The Nation Newspaper

Tag: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

  • UNFPA urges FG to fight high fertility, maternal mortality

    UNFPA urges FG to fight high fertility, maternal mortality

    The United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) on Monday advised Nigeria to fight high fertility, maternal mortality rate and migration problem to end poverty and boost prosperity in the country.

    The UNFPA Country Representative, Ms Diene Keita, gave the advice at the 5th Annual Population Lecture Series (APLS) with the theme: “Achieving Demographic Dividend: Strategic Tool for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Development’’ in Abuja.

    Represented by Mr Osaretin Adonri, the Assistant Country Representative of UNFPA in Nigeria, Keita said that if Nigeria wants to tackle poverty, enhance prosperity and promote sustainable growth as envisaged in Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, it was of prime necessity to address diverse population issues.

    She said that problems including high fertility, high maternal mortality rate, migration and the special issue of youth development must be addressed.

    “The theme of this year’s lecture is in line with the African Union Road Map on harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in Youth and the country’s road map on harnessing Demographic Dividend through Investment in Youth launched in July, 2017.

    “It is relevant to the Nigeria Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017-2020), which in recognition of the risk factor of the high population growth rate in Nigeria prescribed the integration of population dynamics in development programmes.

    “With a large population of young people accounting for 31.7% of the population, the country should urgently generate a large number of productive jobs for the growing working-age population.

    “Also there is the need to adopt a strong social welfare system for the aged which will in the near future contribute substantially to the dependent population.

    “The country must implement appropriate policies on small families, and capital inflow to grow the manufacturing bases and consumer markets, especially to support investment and employment growth in order to take advantage of its demographic situations for sustainable development,” she said.

    However, the UN official lauded the federal government through the National Population Commission and other partners for their hard work, consistency and collaboration in ensuring the success of this year’s lecture.

    She appealed to policy makers and programme managers to make the best use of knowledge about population issues at the APLS and similar opportunities for development planning; ensuring that policies and programmes were guided by data on population issues.

    In her remarks, the Executive Director of Advocacy Nigeria, Hajiya Saudatu Sani, said that the time of planning on the management of Nigerian population was over and it was now time for implementation.

    Sani also urged government to invest in the youth, women and girl child education to achieving demographic dividend.

    The gender advocate advised the government to adopt the model used in China where there was huge investment on the youth for sustainable development.

    “Nigeria must do that now, the time of planning is over, it is time to implement and government must do that now to fight poverty,” she said.

    NAN

  • Osinbajo mourns Osotimehin

    Osinbajo mourns Osotimehin

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo says he is “shocked and profoundly saddened” on the death of Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and a former Minister of Health.

    Osinbajo expressed his shock in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, on Monday.

    Osinbajo extended heartfelt condolences to late Osotimehin’s children and entire family over the passage of their beloved father, grandfather and also an illustrious Nigerian

    The Acting President also commiserated with the staff of the UNFPA and the entire UN system on the demise of a very remarkable international public servant.

    He said the deceased served “passionately, diligently and worked tirelessly at the global and national stages to reduce maternal mortality and promote universal access to reproductive health”.

    According to Osinbajo, the late Osotimehin will be remembered for his many significant developmental contributions at home and in the international community.

    As Prof. Osotimehin is being mourned internationally, the Acting President urged the his family, friends and associates to take solace in the deceased’s notable service and worthy contributions especially towards improving women and children’s health across the world.

    He said such contributions would be widely acclaimed, deeply appreciated, and would be long remembered and honoured.

    The late Osotimehin, Osinbajo noted, also had a distinguished career as medical doctor and teacher before he served, as a cabinet minister, in Nigeria, and later at the UN.

     

  • Osinbajo mourns Osotimehin 

    Osinbajo mourns Osotimehin 

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday expressed shock over the  sadden death of Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, 68, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and a former Minister of Health in Nigeria.

    On behalf of the people and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Osinbajo extended heartfelt condolences to his wife, children and entire family over the passage of their beloved father, grandfather and also an illustrious Nigerian.

    The Acting President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, also commiserated with the staff of the UNFPA and the entire UN system on the demise of a very remarkable international public servant, who served passionately, diligently and worked tirelessly at the global and national stages to reduce maternal mortality and promote universal access to reproductive health.

    The late Osotimehin, he noted, also had a distinguished career as medical doctor and teacher before he served as a cabinet minister in Nigeria, and later at the UN.

    He said that the deceased will be long remembered for his many significant developmental contributions at home and in the international community.

    As Prof. Osotimehin is being mourned internationally, the Acting President urged the Osotimehin family, friends and associates to take solace knowing that his notable service and worthy contributions especially towards improving women and children’s health across the world are widely acclaimed, deeply appreciated, and would be long remembered and honoured.

     

  • FG renew commitment to end Obstetric Fistula

    FG renew commitment to end Obstetric Fistula

    Federal Government has renewed its commitment to end obstetric fistula in the country.

    Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole made this known while launching the guideline on Urethral Catherisation for prevention and managing of Obstetric Fistula in Nigeria.

    The launch was part of the sixth International Conference of International Society on Obstetric Fistula Surgeon (ISOFS) in Abuja.

    The Minister while evaluating the surgical exercise held at Federal Medical Centre Jabi, Abuja in collaboration with the society urged the International Obstetric Fistula Centre Working Group to work with the Federal Ministry of Health not only to repair fistula patients but also to find lasting solution to the problem.

    The Minister said, “It is not enough to keep on repairing, we must close the tap, by closing the tap, I mean we should do everything possible to stop all new cases of obstetric fistula in Nigeria”.

    According to the Minister since it is part of the Federal Government’s contributions to repair all fistula cases, the ministry had established three hospitals dedicated for fistula repair in the country namely: Abalaki, Ebony State, Baba Ruga, Katsina State, and Ningi in Bauchi State, adding that the government intend to establish three more in the year 2017.

    Adewole said, “We need to tackle the root causes by addressing education and poverty: when a woman is educated, she would understand what it means to have a child, understand what it mean to seek for medical care when things are not going well”.

    The Minister reaffirmed that the Federal Government of Nigeria was committed to put in place reasonable resources in the current budget to address social welfare problem that would lift people out of poverty.

    He said when people are educated and have resources, they could live well, eat well, and they would really attend issues affecting not only their health but general wellbeing.

    Deputy Representative, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nigeria Country Office Eugene Kongnyuy, said experts should think differently from the normal routine. He called for robust campaign against early marriage and harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation which he considered the main cause of Obstetric Fistula.

    The wife of the Niger State Governor,  Dr Amina Abubakar Bello said her project Raise Foundation was working toward improving the lives of women and children including  creating awareness and repair of fistula patients in Niger State adding that the foundation was willing to partner with the Federal Government in the quest to end obstetric fistula.

  • Haiti: Death toll from hurricane rises to 372

    Haiti: Death toll from hurricane rises to 372

    The Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) has put the official death toll in Haiti from Hurricane Matthew to 372.

    The DPC on Tuesday in Port-au-Prince, during its updated assessment of the damage, said that four people were still missing and 246 others sustained injuries.

    “Some 175,509 people who were left homeless are being housed in 224 temporary shelters.

    “Haiti’s southernmost departments of Grande Anse and the South were the worst hit, with 198 and 78 fatalities, respectively,’’ it said.

    Unofficial figures put the death toll at more than 800.

    Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said it WAs scaling up its emergency response to help more than 350,000 people in need of immediate humanitarian help.

    UNFPA’s Executive Director, Babatunde Osotimehin, said that special focus would be on more than 8,400 women who are expected to give birth in the next three months.

    He noted that the hurricane had ravaged Haiti’s health infrastructure.

    Osotimehin said that Hurricane Matthew dealt a severe blow on Haiti’s health facilities, whether by flooding these centres or blowing off their roofs and putting them out of service.

    He said that to counter the lack of medical services, Cuba and Venezuela were sending more doctors to the island.

    Osotimehin disclosed that Cuba, which already has some 600 doctors working there, had sent an additional team of 38 physicians with experience in handling post-disaster problems.

    He said that officials had been concerned about a resurgence of cholera, which has already killed thousands in Haiti since an outbreak following the devastating 2010 earthquake that leveled much of Port-au-Prince.

    Meanwhile, Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelan Vice President for Social Development, on Monday presided over the shipment of another 20 tons of humanitarian aid, mainly medicine, to the battered island nation, and said an initial brigade of 40 doctors would also be heading to Haiti.

    A report said from last Wednesday, Venezuela sent in 450 tons of machinery to help clear away rubbles from streets and roadways, as well as hundreds of tons of food, water, tents, blankets and other basic needs.

    A report on the situation in Grande Anse by Food For The Poor, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), found that “towns and villages along the coast are completely devastated”.

    It added that animal and plant production had been completely devastated.

    The NGO warned of a “food shortage that would last at least six months,” and said the government needed to import materials and seeds to get farms up and running again.