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The Secretary to the Delta State Government, Chief Patrick Ukah, has called on old boys and girls associations in the state to mentor the pupils to regain lost values in addition to providing critical infrastructure in schools as key stakeholders in the educational development of the state.

The SSG, who spoke during the handover/inauguration of a water scheme executed by St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu Uku, Old Boys Association (SACOBA) in their alma mater, bemoaned the dwindling value system in schools and called on them to visit the school often to mentor the students.

Ukah noted that it was not only through flogging or cutting of grass that discipline could be instilled in the students but also through proper guidance and counselling and mentoring.

He praised members of SACOBA for providing what they did not enjoy as pupils.

The SSG said the state government would continue to provide the needed infrastructure in schools. He however called on communities where schools are sited to own the schools and stem the rising tide of vandalism of school properties provided by the state government in the schools.

Earlier, the Chairman of the handover/inauguration committee and former Head of Service (HoS) in the state, Sir Okey Ofili, said the old students drilled the borehole to a depth of 640ft equipped with a pumping machine of 7.5HP, a 42ft stanchion carrying water tanks with cumulative capacity of 5,000 gallons.

This is in addition to reticulation of water supply from the main service point to various nooks and crannies of the college premises with 12 water fetching points dotted all over for the benefit of staff and students.

Ofili stated that the water scheme went through a test-run period of over three years to  ensure that they had provided a good project which would serve the college for many years because drilling a borehole in Ubulu Uku could be difficult because  of its terrain.

The highpoint of the ceremony was the inauguration and handover of the project to the principal by the SSG.

 

By Evelyn Osagie

At least 20,000 children will benefit from classroom and toilet construction/renovation funded by the European Union (EU) in Borno State.

Implemented by UNICEF, through state and local partners, 116 new classrooms and 53 latrines have been handed to the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board, according to a report.

The facilities will support girls’ education, reduce classroom congestion, and improve access and retention of conflict-affected children in school.

Children in Borno are among the most conflict-affected and educationally disadvantaged in the world. Since 2009, over 1,400 schools have been destroyed and 2,295 teachers killed across the Northeast in protracted conflict. Attacks by armed groups on education and school facilities, the influx of internally displaced families into metropolitan cities and population growth have also stretched existing school structures to the limit, creating challenges of access, retention, and school completion.

The Head of Health, Nutrition, Resilience and Human Development at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Montse Pantaleoni, hailed the initiative and said the EU and its member states are committed to supporting the government of Nigeria in the area of education, including the strengthening of Education Management Information System for longer term benefits in the sector.

“Education is a fundamental human right and investing in people is the most important investment any government could make for its citizens. Getting a number of out-of-school children back to school, and especially keeping the girls longer in school will contribute to better parenthood and reduce the effects of poverty that fuels protracted insurgency,’’ said Pantaleoni.

Spread across Gwoza, Hawul, Mobbar, Monguno, Jere and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council local government areas, the new classrooms and latrines will provide relief to children in some of the most hard-to-reach areas in the state.

“Children in the Northeast face unique challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated existing challenges in access to and quality of education, even further. While many barriers remain, we can be pleased to see progress is being made,” said Rushnan Murtaza, Deputy Representative UNICEF in Nigeria.

“For conflict-affected children and their families, education is a lifeline out of generational poverty. We are grateful for the funding from the EU to ensure the rights of the children in the Northeast to access quality education,’’ said Rushnan Murtaza.

The projects are components of a three-year 10 million euro EU Support to Early Recovery and Resilience package to UNICEF to support children, youths, and communities in Borno.

Other components include the provision of vocational skill acquisition and non-formal education to at least 25,000 youths.

Children living with disabilities seek to live a normal life like their counterparts without challenges. However, more often than not, they suffer deprivation that denies them the rights to education, employment and exposes them to violence, stigmatisation, among others, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE reports.

“People should stop giving us money like beggars. They should encourage us and help fight for our rights. We are humans like them. We have the same brain, and parts of the body. They should play with us, relate with us and take pictures with us. We have equal rights like every other person in the world.”

Those were the words of Adebolu Adejobi, a young lad suffering from cerebral palsy, who spoke at an event organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation (ICCF) and Lagos State government to celebrate children with disabilities in the state.

 

Supporting special children

Founder of ICCF, Mrs Olajumoke Otitoloju, explained that it remains imperative to give support to special children and take child rights advocacy notches higher.

She urged the government to recognise persons with disabilities, stressing that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also favour their inclusion in societal life.

She said: “Persons with disabilities should be recognised as equal partners by government at all levels, civil society and other stakeholders. Of the 17 SDGs, seven targets have an explicit reference to persons with disabilities. Further, all goals and targets are applicable to them by simple virtue of universality which applies to all persons and the overarching principle of ‘leave no one behind’.

“In Nigeria of today, we count on what matters and issues concerning children with disability matter. Children with disability suffer violence, discriminations and stigmatisation. The daily reality for most children with disability is that they are often condemned to a poor start in life and deprived of opportunities to develop to their full potential and participate in societal activities.”

Speaking further on the fate of many children with disabilities, Mrs. Otitoloju said:

“Children with disability are most vulnerable, denied, abused and marginalised in the society from health, education, social protection, participation and general wellbeing for their survival and development.”

To get members of the society to respect the rights of children with disabilities, Mrs. Otitoloju said ICCF was planning a grassroots  campaign.

“We want the right of the children living with disabilities to be respected. We want the community at the grassroots to respect differences and the community has to recognise each person according to their differences.

“ICCF is taking this enlightenment campaign on Child’s Right Law to the grassroots with the aim of educating them on necessary steps to prevent an infringement on their rights, to promote the participation of children with disabilities as full members of society and discusses all aspects of their development, including access to education, health services and rehabilitation, social and legal assistance, play and cultural activities, vocational and life-skills training,” she said.

 

Statistics on children with disabilities

Available statistics reveals that between 93 million and 150 million children live with a disabilities worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank estimate that in some countries “being disabled more than doubles the chance of never enrolling in school”.  Also, an estimated one in three out-of-school children are said to have a disability.

Almost 50 per cent of such children are not in school, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

A survey by Devex (a media platform for global development) revealed that determining the percentage of those with learning disabilities is almost impossible in the country as a result of non-existent data.

Therefore, any educational plan will perhaps not cater for the needs of those with disabilities, taking them further to the nadir of society.

UN Convention caters for persons with disabilities

The 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities establishes that children with “long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments” should enjoy the same human rights and freedoms as other children. The Convention goes on to say: “In all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration,” and  “…children with disabilities have the right to express their views freely on all matters affecting them.”

Throughout Africa, less than 10 per cent of children with a disability receive primary education. But in some countries, only 13 per cent receive any form of education.

Experts note that in developing countries, people with disabilities are likely to be poorer than other adults. Missing out on education not only affects the quality of life for individuals and their families, it also has a negative economic implication for countries, they add.

A study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) showed that countries lose between three and seven per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)  by excluding people with disabilities from the job market.

According to a study, discrimination against children with disabilities also results in reduced access to basic social amenities, and general lack of recognition. Addressing discrimination and promoting inclusion is crucial in all sectors, and can be achieved through information and advocacy, strengthening policies and facilitating access to services.

 

Laws without effective implementation

In January 2019, Nigeria signed into law a bill that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, after many years of advocacy.

The law states that a person with disability shall have a right to education without segregation. It also stipulates that public educational establishments shall be run to be inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities.

In 2015, Nigeria adopted the National Policy on Special Needs Education. Further, the Child Rights Act outlines that every child has the right to free, compulsory and basic education.

In international circles, Nigeria has made a significant commitment to the right to education for children with disabilities by ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006 has been ratified by 157 countries, which means they are committed to providing inclusive education to children with disabilities.

Sadly, despite these local and international laws and standards, many children with disabilities continue to face various forms of violence and disability-based discrimination and segregation.

Many countries are moving towards a system of inclusive education, which enables children with disabilities to be educated in local schools rather than separately. This requires robust changes to reduce and remove the barriers.

Experts say when people with disabilities get quality education, they are enabled to take up key positions in their communities, challenging stigmas and changing negative attitudes about their abilities.

According to them, education can help people with disabilities get increased access to employment, health and other services, and develop a better awareness of their rights.

 

Creating enabling environment

A Clinical Psychologist at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oyo State, Dr. Oluwafisayo Adebimpe, noted that the government is in the best position to correct setbacks suffered by special persons by putting in place an enabling environment whereby disability will not be seen as a health problem but as a diverse experience which affects ability to survive and function effectively in the society.

According to her, overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities, including the behavioural and psychological issues, requires removal of social and environmental barriers.

She said: “Disability is a complex phenomenon reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and the society in which the individual lives.

“Children with disabilities go through many challenges which need urgent attention. Among them are the physically challenged, some with intellectual impairment or learning disabilities, some with low vision or hard of hearing, while there are some with psycho-social impairment, mental health problems and other forms of disabilities.”

Adebimpe laments that the right measures are not in place to secure and protect the rights of special children.

“Most of them are deprived of their Nigeria Child Act Right which is to protect them. Unfortunately, the necessary measures are not put in place as expected. The Act is expected to protect these children irrespective of their physical or mental capabilities. Looking through the Child Act, 2003 Article 1, 7 and 8 clearly indicate the right to life, which behooves the Federal Government to support and create polices for child survival, protection and development.

“By extension, children with disabilities should also have access to education and health. But they are faced with discrimination among the populace because of their status.

These eventually lead to stigmatisation causing identity crises among their peers/contemporaries. These are evident in their non-acceptance into schools but rather into “special schools”.

The inability of these children to have access basic necessities to education, security, health care, social life and accommodation makes it more challenging for the children, parents and caregiver, not forgetting the burden and financial implications,” she added.

 

By Obi Nwakanma

The Government College Umuahia – one of Nigeria’s most prestigious boarding schools for boys -has an intimidating list of alumni; famous statesmen, leading writers and artists, world-class engineers and scientists, mandarins of the civil service, top members of the Military High Command, entrepreneurs and financiers, bankers – an array of stars, who have over the years, as the school’s song always did compel them, continued to “shine as one.”

It is a remarkable heritage. The “Umuahian” as an alum or “old boy” of this school is called, is expected to rise above the lot in any competitive environment. He was prepared for it by the traditions of the school, long-established to challenge extremely brilliant and extraordinarily talented kids, often specially selected to attend this very remarkable school, which was the British colonial attempt to model the English boarding school, Eton College, in the colonies in a remarkable time. That’s why Umuahia was famously called the “Eton of the East” among educators and students in Nigeria in a particular era. Its traditions were modelled along the Eton tradition. Its orientation was clearly for the education of gentlemen who were expected to be the leading lights of each of their generations. It was therefore expected of an Umuahian to be a standard-bearer, and to raise the torch – that torch that frames the college’s crest – at every moment, and in every place where they plant their feet on the sand. To be an Umuahian is to be the light that shines in any place of darkness. Umuahians have done this proudly over the years.

They have raised their torches, and they have often been the lights of their society. It has often been the joke that the trouble with Nigeria is that because it has been mired in mediocrity, it has failed to use its light. The only reason why Nigeria is in trouble is that an Umuahian has not led it as president. Nor has any boy from the siter schools at Kings College, Lagos, or the Government Colleges in Ibadan, or Ughelli, and so on. But that is a different issue.

The Government College Umuahia was a child of circumstances. Following the devastations of the First World War fought from 1914-1918, the British suffered a devastating loss of its young men to war, the so-called “lost generation,” most of them educated at Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Marlborough, before Oxford and Cambridge. This loss also meant that the British government had very little human resources to man and administer their so-called “British possessions.” The colonial office had shortages not only in robust youth willing to take up positions in the colonies, there was also a shortage of agricultural products for food and raw materials to feed the people and the postwar industrial plants. Thus, the British government’s policy under the Wartime Prime

Minister, Lloyd George in 1916, to expand agricultural production and produce exploitation in tropical colonies like Nigeria, among others. This led to the establishment of three Agricultural Research Stations at Moore Plantation in Ibadan, Umudike in Umuahia, and Samaru, Zaria, whose mission was to research and deploy new, modern methods in plant culture and food production. In the upshot, the British colonial administration adopted the Phelps Stokes report on modern education in Africa. Phelps Stokes had commissioned the Ghanaian, Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir Aggrey then fresh out of Columbia University in New York, to travel around Africa and document the prospects for Africa in 1920 and 1921. In 1925, the British Colonial governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg founded the Achimota College in Ghana (which was to be named the Prince of Wales College) with the Reverend Alec Hall as its first Principal, who had been Principal prior, at Trinity College, Ceylon. Dr. Aggrey was also made First Vice Principal of Achimota. Among the pioneer masters at the Achimota College was the Reverend Robert Fisher. Educated at Marlborough College and at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he had studied Mathematics and Philosophy, Robert Fisher had come originally to the Gold Coast as a missionary educator and had been principal of an Anglican Grammar School in Accra. However, in 1925, he resigned from missionary work and joined the Colonial Education Service as an Education Officer, and from that was posted to be on the pioneer teaching staff at Achimota College.

In Nigeria, meanwhile, S.M. Grier had been deployed from the Department of Native Administration to the Department of Education in the Colonial Administration and was charged with implementing the Phelps Stokes recommendations. Grier set in motion the process that led to the establishment of the Government Colleges in Umuahia, Ibadan, and Zaria. Notably, these new government schools were established very close to the Government research stations at Umudike, Moore Plantation, and Samaru. Changes in colonial policy also saw the arrival in 1929, of Mr. Eric Hussey as the Director of Education. Hussey’s policies had a great impact in the development of the Government Colleges in Umuahia and Ibadan, from a Teacher Training College in 1929 to a Modern science school in 1930, and the movement of the Katsina Middle School from Katsina, to become the Government College, Zaria (later called, Barewa College) in 1929. These Government Colleges – Umuahia, Ibadan, Barewa – the first of them Kings College, and Queens College (for girls) had been established in Lagos in 1909 and 1927 respectively – were special schools, different from the Mission-run colleges, because they were Government-run institutions. The best of the first-class mission schools were in fact a good notch below them, because of their special designations. First, the Government Colleges were more difficult to get into. Second, they were better provisioned with equipment and educational material and resources on taxpayers accounts. They had facilities that the mission schools could only dream about, and they were essentially the first places for modern science education in Nigeria. The Government College Umuahia was especially, among these Government Colleges even better endowed in its heyday.

Meanwhile, in 1927, the Reverend Robert William Fisher transferred his services from the Gold Coast to the Education Services of Nigeria and was appointed Principal of the Government College Umuahia, charged with developing the school. Robert Fisher acquired vast land at Umudike and built the Government College Umuahia on the road to Ikot Ekpene from Umuahia, and ten miles from the Umuahia Railway station, at the center of the city. The College grew in leaps and bounds until it was closed down in 1939/40 to serve as an interment camp for German prisoners of war during WW II. This also effectively marked the first phase of the school. The final year students of the school were transferred to Kings College, Lagos in 1940, and the rest distributed to various other schools in Eastern Nigeria as a result. Reverend Fisher retired that year and moved back to England where he serve as Vicar of the Anglican Church of St Mary’s in Tottenham. In 1942 however, a new set of boys were admitted to the Government College, and designated the “Government College Class 1” and placed at Kings College, and house on Customs street in Lagos. Another set of Umuahians were admitted and also housed at Kings College Lagos in January 1943, but in July that year, they were returned to Umuahia to reopen the school. The next class of 1944 soon followed and in 1945, a most dynamic principal, Mr. William Simpson was appointed to the Government College Umuahia. Simpson had been Acting Principal of the Yaba Higher College, and prior, Director of Education in the British Cameroons.

His era began what is often called the “Simpson years,” in Umuahia, which saw the admission into the College of Chinua Achebe, C.C. Momah, Christopher Okigbo, V.C. Ike, Elechi Amadi – boys who dominated the tradition of modern letters in Nigeria in that era, and so many more, for which Ikpehare Aig-Imhokuede once described the Government College Umuahia as “the school for famous men.” That was the generation of boys who in 1948 supplied the highest number of students admitted to the new University College Ibadan, of any other school in Nigeria.

Today, the Government College Umuahia sits on vast grounds – on land larger than the campus of the University of Nigeria at Nsukka. The Government College Umuahia grounds hosts ample facilities for the education of boys, the most privileged of whom have had the opportunity of education of a first-class kind under great masters. Aside from well-built, very modern dormitories, Umuahia had on its campus, the “European Quarters,” which was what the teachers quarters at Umuahia was called because it was a GRA-style Housing area within the school campus, with its leafy green streets, which once had only English masters and just a few Nigerians as senior masters; this of course thankfully changed; there’s the junior staff quarters on the compound which housed the Cooks, stewards, and gardeners; there was the Botanical garden and the College zoo with an artificial pond that once had a crocodile. There was ample opportunity for sporting life with the nine-hole Golf course; the football field and Cricket pavilion at the Lower Fields ; the Olympic-sized Athletics field at the Upper Fields; seven lawn tennis courts, and basketball courts. Grounds were already broken for an Olympic-sized Swimming Pool under the administration of the principal, I.D. Erekosima, but which could not be completed as a result of the civil war. There is also the vast school orchards, and a large experimental farm, where many an Umuahian had learnt modern farm techniques. A small cattle ranch had also been planned in 1967 as part of the school’s farm, under the aegis of the Agric Extension Services and Animal Production program of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, under the Deanship of Professor Bede Okigbo, a distinguished old boy of Umuahia. Again, the civil war did not permit this. It was a tradition that the Government College Umuahia hosted every Nigerian head of state and leader of government from the Colonial Governor-General, to the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa. And of course governors of the states subsequently that ran Umuahia. The last of these official visits was by Commodore Amadi Guy Ikwechegh, himself an old “Umuahian,” who was Military Governor of the Old Imo state. Things began to go don the hill with the Government College Umuahia, with the Civil war that ended in 1970. But by the end of the 1980s, into the early 1990s, as a result of the neglect of subsequent administrations under military rule, facilities decayed in Umuahia, and its foundation became increasingly shaky and threatened by attrition.

On account of the decay at Umuahia, which had reduced this magnificent school to a terrible shadow of itself, the alumni of the Government College – its oldboys – took the bull literally by the horn. They surveyed the ruins at Umuahia and concluded that radical surgery was required to save this magnificent but crumbling edifice or let it die. But it would have been a terrible thing to let Umuahia die; a let-down to the past of one of the most distinguished experiments in modern education on the African continent; and so, Umuahians led the charge, and convinced the administration of the Abia state government under Governor Theodore Orji, to cede GCU to a public Trust primarily endowed by the Oldboys of the School. Thus, the Government College Umuahia was ceded to the Fisher Education Development Trust (FEDT) which will henceforth manage the school and midwife its future development. The point is, the Government College is back! In the last five years, no new admissions have been made to the college. The last of the state admissions were allowed and guided to graduate this June, and this September, a new set of boys, who would have taken the Government College Entrance and Selection Examination and properly interviewed, will be admitted to start from Form 1 and begin the new Government College Umuahia. The GCUOBA and Trustees of the Government College Umuahia have worked in the last five years to restore, rehabilitate, rebuild, and in many cases triage old buildings and reconstruct the facilities at Umuahia, including plans to rebuild the old College Art Gallery started by the pioneer Art teacher in Nigeria, K.C. Murray, but which was destroyed and looted during the civil war. A new era has opened at Umudike. Once more, as happened in 1943, following the devastation of war, a new Umuahia has been reopened and appointed this time to follow in the footsteps of the great William Simpson is Mr. Clay Springfield, a South-African
educator, who will now build on the foundations established by the great Umuahian headmasters – Fisher, Simpson, Cozens, Wareham, Erekosima, Ogujawa, Agwu Uche, Nworgu, Onwumere, etc. Now upon his shoulders lie the Herculean task. But he also has a great distinguished line of examples to follow. The Government College Umuahia is back, thanks to the old boys and other
friends of Umuahia, primed again as it admits its new set of boys, to define the 21 st century, as it did the 20 th century, with its own new generation of “famous men.”

Dr. Obi Nwakanma, an Umuahian, is a Professor of English at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Email: admin@gcu.sch.ng

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN) has urged the federal government to leverage on the opportunity created by the COVID-19 pandemic to create more resilient and transformative health systems.

It noted that COVID-19 did not only negatively impact the health of Nigerians, but exposed the already fragile and weak health systems in the country.

It further stated that there is an urgent need to ramp up efforts with regards to local capacities to produce vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine, as the country can no longer rely on external sources.

Speaking during the 37th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the APHPN on Tuesday in Abuja, the Chairman of the occasion and Chief Executive Officer of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Dr Prosper Okonkwo, said: “The pandemic has exposed the true state of our health systems. Apart from impacting the health of citizens, the robust health system has been fully stretched and the ones that are fragile are on the brink of further collapse.

“However, it provides an opportunity for us to begin to build more transformative health systems that are well-positioned to face future emergencies.

“We see that routine immunization for example has been affected. Also, some maternal health indicators have been affected. You see that we are not only talking about Covid-19 alone. So this is an opportunity for us to begin to put things together.

“Particularly from governance and leadership, equity considerations must be given a right of place. We have the opportunity to build resilient systems that can stand the shock of such epidemics when they come again.

“There must be efforts at improving infrastructures like laboratories, particularly PCR laboratories, oxygen plants, and all the commodity logistics issues. In fact, we need to begin to consider vaccine production. We must consider all these even as the pandemic progresses.

“In this era of vaccine nationalism and diplomacy, Nigeria thought we had a source from India and India said they have to sort themselves out first. These are lessons we should learn in the way we do business going forward.”

In his remarks, the National Chairman of APHPN, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, said: “This year’s theme – Strategies for resilience and recovery from public health emergencies – is apt given the global novel coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 and other emergencies.

“These emergencies have a significant impact on health through changes to political, environmental and other conditions which may influence determinants of health.

“Beyond their direct impact on health, emergencies also increase the population’s susceptibility to diseases and poor health through their impact on health systems. They destroy or disrupt the system, reducing its ability to respond appropriately and promote, restore or maintain health, which in turn results in an increase in morbidity and mortality.

“Therefore, it is imperative that this conference addresses the issues surrounding this theme through the various sub-themes that have been carefully selected to align with the main theme: Financing Health in public Health emergencies; Mental health: an evolving public health emergency; impact and response of private health sector to COVID-19 Pandemic; access to reproductive health and NCDs response during COVID-19 era, and innovative health technologies in Pandemic response and recovery.”

The Chairman of APHPN FCT Chapter, Dr. Dan Gadzama, added: “Notwithstanding the current challenges, this annual event gives us the vital opportunity to interact, network, engage with one another and forge pathways for deepening public health research and practice in Nigeria. It is also an avenue to increase our national and global visibility as Public Health Physicians.”

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disclosed that about three countries in Africa are being considered for the installation of local production capacity for COVID-19 vaccines.

It further stated that following the pledge by the G7 to donate over $800 million doses of vaccines, it expects the availability of vaccines to improve.

The WHO, however, expressed concerns over the surge in new COVID-19 cases across Africa in the last two weeks – over 53 percent increase.

The WHO Country Representative, Dr. Kazadi Mulombo, made these known in Abuja, during a joint news briefing on COVID-19 vaccination updates of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NHCDA), the WHO and UNICEF.

He said: “Following the decision of India not to export COVID-19 vaccines, as you know, the G7 has also announced when they were addressing the issue of vaccine equity, that there is a push towards lifting the patent and to try and decentralise the vaccine production.

“Currently, there is a consideration to select up to three countries in Africa to install that capacity, so that they will install local production and upscale the production.

“The G7 also pledged more than 800 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be shared through the COVAX mechanism. It is expected that over the next few weeks, the availability of vaccines will improve.

“COVID-19 cases on the African continent will soon pass the 5 million mark and as Africa heads towards a sad milestone and a looming third wave, many African lives are at stake. In the last two weeks, Africa recorded a 53 per cent increase in cases compared with the previous fortnight.

“There are, however, five countries – Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia – currently experiencing a resurgence.

“The threat of a third wave of COVID-19 is real and is rising in the African Region, including Nigeria. A rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is, therefore, important, while intensifying COVID-19 preventive measures such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well-ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.

“While an increasing number of persons in Nigeria are being fully vaccinated, there is a need for all to continue to adhere to the non-pharmaceutical interventions as recommended by the NCDC/PSC.”

He added: “COVAX Facility recently informed that Nigeria has been allocated AstraZeneca/AZD1222 (AZ/AZD1222) vaccine doses. Nigeria is among a group of participants being prioritised to receive the AZ/AZD1222 vaccine due to the negative impact of the SII/Covishield global supply constraints.

“COVAX expects to announce another round of dose allocations where Nigeria may receive further allocations. WHO position on the AstraZeneca vaccine remains the same: the benefits of vaccination are far greater than the risk of the rare side effect. The vaccine remains a valuable tool in the fight against severe COVID-19 illness and has been shown to reduce severe illness, hospitalisation and reduce deaths due to COVID-19 by over 80 per cent.”

 

 

 

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The Government of Japan has announced that it will provide approximately $39 million in emergency funds to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the development of vaccine cold chains in Nigeria and 31 countries in Africa and Latin America affected by COVID-19.

According to a statement by the APO Group on behalf of UNICEF Nigeria, the support from the Government of Japan complements the work of the COVAX Facility, an international vaccine procurement mechanism working to ensure that people in all countries have quick and equitable access to vaccines.

With these funds, UNICEF will work with the government to provide cold chain equipment in priority storage sites based on gap analyses, to improve storage capacity for vaccines and facilitate monitoring of the vaccine potency.

This has a far-reaching impact on the overall goal of the COVID-19 prevention strategy in the country through vaccination as well as the entire immunisation programme for child survival.

The statement further explained that a walk-in freezer room will be installed in each of the selected six states. This includes solar vaccine refrigerators to be installed in 175 wards that have a gap in vaccine storage capacity. Temperature monitoring devices will be installed across 18 state cold stores, and technical assistance will be provided to carry out the setting up and maintenance of the equipment and devices. These supplies will ensure the quality of the vaccines.

Rushnan Murtaza, Officer in Charge, Representative, UNICEF Nigeria said: “We welcome the generous support of the government and the people of Japan to Nigeria, as we continue to grapple with the impact of COVID-19.

“These funds will allow us to more effectively implement the strategy to ensure as many Nigerians as possible receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ensuring timeliness and efficacy of the vaccines, so that we can work towards a better future for all. UNICEF will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria, Government of Japan and other partners to support the COVID-19 response and to deliver positive outcomes for child survival and promote equitable access to vaccines for all.”

 

 

 

By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

The Federal Government yesterday resumed vaccination for the first dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for those who missed out in the earlier round of the exercise.

This came as the government is expecting the delivery of a second batch of 3.92 million doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine between the end of this month and early August.

It noted that the vaccines, which will be gotten through the COVAX facility, will be from non-Indian sources like South Korea due to the pandemic situation in India.

It added that the administration of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will end by June 25.

It also assured Nigerians that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against the Indian (Delta) variant B.1.617.2.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, stated these in Abuja, during a joint news briefing on vaccination updates, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

He said: “As of today, we have administered 1,978,808 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 680,345 second doses.

“We now have information that Nigeria will get 3.92m doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca by the end of July or early August. As we receive additional information on the exact dates in August, we will provide an update regarding timelines and details of this.

“Recent research from Public Health England (PHE) shows that the Indian (Delta) variant B.1.617.2 is 92 per cent susceptible to Oxford/Astrazeneca. It is, therefore, comforting to know that the vaccine used in Nigeria can protect against this variant that caused high morbidity and mortality in India. However, it underscores the need for us to ramp up our vaccination to more Nigerians.

“I will once again remind those listening that we are advising that all Nigerians who have received their first dose to check their vaccination cards for the date of their first dose and ensure that they receive the second dose between 6 – 12 weeks after their 1st dose to gain full protection against COVID-19.

“Please note that in some cases the location of your second dose may be different from your first dose. So, please be sure to confirm this.

“I, therefore, urge all Nigerians who have received their first dose at least six weeks ago to visit the nearest vaccination site to receive their second dose, for full protection against COVID-19 on or before 25th June when we shall close the administration of the second dose.”

He added: “Recall that we officially closed the vaccination for the first dose on 24th May 2021. Since then, we have been inundated with requests by Nigerians to be vaccinated. In response, we have decided to reopen vaccination for the first dose from today.

“This means anyone 18 years and above who has not been vaccinated should visit the nearest vaccination site for the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. For such persons, their second dose will be due in 12 weeks and by then we would have received the next consignment of vaccines.

“We are ramping up vaccination to avoid an increase in cases as experienced in other African countries.”

Peter Hawkins, the Country Representative of UNICEF, who was represented by Dr. Gupta Gagan, urged Nigerians, especially the frontline workers, health workers, and persons with co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, asthma etc., to ensure that they get vaccinated.