As part of fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, the Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) in partnership with Rotary Club, recently carried out an awareness programme aimed at improving personal hygiene, healthy living amongst residents in some Lagos communities.
The programme, which was part of efforts to commemorate the year 2022 World Mosquito Day under the theme, ‘No Mosquito, No Malaria,’ kicked off with fumigation exercise within the neighbourhoods.
Addressing participants during the exercise, Chairman of PECAN, Olakunle Williams said this year’s edition is unique in the sense that the association partnered with the highest regulatory body in the area of environmental health, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) and the internationally recognised humanitarian body, Rotary Club to support the residents of this area fumigated the drainage to eradicate the living of mosquitoes.
“This would be the second time PECAN would partner with the Rotary Club of Gbagada. The first time was on April 25, 2019 during the World Malaria Day of that year when our Association,” Williams said.
Justifying the need for the event, Williams said, the World Mosquito Day was introduced as a mark of honour to the 1897 scientific discovery of a British doctor by the name Sir Ronald Ross who succeeded in revealing to the whole world that the female anopheles mosquito was the cause of malaria.
“August 20, has been set aside internationally to create awareness as to the human deaths being caused by mosquitoes worldwide and to allow the world to see how these global deaths can be eliminated or abated.”
He however urged Nigerians to take preventive measures rather than curative measures which have been parts of methods of tackling the menace of malaria in the past years.
The President, District 9011 of Rotary Club, Nsirimobi reiterated the group’s commitment in supporting any activities that would continue improving a better living of the masses.
He said environment cleaning, disease prevention and treatment are among the major focuses of the Rotary Club, urging Lagosians to always consider the cleanliness of their environment.
The representative of Lagos State Environmental (LASEPA) Mrs Bosede Natufe said Lagos state would have been so clean if the residents shun the habits of illegal dumping of refuse.
While commending Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for ensuring a cleaner Lagos, the body also impressed on the residents the need to stop dumping refuse in the drainages, stressing that the high level of indiscipline may be fueling the prevalence of mosquitoes which is transmitting malaria and other diseases.