view to provide an enabling environment of learning for the girl child under her pet project.

She further revealed that a committee will be set up for a door to door campaign to enlighten parents on the need for enrolment of the girl child in schools to discouraged street hawking and any other thing that thwarts the development of the girl child adding that she’ll participate personally in this campaign.

According to her, another 8000 women will also be empowered in the next three months under her office aim at eradicating poverty and dependence on their spouses which she said is the only way to dismal constant divorce among married couples.

Experts in the field of personnel management have called on Nigerian youths to ensure integrity as a vital tool to thrive in business, urging them to shun scrambling about for quick cash.

The call came in Lagos at this year’s National Industry Leaders Summit, themed: ‘Reputation Capital’.

The summit was to commemorate the birthday ceremony of the Co-founder of Pertinent Limited/Chief Executive Officer, Globarel Limited, Sunday Olorunsheyi, and the launch of his book titled: ‘From slum to significance.’

Olorunsheyi, said there was urgent need to re-orientate the youths to focus on building their reputation on integrity.

He noted that youths must thrive in all their endeavours to build their reputation on integrity, noting that is what will make their partners trust and respect them in business.

According to him, his business was able to grow beyond expectations because he believed in posterity and did everything possible to live a life of integrity.

“My business is growing today, neither because of my professional qualifications, nor because of my experience in the business world, but, it has been practically on the platform of reputation capital.

Read Also: ‘Integrity key to business growth’

“People that have been able to trust me with little resources graduated to trusting with bigger resources and we are still looking forward to achieving more in business.”

He lamented that youths believe in shortcuts and that to make it in life requires cutting corners.

He therefore urged the youths to make meaningful impact anywhere they find themselves though it might be challenging, rather than focus on making quick money.

One of the facilitators, Bola Oba, urged the youths to be steadfast and committed to the development of the nation’s economy, rather than go abroad in search of greener pastures.

He said: “Nigeria is still a land of opportunities and a goldmine, but you do not go to goldmines to pick gold on the ground; you go there to break the earth to get to it and in breaking the earth, the elements of skill, diligence, perseverance and collaboration are fundamentals that cannot be excused away.

“I left Nigeria in my early 20’s and went abroad. The things I was looking for in the Diaspora then, I get more of them now and enrich people in the Diaspora. I think something is wrong with our thinking system that we need to change in our youth.”

Speaking about the book, Mrs Bosede Olusola-Obasa, said the book tells how Olorunsheyi, who was not born with a silver spoon, now produces golden spoons for people and distributes.

Zubairu Galadima-Soba, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Kaduna State, on Friday cautioned Nigerians against open display of affluence, so as not to attract kidnappers and other criminals.
Galadima-Soba who gave the advice in an interview with the NAN in Kaduna, said many Kidnappers get attracted to people who spend lavishly in parties or ceremonies and also post their lifestyle on social media.
“Kidnapping is a social menace that has assumed a threatening dimension, particularly in the northern part of the country.
“Kidnapping is only attractive to those who are prone to criminality and those who are out rightly greedy, because anybody that partake in productive and legitimate endeavor will partake in crime such as kidnapping,” he stated.
The director said Nigerians must be cautious and security conscious so as not fall victims of kidnappers.
Galadima-Soba expressed concern that majority of those involved in kidnapping were youths, and said appropriate punishment should be meted out to them to dissuade other youths from getting attracted to such criminality.
He advised the youths to uphold good values of hardwork, self respect and self reliance by engaging in entrepreneurship or learning skills that would sustain them in life.
The NOA director saluted security agencies in their efforts to make the country safe for all, and solicited the support of the general public in providing intelligence information to help the security personnel tackle the menace effectively.
Galadima-Soba urged parents, religious and community leaders not to relent in guiding the youths to be responsible citizens who cherish hardwork, self reliance and good neighbourliness.

The Lagos State Government on Friday said it would embark on a free medical mission in partnership with Healthcare Mission International for the treatment of children as well as screening and advocacy for adults today.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Titilayo Goncalves who said this  at a news conference in Alausa disclosed that  the treatments include would dental care, orthopedic treatment, visual/hearing impairments, surgeries and other common ailments.

Goncalves said the six-day exercise would take place in seven Primary Health Care Centres, PHC, across the state, including Lagos Island, Surulere, Badagry, Alimosho, Epe, Ikeja and Ikorodu.

According to her, the exercise was part of the state government’s efforts to improve health care among residents and complement various programmes put in the place to promote healthy living among them, adding that the exercise was primarily targeted at children within the age bracket of 0 to 12 years.

Also, the Permanent Secretary, State Primary Health Board, Dr Tayo Lawal said about 1,000 people would be attended to on a daily basis, while about 21,000 people should have been attended to at the completion of the exercise.

Read Also: FG shifts closure of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to September 2

Lawal said the project was also an avenue to create medical awareness among the residents while thanking Healthcare Mission International for the gesture.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Healthcare Mission International, Mrs Nike Osa said the effort was necessitated by its belief to assist the less privileged in area of medical challenges.

Osa said though children were the prime target of the programme, adults would be given health talks and screened for tuberculosis and HIV.

“Those found to be positive will be managed using the established channel of treatment of these illnesses,” she said.

According to her, the exercise was an innovative programme meant to help the children to be healthy and prepare them for their roles in the future as leaders.

The Ogun State Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Clement Oladele, has urged individuals to contribute their quotas to reducing road traffic crashes in Nigeria.

He decried worrisome the rising rate of fatal crashes, especially, at the construction sites on Lagos/Ibadan and Lagos/Abeokuta expressways and  attributed the causes of the crashes to impatience, over-speeding, drunk/reckless driving and lane indiscipline.

The Sector Commander spoke at the stakeholders’ Forum with the theme: ‘Reducing road traffic crashes in Nigeria, a shared responsibility,’ organised by Ota Unit Command of the Corps in conjunction with Shell Nigeria Gas at Ota, a surburb of Ogun State.

He said all Nigerians, irrespective of status and professions have roles to play in the reduction if not total termination of road crashes on Nigeria roads. “No fewer than 80 casualties have been recorded so far in the second quarter of this year in the state, compare to 72 in 2018, also 196 crashes were recorded in the second quarter of 2019  compared to 148 crashes in 2018.

Read Also: FRSC sets up mobile court along Kaduna-Zaria highway

“FRSC rescued 505 victims in various crashes that happened in the state in 2019 compared to 481 person rescued in the 2018. This is worrisome because the number of  people that died increased by 4 per cent in 2019.”

Oladele stressed the need for the FRSC to increase and strengthen enforcement on safety especially on all construction areas and some accident prone environment within the state and any driver caught violating traffic rules would be arrested and prosecuted.

“Human being are not produced in factory and FRSC would not fold its arms and allow drivers to continue wasting peoples’ lives unnecessarily on the roads,” he added.

Ota Unit Commander, Akeem  Gainyu, said crashes were not caused by spiritual forces but by human errors. Noting that over 90 per cent of road are being caused by non-adherence to traffic rules and regulations.

He lamented that drivers do not obey traffic rules despite knowing the dangerous consequences of such attitude.

He said safety on the highways should not be left to FRSC alone but should be a collective responsibility and to include passengers and all stakeholders in the transport industry.

He also implored motorists to consider other road users safety while on the wheel and always plan their journey to suit the present condition of the roads before embarking on any trips.