The President-General, Oranmiyan Worldwide, Prince Felix Awofisayo, has bowed out of the leadership of the group.
Awofisayo announced his decision to call it quits while declaring open a one-day seminar on leadership skill for members of the group in Osogbo. He said he would, from time to time, offer useful pieces of advice that can assist the group.
Oranmiyan Group is a political movement instituted in 2005 to canvass for Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s political ambitions.
Awofisayo, who has been leading the group since its inception, said he had decided to quit to ensure that another leader emerges to inject fresh ideas into group to achieve its desired goals.
He praised members of the group for the roles they played “in thwarting the efforts of ballot snatchers, thuggery and intimidation during the first and second term elections of Governor Aregbesola”.
According to him, the group was vindicated that the state has undergone and still undergoing tremendous positive changes under the administration.
“As a political movement, and during our journey, we fought insidious political battles and won fair and square.
“You were the bedrock and vanguard of that just cause and I am very proud to have led the group through that turbulent period and share in your triumph and tribulations,” Awofisayo said.
Acknowledging that during the past five years of the administration, there have been challenges, he noted that members of the group have actually contributed immensely to the development of the state in all aspects.
He, however, stressed that the leadership training for the members aimed at motivating them to focus on the group’s original goals.
The Oranmiyan boss added that it was also aimed at enhancing the capacity of members towards working in tandem with mission of Aregbesola’s government.
In his address, one of the facilitators, Comrade Isa Aremu said the sustainability of the group should be paramount in the minds of members.
He said the training would enable members to acquire necessary leadership skills to play significant roles that could enhance robust political engagement between the government and the people.
Member Lagos State of Assembly representing Surulere Consistuency 1,Hon. Desmond Olusola Elliot has hosted a stakeholders’ meeting,where he briefed members of his consistuency on the role expected of the legislature
The stakeholders’ meeting held at the council secretariat with the theme: “Towards a better constituency engagement’’ was simultaneously held in all the 40 constituency was initiated to enumerate the primary responsibility of the lawmaker and address salient issues of the area.
Speaking at the interactive session, Hon. Desmond Olusola Elliott noted that there had been conflicting ideas on the duties of both the legislative and executive arms by the public. He added that the functions of the legislature include; appropriation and allocation of fund for projects; legislation and consideration of political or economic actions of the executive and approving them when deserved; over sight function and checking on the executive to ascertain funds allocated are used for the projects they are meant for ;and representation to serve the people by lobbing and influencing the executive to ensure that the yearnings and aspirations of his constituency are meant.
Also, he assured that a health care centre would be built and affordable stores would be made available to the people.
Elliott said the needs of the people would be accommodated in next year‘s budget.
“The essence of having this kind of stakeholders meeting is that we want to move closer to our people and we want to deepen the dividends of democracy, you can see that the area it populated by the people of different social strata, we invite them because we want to hear their opinions and know their feeling about our government in the state.
“As you have heard, all their grievances and agitations would be noted and taken to the floor and would be deliberated upon .The deliberation won’t end here; it would be addressed on the floor of house and sent to the executive arm for its assent .We have it in mind to use this forum to determine where the shoe pinches our people and to alleviate their sufferings.”
He also urged the commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators to obey the state’s traffic laws.
Residents of the Constituency appealed to the Lagos State government to create more Wards and to also create another local government in the area.
According to the residents, this would aid proper administration and socio-economic development across the length and beneath of the area.
While addressing the gathering, the Executive Secretary of Surulere Local government Area, Hon. Mrs. Bamidele Hussain, said the stakeholders’ meeting would promote development and good governance.
Hussain said: ”The House of Assembly can help us make laws to better the lot of Surulere residents. We need functional Customary Court and a law that will make the Community Development Area (CDA) and Community Development Committee ((CDC) be part and parcel of the local government. ’’We also need more inner roads, skill acquisition and recreational centers to empower our youths.’’
The event was attended by politicians, traditional rulers, the party chieftains, market women, artisans, interest group amongst others.
AN eight-year old girl, Abosede Sangotoki, has been set ablaze by hoodlums at Amode Oke-Ore in Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Her father’s building was also torched when the hoodlums stormed the village.
Eyeswitnesses said the hoodlums wet the girl and the building with petrol before setting them ablaze.
Eight other houses were also razed.
Baale Samuel Olawale Sangotedo, who is also Abosede’s grandfather, said the hoodlums came in five commercial buses and many motorcycles around 2pm on August 19.
“Everything happened so fast we could not wait to pick any of our valuables. We fled into nearby bushes and they still came after us. We ran far into the bushes before they turned back.
“While some of us are now managing at our relatives’ homes, others are sleeping in churches, mosques and shops. We cannot go back to Oke-Ore because the hoodlums are still there. They are threatening to kill whoever comes back”, Sangotedo said.
•Hannah
His wife Hannah described the incident as barbaric and shocking, adding:
“Abosede was on holiday when I went to pick her at her parent’s home to come and spend the holiday with me. She did not really understand the intrigues surrounding the village land ownership tussle. Immediately they came, we all dashed into the bush, but she waited too long”.
Baale Sangotedo traced the cause of the incident to a land tussle decided by an Ota High Court in April.
His family, he said, won the case, adding that since the verdict, the other party has resorted to lawlessness and hooliganism.
He said the Ogun State House of Aassembly tried to resolve the matter, all to no avail.
Inspector-General of police Solomon Arase has drafted detectives from Abuja to investigate the matter.
The detectives arrested six persons, who were arrainged before an Ota Chief Magistrate Court on a six-count charge of conspiracy, arson, murder and kidnapping.
Their plea was not taken. The court ordered that they be remanded in prison custody, pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Digital television broadcasting and the challenges ahead of its implementation dominated discussions at the Southwest zone meeting of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) held in Lagos. Assistant Editor SEUN AKIOYE looks at the prominent issues in the digitalisation era.
When Segun Olaleye, the Executive Secretary, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) finished his short presentation on how digital television would affect the practise of broadcasting in the future, the Combo Hall inside Lagos Television complex, Agidingbi Lagos went very quiet.
Immediate past chairman of BON Southwest zone, Ayinde Soaga took the microphone and said what was probably playing on everyone’s mind. “ The truth is indeed bitter,” he began and told his colleagues about the need to either key into the new and emerging technologies which he said is changing “our lives and the way we live” or get lost or left behind.
It was the zonal meeting of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of radio and television stations in the Southwest. A two-day strategic meeting designed to deliberate on the future of broadcasting in the digital age. It was also a time to take stock and elect a new chairman that would steer the affairs of the organisation for the next two years.
The host, Deji Balogun, General Manager, Lagos Television was lavish in his acknowledgement of the honour of hosting the meeting. He said the station has been at the forefront of noble initiatives and pace setting in 35 years of “quality broadcasting.” Balogun said LTV is the only state television station that can be viewed on three different cable satellite channels namely: DSTV 256, Startimes 104 and CONSAT.
Television will never be the same
On June 30, 2015, Nigeria and 51 other African countries missed the deadline set by ITU, the United Nations agency for information and communications technology for the global broadcasting world to switch over from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The broadcasting executives were not surprised. For one, not many of them were prepared for the complete change the switchover would bring. According to Olaleye, when the switchover finally commences, broadcasting in Nigeria will not remain the same.
The BON executive who took his colleagues through the technicalities of the digital switch over said it came up as a result of the emerging trend in world technology. Part of the changes that will occur is the total reconfiguration of television broadcasting in the country. For instance, today, all television stations have individual transmitters, in the switchover, there will be what Olaleye called a “compression, there will be no more stations but channels.”
“Olaleye: “There are a lot of wastages in the analogue system and the switchover will be the process of compression. There will not be individual stations as we now have but all of them will be compressed into channels with a single signal distributor servicing all of them.”
He explained that all digital transmitters owned by the stations will be bought off by the signal distributor and all broadcast would be done through this channel. Every television station would be required to broadcast through a single digital channel provided by the signal distributor. What would be required for the ‘channel’ is to have studio where recordings would be made and transmitted to the signal distributor for onward transmission to the nation.
But there are other finer details. Each station now channel would be required obtain a license either for regional or national broadcasting. Also there will be two categories of broadcast namely the Free To Air (FTA), which will be free for all viewers- most of the existing television stations will be here- and the Pay TV.
For the Nigerian viewers, the era of free television is gone. Every television owner would also be required to obtain a sector box (similar to the current Pay TV decoder) which will convert the current analogue signals to digital. On the sector box, all FTA will be free according to their different licenses. For those who do not have a sector decoder, they will be unable to watch any channel again.
Loss of jobs?
The media executives are wary of the attendant loss of jobs of television workers. “The television of tomorrow will not be bogus and most of the infrastructures we have today will not be needed. All you need is a small studio where you will produce your content, your signal will be on another platform,” Olaleye said.
Finding the content that would appeal to an increasingly insatiable audience in the midst of a competitive market is a big challenge. It would require new skills and thinking out of the norm.
That would leave thousands of engineers, cameramen, reporters, copy writers, editors and other television workers jobless. There are also the infrastructures, studios, buildings currently owned by stations which would be totally useless and dilapidated.
There are cost implications for the viewers. Each sector box would cost a token fee of N1, 500 and it will come with an internet and PVR dongle. There will be 30 channels to watch and a maintenance fee of N1, 000 annually. For those who wish to watch channels on pay TV, there will be an additional cost.
Gbolahan Olalemi of Television Continental said a pilot scheme of digitization will be put in place in Plateau state in November 2015. Explaining further, on the cost implications he said content providers (stations) will be required to pay for licences to the signal distributors, 1.5 percent of their annual revenue and five minutes of airtime for advertisement for the signal distributor. He said after the pilot scheme, the Southwest region will be next. Already 13 decoder manufactures have been approved in the next months; 40 million decoders will be produced.
Deji Balogun said the challenges as identified is real and the broadcasters should start thinking of how to enact a constitutional change to allow broadcasters collect television and radio licence fees. “How protected are we? This is the time we should cooperate, it is not the time for competition,” he said.
The meeting did not end without a silver lining. Balogun was elected as the new chairman of BON Southwest zone, together with his team he will have the gruelling duty of ushering in the digital era in broadcasting. Balogun said he will be counting on the support of his colleagues to move the organisation forward.
The chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr. Bola Olowe, has called on governments at all levels to engage Nigerian engineers in their projects.
He argued that the local professionals are equally good as their foreign counterparts.
Speaking at the 21st Lawrence Arokodare Memorial lecture, with the theme: “Commitment of engineering into the hands of stakeholders: A catalyst for national development and improved living standards,,” Olowe condemned previous administrations, engaging foreign firms at the expense of indigenous professionals.
He said to ensure a smooth take-off of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and improve the standard of living in the country, governments at all levels must stop patronising foreign experts.
To Olowe, if governments and other stakeholders patronise local engineers, the nation can leapfrog into the league of developed nations and reduce capital flight to the barest minimum.
Olowe urged governments to make deliberate decisions to ensure that indigenous engineers are patronised and given opportunities to handle engineering development projects.
In the last few days, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has become a nightmare for motorists. That should not be if the immediate past federal administration had kept its promise to Nigerians who remain the victims. OLUKOREDE YISHAU reports that, aside the broken promise, a secret concession arrangement was entered into after the controversial cancellation of another.
Ask residents of Arepo, a community on the 127.6-kilometre-long Lagos–Ibadan Expressway connecting Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and Lagos State, what the highway means to them. Ordinarily, they should say it is the means to and from their homes. Their answer these days will be that the highway represents hell, no thanks to government’s failure.
Their reason: a journey from the Journalists’ Estate in the community, which should take less than 20 minutes to the popular Berger Bus Stop in Lagos, now takes eternity. They share this fate with residents of other communities on the 37-year-old expressway. Those using the route to access the Southeast, South-south and northern parts of the country also have sad tales to tell.
•Flood takes over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
But what really is the cause of the gridlock? Potholes, which have turned into craters, dot the road from Berger to Warewa near the Arepo Junction. The potholes have created several bad spots which force motorists to stop when they get to any of those spots. The effects of these frequent stops are traffic bottlenecks which stretch a long distance.
Though the bad spots from Berger to Warewa seem much, the bad spots on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway stretch further. But this should not be for this major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of the country.
In July 2013, the then President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan inaugurated the reconstruction of the road. This was after the controversial termination of a concession agreement between the government and Bi-Courtney Highway Services. Ex-President Jonathan had promised that the road would be ready in 48 months. It is over 50 months now.
The contract was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC) at a cost of N167 billion. The expressway was divided into Section I (Lagos to Sagamu Interchange) and section II (Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan) between the two companies.
•Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (2/6/12)
The N167 billion reconstruction cost did not include bridge overpass and underpass, which the N89.5 billion terminated concession agreement had promised. Also, the N89.5 billion concession agreement with Bi-Courtney was expected to build a world-class road with all necessary infrastructure.
There were plans to build a flyover at the Redemption Camp to ease the occasional congestion in that axis, provide dawn lightening powered by a gas-fired plant, improved and new interchanges, new drainage system, recessed service areas, lay-by emergency parking areas, trailer parks, footbridges in heavy pedestrian areas, weighbridges, electronic traffic control and informative signs.
The revocation of the initial 25-year concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited took effect on November 19, 2012.
But what has come as a shock to close watchers of the developments on the road was a concession claim last week by a firm, which identified itself as Motorways Assets Limited (MAL).
It said it was working on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The claim was contrary to statements by government officials in the Jonathan administration that there was no concession, and that the project had only been given to two contractors, Messrs Julius Berger and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), at a cost of N167 billion; out of which the Federal Government had paid N50 billion.
Another N23 million was voted in the 2014 Budget for the hiring of consultants on Private Public Partnership (PPP) scheme.
MAL said it was in the final stages of negotiation with lenders to raise N150 billion for the second tranche of funds to complete the project.
The emergence of MAL is raising dust, because it is seen as a violation of Private Public Partnership (PPP) laws and laid down procedures. The project ought to have been advertised for competitive bidding by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). It was not; making it appear as a back door arrangement.
Significantly, section 2.1 of the Nigerian Public-Private Partnerships Manual says: “The project is usually initiated by a Ministry, Department, and/or Agency (MDA) of the government. In select cases, the project could be initiated by the private sector as an Unsolicited Proposal under a transparent and competitive process, which will also be managed by an MDA.
“The first step for the MDA is to develop a project concept to be approved by the National Planning Commission (for projects of the Federal Government) or other relevant state authorities.
“The project concept will usually be based on a Pre-Feasibility study or Outline Business Case, and if it is approved, will allow the project to be included in the 15-year Master Plan (or National Implementation Plan for the Federal Government) which sets out the government’s infrastructure investment strategy covering all forms of procurement, including projects that will be financed in whole or in part from the federal budget.”
But, in the absence of any public tender, Oyinloye was quoted in a newspaper report on November 4 as saying: “Motorways Assets Limited has been given consideration for the project. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has to give the concession certificate, while the lenders and investors have to ensure that all the details are properly worked out. We have now got all the relevant approvals.”
The troubled story
Speaking at the inauguration of the road, Jonathan said: “We have made adequate funding arrangements to see the project all the way through to completion and by the special grace of God, we are certain to deliver on our promise and pledge on schedule.”
It did not take more than five months to show that the statement was political. On September 12, 2013, the Managing Director of the Infrastructure Bank Plc, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, reportedly announced that the Federal Government had mandated the bank to raise the N167 billion required for the reconstruction of the dual carriageway.
This was followed up by another manoeuvre on January 8, last year, when the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Bisi Agbonhin, said: “Investors will provide N117 billion for the road through a private sector-led project finance; infrastructure finance facility with the Federal Government of Nigeria providing 30 per cent of the project cost (i.e. N50 billion) while the balance of 70 per cent would be provided by the investors and financiers to the project. This arrangement will enable completion of the project on time and on budget.”
During an inspection of the road on February 10, last year, Mike Onolememen, who was the Minister of Works, revealed that the Federal Government had secured Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to fund the project. He denied that the ministry was about to re-concession the road.
“This is very common in the United States and we are introducing it here under this project to make it faster,” he said.
While addressing the board and management of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) on January 21, last year, Onolememen said: “For these three roads (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge and the approach route of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport), we are bringing vast resources from the private sector to the tune of about N300 billion. The reality in our nation today clearly shows that without the mechanism of Public Private Partnership (PPP), Nigerians will not be able to enjoy real dividends of democracy.”
The ministry was not done with its excuses on the road. Tony Ikpasaja, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Works, in a newspaper article on January 29, last year, said: “There are three major funding options that have the potential to provide adequate, reliable and timely financing for key road infrastructure.
“The first is On-Budget Public Funding; the second funding option is Off-Budget Public Funding, which includes special intervention funds, FGN Road bonds (to be issued in conjunction with the Debt Management Office), Concessionary Loans (e.g. from Nexim Banks). The third funding option, which is Private Sector Resources, comprises Pension Fund, PPP, Long-term Commercial Bonds, Export-Credit Finance, Private Equity and Infrastructure Bonds… Already, the Federal Government has N50 billion from the regular budgetary allocation of 2014 and 2015, as well as from Special Intervention Funds (SURE-P).
“In addition, the Minister, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, is working with key government institutions to raise the balance of the construction cost through FGN Road Bonds and Infrastructure Bonds where private sector funds can be accessed for the speedy completion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. This makes it a variant of the PPP model, where private sector funds can be leveraged without concessioning the road to a private firm.”
Onolememen was to introduce another variation while addressing a delegation of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in Abuja on February 4, last year, saying: “The government can decide how it funds its road projects, and government has made commitments up to N50 billion on that road. And we have decided, as a government and ministry, that in order to fast-track the completion of that road, we are going to be issuing road bonds and infrastructure bonds, where we will raise a balance of N100 billion. We already have government institutions that are also putting money down up to about N17 billion for that road.”
Lessons from other lands
Elsewhere, when governments need help to fix infrastructure, they turn to PPP and they follow the rules, which give the private investors the confidence to go the whole hug. The arrangement with MAL does not seem to pass the integrity test. In India, road concession is state policy. No less than 152 roads have been delivered under the arrangement. The state of Uttar Pradesh delivered over 13 of its major roads through that arrangement. In Germany, over 12, 200 km roads have been given out as concession. The United Kingdom has given out 580 km of roads. And in France, 6, 705 km of roads have been done through the PPP.
Significantly, of the 51, 242 km of motorways in Western Europe, 17,009 km (representing 33 per cent) were done under concession arrangement. Of this, 16, 356km are toll roads; 653km have shadow toll.
ICRC, BPP and what next
For the ICRC and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Bi-Courtney was a victim of the bureaucratic bottlenecks created by officials of the ministry, who exploited certain clauses in the concession agreement to frustrate the concessionaire.
In its annual report submitted to the former President, the ICRC stated that the project failed because the government did not play its part well as a partner in the PPP enterprise.
It was revealed that, of the three years and six months that Bi-Courtney had the concession, the Federal Government delayed for two years and 10 months. The rains accounted for six months. In effect, in a period of three years and six months, Bi-Courtney only had two months to work properly and it actually commenced the work through Borini Prono on September 23, 2012.
With last week’s claim by MAL, sources close to Bi-Courtney say a legal battle is afoot. And this raises the poser: how long will Nigerians have to wait if government fails to toe the right path on this all-important project? For now, the Ogun State government has started some remedial work on the road. This certainly will only help for a while.
What the road needs is a permanent solution. And for stakeholders such as the Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, this is what is expected: “We insist that the repair being carried out is not sufficient. We ask for a rebuilt road with six lanes on each of the north-bound and south-bound carriages between the interchange at Ojota in Lagos and the Sagamu interchange from where it should continue with four lanes on each side to Ojoo in Ibadan. Anything short of the above is a waste of time.”
The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Lagos State chapter chairman Alhaji Musa Muhammed has urged its members to shun act of thuggery and vandalism to promote peace in the state.
He gave the advice during the election of officials of Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, an affiliate of RTEAN. He said government will not tolerate acts capable of breaching the laws of the land.
Muhammed urged members to pay their tax promptly in order to make their impact felt in the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration. He noted that members who disobey traffic rule would be sanctioned.
“The association has inaugurated a task force that goes about to ensure members do not violate traffic rules. The team will further ensure that motorcyclists ply only government approved routes.
A group, Ilaje Forum for Good Governance (IFGG) has called for immediate probe into the employment status of the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Banji Okunomo at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
A letter dated September 15, signed by the National Coordinator; Kehinde Omotehinse said the former chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area was alleged to be still drawing salary and other benefits from the coffers of the commission.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Head of Service (HoS) of the Federation and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The letter reads: “We are compelled to point your attention to this issue because, in the last three or four years, Okunomo has actively been involved in partisan politics in a manner that it can be inferred that he is no longer a staff of the NDDC.
“Our investigation, however, revealed that he is still drawing salary and other allowances from the Federal Government’s interventionist agency without appearing in the office for one day in the last four years.”
The group pointed out that between 2011 and 2013; Okunomo was appointed the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Ilaje Local Government Area. It stressed that there was no evidence that he was granted any leave by relevant authorities for the two years he served as council chief, adding that he was even promoted to a higher grade level by the NDDC management during the period.
IFGG noted that since last year, Okunomo has been featuring as the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state and maintaining an office at the state party secretariat where he operates.
It urged the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the status of the PDP chieftain who has abandoned his work place since the last four years but making himself available at political rallies, meetings and radio/television live programmes.
Dentists are seeking ways of improving Nigeria’s oral health status, as they called for more government’s intervention to reduce common dental problems such as gingivitis and carries. These, they said, are common oral problems which almost half of the populations currently suffer from.
They stated this during the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Dental Sciences, College of Medicine University of Lagos Idi-Araba.
Former Dean, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Lagos State College of Medicine Ikeja Dr Tajudeen Ayodele Kekere-Ekun said oral health is very important to people’s overall health. This is because some of the problems that occur in the mouth may affect general medical conditions in the body.
He said failure to look after the problem of the mouth will result in local problems that may cause the teeth to develop some holes.
Kekere-Ekun said if the condition is not treated, the problem will go deeper into the teeth and affect the pulp, which is the living part of the teeth.
“If nothing is done, it will go down into the root to cause a widespread body infection,” he said.
He identified some of the challenges of dental health as lack of adequate modern equipment to treat patients, lack of consumables and teaching aids for dental students.
The Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which is committed to promoting children’s healthy living, has joined children and adults in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State to celebrate this year’s Global Hand Washing Day.
The group said it is committed to sensitising Nigerians to proper hygiene practices and to raise people’s awareness to the effect that washing hands with soap is a powerful public health intervention.
With a theme “Raise a Hand for Hygiene,” the event was organised to promote improved hygiene practices and draw attention to the world’s enormous sanitation challenges.
Speaking at the event, campaign Coordinator of Save the Children, Adeyoju Olukemi said: “Through the stop diarrhea project in Shomolu and Berger, we are calling on all relevant stakeholders in the project to promote hand washing with soap to reduce diarrhea in children and implement large-scale hand washing interventions by combining the expertise and resources of soap industry with the facilities and resources of government.”
She explained that hand washing plays an important role in the efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with regard to health improvements, education, poverty reduction, child mortality, effective use of water supply and sanitation services as agreed to by member countries of the United Nations (UN), including Nigeria.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diarrhea kills almost two million children every year, making it the second leading child killer diseases worldwide. A simple hygiene habit could halve this figure,” Olukemi said.
She added that the inaugural Global Hand Washing Day puts this often disregarded hygiene challenge at the forefront of the international agenda while keeping the children at the heart of each country’s national local initiative.
The Assistant Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Shomolu Local Government Area, Olaniyan Aderemi Ezekiel commended the efforts of Save the Children in putting up a praiseworthy event.
He said: “With the outbreak of Ebola that God helped us in curtailing, a lot of awareness has been created on hand washing culture. Impacting hand washing culture in the lives of our people within Shomolu has improved because it is a habit that people have not been practising prior to the outbreak of Ebola.”
He noted that after the outbreak of Ebola, the NOA has made it a point of duty to interact with people on the importance of hand washing and sanitation, which has changed the habits of many people.
“We meet and engage people, through our community support brigadiers and the sanitary inspectors who go round to sensitise the populace to the importance of hand washing. We go from market to market, organisations to organisations and groups to groups to engage them on importance of hygiene,” he said.
QUOTE
we are calling on all relevant stakeholders in the project to promote hand washing with soap to reduce diarrhea in children and implement large-scale hand washing interventions by combining the expertise and resources of soap industry with the facilities and resources of government…Impacting hand washing culture in the lives of our people within Shomolu has improved because it is a habit that people have not been practising prior to the outbreak of Ebola
