The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board says nothing less than 4,000 additional health workers are needed to deliver effective and efficient health services across the territory.
FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Mathew Ashikeni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday, April 7, 2018.
Commemorating the 2018 World Health Day, Ashikeni explained that the health workers included medical doctors, midwives, laboratory technicians, medical record officers and pharmacist technicians were needed.
The theme of this year’s World Health Day is “Universal health coverage: everyone , everywhere”.
He said that health workers that rendered services to millions of residents in the territory were inadequate compared to the rapid growing population of FCT.
According to him, the last assessment showed that FCT needs more than 60 per cent of what it currently has in terms of health workforce to fill in the gap.
The secretary disclosed that in 2017 no fewer than 50 midwives were engaged and posted to serve the people in the rural areas.
Ashikeni said that FCT administration was planning to recruit additional 200 midwives this year adding that the plan of engagement of more midwives had been captured in 2018 budget.
He noted that in spite of the insufficient personnel, his board had embarked on different programmes to provide health care services to the rural dwellers.
He stated that part of the projects was the outreach programme for people in the hinterlands and head camps where teams of health workers were sent to rural areas to treat common diseases.
The executive secretary said that the present FCT Minister was committed to provide health care services to all residents of the territory wherever they might be located.
Nigerian scientists have been reacting to the news that broke on Friday, April 6, 2018 that seven of their colleagues were included among the 721 experts from 90 countries invited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to participate in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) as authors and editors.
A gathering of Nigerian climate change experts during a COP: Prof. Olukayode Oladipo (left) stressing a point to (from left) Prof Daniel Gwary, Prof Mohammed Balarabe, Prof Ayuba Kuje, Prof Francis Adesina and Alhaji Aliyu Musa Yauri, during a meeting
The Nigerians are:
Hyacinth Nnamchi of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Working Group I – Chapter 2: Changing state of the climate system) as Lead Author
Ms Ibidun Adelekan of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan (Working Group II – Chapter 9: Africa) as Coordinating Lead Author
Ayansina Ayanlade of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Working Group II – Chapter 9: Africa) as Lead Author
Chukwumerije Okereke of the University of Reading, UK (Working Group III – Chapter 1: Introduction and Framing) as Coordinating Lead Author
Ms Chioma Daisy Onyige of the University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt (Working Group III – Chapter 5: Demand, services and social aspects of mitigation) as Lead Author
Ogheneruona Diemuodeke of the University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt (Working Group III – Chapter 10: Transport) as Lead Author
Sanusi Mohamed Ohiare of the Rural Electrification Agency (Working Group III – Chapter 15: Investment and finance) as Lead Author
The Sixth Assessment Report, according to the IPCC, will inform policymakers, international climate negotiators and other stakeholders about the latest knowledge on all aspects of climate change.
In a response to the development over the weekend, the experts expressed divergent views. While congratulating the nations and the new authors on the development, they want this to be used as an opportunity to express developmental challenges faced by Nigeria in particular and the developing world in general. Some of them questioned the criteria used to select the authors.
“What criteria did IPCC use in arriving at the seven experts and how were they selected?” demanded Prof Nasiru Idris of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
Ako Amadi of the Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI) spoke in a similar vein, saying: “On what criteria did IPCC base its selection? I expected to see expertise of nominees in a balance of climate adaptation problems in Nigeria. But this has been also an internal Nigerian culture which it appears the IPCC has adopted.”
Nonetheless, Prof Idris expressed joy at the selection. His words: “I am happy to hear that Nigerians are part of the team of experts that will determine the outcome of the next IPCC report.
“The implication for Nigeria is that our input from the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and some outcome of the results of our scientific researchers on how climate change has impacted on the country will be part of the scientific evidence in the AR6.
“My advice for my colleagues that make the list of experts is that their voices must be heard in the report, and they should also look at the pros and cons of the AR5 in relation to African environment.”
Prof Olukayode Oladipo of the University of Lagos, a former IPCC report author, said: “I am really happy that seven Nigerians are among the chosen experts to put the AR6 of the IPCC in shape. It will be a great experience as I had with the first IPCC Report as a contributing author for two chapters. I have no doubt that they will excel.”
Prof Daniel Gwary of the University of Maiduguri, who was part of AR3 and AR4 as well as IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Water, submitted: “This is a good development for Nigeria since the IPCC has maintained the number of Nigerian participants with a slight increase as a sign of appreciating contributions from our scientists and experts. It is also good for Nigeria because this team from Nigeria is a new crop of experts helping to increase our expertise in the IPCC process and global climate change discuss.
“Our team members should see their choice as a privilege to represent the country and the global community. The work is enormous, challenging and requires sacrifice of time more especially those who will be Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs).
“I will like to advise our authors to use the abundant examples in our country to project how climate change affects Nigeria and by implication the vulnerability of the West African region and various efforts being made for adaptation and mitigation.
Prof Daniel Gwary’s award
“I will also like the government through the Federal Ministry of Environment to recognise these experts properly and work closely with them all through the period of their assignment. When I, along with others served in the AR3 and AR4 that earned us part in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, there was very little acknowledgement of that achievement from our government and this shouldn’t be the case in future.
“I wish them well in their assignment. They should also seek to be involved in the preparations of other IPCC special reports that may come up.”
Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) stated: “We note that the experts have been selected based on their competence in the respected fields. The implication of this for Nigeria is that we cannot claim not to know what needs to be done to help the world step back from impending climate chaos that would result from either climate inaction and wrong-head actions. With this level and concentration of expertise on our shores it speaks poorly of not just our country but of our regions if our governments approach climate negotiations without adequate and holistic preparations. The burden is also on government to ensure that climate considerations are fully integrated in infrastructure planning and other national efforts to enhance the well-being of the people.
“The authors have been picked for specific tasks and areas. They will do well to bear in mind that climate impacts don’t appear in silos. This means that the scientific approach must nevertheless keep in view the network of connections between the discrete sectors and conclusions and recommendations must be viewed through the prism of climate justice, the original bedrock of the climate negotiations. We expect the experts to stand up and call out players that have knowingly entrenched practices that have compounded the climate crisis.
“For example, it has become known that major fossil fuel companies like Exxon and Shell known for decades that their products have literally locked the world on the pathways of irreversible or intolerable climate change and have wilfully pressured policy makers from taking actions for shift energy transitions, for example.
“I think that more than at any other time, our government has to take concrete steps to stop gas flaring and invest in restoring our forests and wetlands as veritable climate actions.”
The following served as Lead Authors in the preparations of the AR3 of IPCC: Prof A. O. Adegbulugbe of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU), Prof James Adejuwon of OAU (now retired), Prof James C. Nwafor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (now retired) and Prof Daniel Gwary of the University of Maiduguri.
In the AR4 report, the Nigerian experts were: Prof A. O. Adegbulugbe of the OAU, Prof Daniel Gwary of University of Maiduguri, Prof Francis L. Ibitoye of OAU, Prof Anthony Nyong (was CLA) and Prof Imogen Obioh of OAU.
In addition to the above-mentioned LA and CLAs, there were few others who were co-opted to serve as Contributing Authors and Review Editors.
“I am not sure of how many served in the AR5 preparation but, from the analysis above, Nigeria has a better representation in the AR6 writing team,” said Prof Gwary.
President of the Republic of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, has called for a united approach to tackle the inequalities of climate change.
President of the Republic of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
He made the submission on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in Bamako, the Malian capital, at the opening to the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Structured Dialogue with Africa. The event was concluded on Friday, April 6.
“We are all determined together to overcome climate change, which is not only increasing global inequalities, but is also increasing the precarity of the poorest populations in the world,” he said.
President Keïta also emphasised the importance of African countries addressing the problem holistically, while warning the “African continent is extremely vulnerable to the harmful impacts of climate change.”
“That is why the integration of climate within development planning is a national imperative for the survival of our ecosystems and population,” he said.
GCF Executive Director, Howard Bamsey, emphasised the key role of Structured Dialogues, which the Fund holds regularly in different regions, in strengthening GCF’s country-driven approach to climate finance.
“Although all countries are different, we find that regional gatherings like this can deliver benefits from the many common concerns and aspirations,” he said.
While stating GCF funding commitments to Africa have tripled since the first Africa Dialogue, Mr Bamsey emphasised the need for an uptake of private sector investment to drive regional transformative action in mitigation and adaptation.
“We must use our public resources to mobilise the trillions of dollars we know are needed for that transformation,” he said. “At present, too much of that money is supporting activities that undermine the prospect of low-carbon, climate resilient development.”
GCF now has 28 approved funding proposals across 21 African countries worth $0.91 billion, which leverages co-financing of over $2.5 billion.
Part of this funding is accelerating the current regional take off in renewables. This includes GCF financing in off-grid solar power in eastern and sub-Saharan Africa, which in turn opens up electricity access in rural areas.
GCF investment is also helping smallholder farmers in Africa become more resilient to climate change and increasing their food security by reducing weather-related disasters through climate information systems.
The Dialogue explored how climate challenges which resonate differently across the geographically and economically diverse region can be transformed into national action. This included considering how climate patterns and risks are placing stress on development pathways, and investigating what paradigm shift towards low carbon and climate resilience means in different country contexts.
An underlying theme throughout the four days focused on how GCF can help countries drive climate action, including through the Fund’s Readiness programme and Project Preparation Facility. A key focus was on how GCF support can enhance country programmes, which identify regional climate priorities.
Many of the Dialogue participants were interested to hear about the experiences of Namibia’s Environmental Investment Fund (EIF). This GCF Direct Access Accredited Entity – which participated in the Dialogue – won GCF Board approval in February for the Fund’s first Simplified Approval Process project, which will improve the ecosystem management practices of farmers.
Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, lead climate change negotiator for the Democratic Republic of Congo and GCF Board member, said the Dialogue has been useful in helping GCF staff “put their fingers on the pulse of Africa needs and important trends.”
Mr Mpanu-Mpanu highlighted the challenges and potential of Africa’s encounter with climate change, while speaking on the sidelines of the Dialogue.
“The bulk of African people depend on agriculture. Drought and irregularity in rainfall are creating major problems which unfortunately wipe out earlier gained progress,” he said.
“But Africa is also a paradise for renewables – including solar, wind and biomass – because of the huge potential which is still untapped.”
The inaugural edition of the Structured Dialogue with Africa held in South Africa in October 2016.
The Ogoni Rights Advocates (ORA) is peeved that the Federal Government is contemplating building a massive prison and cemetery in Ogoniland, instead of the prompt clean-up and massive development the area demands.
Youths in Ogoniland
The group, which is based in the US, in a statement signed by its co-ordinator, Michael Akoka, said it found the proposed plan “incredibly irresponsible and insensitive to the systematic oppression”, which Ogonis have faced and endured over the years.
The statement claims that the project, reportedly being planned by the Federal Ministry of Interior, will include the confiscation of an area of land spanning over 41 hectares in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
But wondering what the plan was for, the group, which said it was already mobilising international and domestic pressure to resist the plan, appealed to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to intervene quickly to cause government to shelve the project.
The statement reads: “For many years, our stand as Ogoni people has never shifted. We want a total clean-up of our land. We want to take our destiny in our hand and use the resources God put in our land and the ingenuity of our people to develop our area. Our leaders have struggled and many have died as a result. We are prepared to continue with this struggle, as long as the government of Nigeria continues to mock our aspirations and desires to develop our land and to bring it out of unthinkable poverty, disease and want in the midst of potential and mind-boggling wealth and prosperity the resources in our land can provide.
“We cannot think of anything or fathom the reason for this plan of the federal government than the continued subjugation of the Ogoni people and make them watch from the glass ceiling while the spoils of their land are shared and used to develop other areas, while their people live and die in penury.
“If that is the case, and the plan is to build a prison and cemetery, big enough to clamp down or bury those who will resist the commencement of the exploitation of our resources without first cleaning up the land and providing the template for the massive development of our land, then the Federal Government and its agencies must be prepared for our resistance.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the United Nations took stock of the tortured Ogoni environment, declared it unsafe due to oil drilling activities, and mandated Shell and the Federal Government of Nigeria to clean it up. It is the belief of all Ogonis, home and abroad, that the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report must be implemented. We need a clean environment, good schools and world class hospitals. These are the constitutional responsibilities, among others, of the government to the survival of the Ogoni people.
“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians to stand with us as we encounter a modern face of the Ogoni trials and tribulations.”
Countries need to chart an ambitious course limiting greenhouse gas emissions from shipping when they gather from Monday, April 9 to Friday, April 13, 2018 for a crucial meeting under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), says Patricia Espinosa, the UN’s top climate change official.
Maritime transport is said to be responsible for around 2.5% of global emissions
Some 173 nations are expected to adopt an initial strategy to limit emissions when they meet at the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 72nd session at the IMO Headquarters in London. It is critical that the strategy is sufficiently ambitious to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, adds the UN official.
“We are witnessing how climate change is moving much faster than emissions reductions,” says Espinosa, who is the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, in advance of the meeting. “I call upon all nations to adopt an ambitious initial strategy at the IMO that can critically contribute towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals, and at the same time be supportive of the sector’s sustainability.”
Maritime transport is responsible for around 2.5% of global emissions, and its emissions are projected to grow between 50 and 250 percent by 2050.
World nations meeting under the IMO have unanimously recognised the maritime sector’s role in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial level.
Although international shipping and aviation are not directly included in the Paris Climate Change Agreement, both industries will have to cap their greenhouse gas emissions soon for the world to meet the goals laid down in the agreement.
The initial strategy is expected to set the vision for international shipping and its level of ambition to reduce emissions. The MEPC will address the guiding principles of the strategy, including short-, mid- and long-term further measures with possible timelines and their impacts on States, as well as identify barriers and supportive measures, including capacity-building, technical cooperation, and research and development.
A farmer, Mr Adolphus Ogbonna, has warned that food security may be threatened seriously in Nigeria in the near future because of persistent herdsmen attacks and climate change.
Herdsmen
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday, April 6, 2018, Ogbonna said the future of agriculture was not looking good, due to recurring attacks on farmers in many parts of the country.
Farmers in Africa’s most populous nation are currently contending with an onslaught of bloody attacks by herdsmen, forcing many farmers to avoid going to their farms to stay alive.
Ogbonna said the problems of farmers had also been compounded by issues relating to climate change, stressing that the development called for government’s immediate attention.
He argues that government must tackle herdsmen invasions head-long and also evolve scientific methods in doing agriculture and handling the problem of climate change.
The crop farmer said that farmers in the country must embrace year-round irrigation farming to stay in business and provide food for the teeming populace.
“Most Nigerian farmers cultivate their farms, based on the weather but when there is drought everything is affected.
‘‘The local farmer needs to turn away from a climate-dependent farming. Setting up an irrigation system is the best bet for the local farmer, although this will involve huge funds.
“Climate change poses a lot of challenges to the Nigerian farmer, so I advise a move towards irrigation farming, instead of waiting for the rains.”
He also spoke on the need for young entrepreneurs with interest in farming to learn the ropes before embarking on agriculture as a business venture.
“Most youths these days are not interested in tedious work on farms. Young people should get a good place to learn farming properly before embarking on it as a business.
“They must have a strong passion for farming. Farming is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
Ogbonna, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Emperors Farms, advised those involved in farming to concentrate their efforts on building an enduring value-chain rather than focusing on production alone.
Enumerating a multiplicity of challenges facing crop farmers in the country, he said that serious attention should be paid to how to improve the agriculture value-chain.
“As a country we should stop focusing on crop production alone when it comes to agriculture.
‘‘We should consider what value we are adding to what we are producing. We must have to put more effort in our value-chain.
The crop farmer lamented that getting access to funds, land, equipment and inadequate manpower had remained critical problems to Nigerian farmers from year to year.
Donors to the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) – consisting of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Government of Japan and the Government of Austria – have approved three catalytic projects totalling some $2,480,000 to stimulate the growth of Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
These grants will help strengthen the participation of Africa’s SMEs in financial markets and the agriculture sector.
Olivier Eweck, Director of the Syndication, Co-financing and Technical Solutions Department at the AfDB
“These three projects are well aligned with FAPA’s core mandate of supporting private-sector development in Africa, a key strategic priority of the African Development Bank. They augur well for job creation in Africa,” said Olivier Eweck, Director of the Syndication, Co-financing and Technical Solutions Department at the African Development Bank, and Chair of the FAPA Technical Committee.
With a FAPA grant of $980,000, the first project – the Regional Financial Market Development Support Project (Projet d’appui au développement du marché financier regional, PADMAFIR) – will contribute to the modernisation of the regulatory framework to increase competitiveness and strengthen the capacity of the regulator on new products, including securitisation, diaspora bonds and green bonds. The grant will facilitate SMEs’ access to stock market funding and train commercial stakeholders to enhance professionalisation. PADMAFIR is part of a long-term and ongoing multi-stakeholder partnership to develop the Regional Financial Market (stock exchange) of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU).
The second project is for the Promotion of Factoring in Africa, through which an investment totalling $500,000 is deployed to finance the capacity-building of emerging factoring firms and the development of a sustainable knowledge and learning platform. The platform will provide capital to SMEs by financing their receivables. The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will contribute $450,000 towards this technical assistance project.
The third project is a grant of $1,000,000 for leveraging investments for fertiliser utilisation amongst smallholder farmers in Africa. It will help increase the affordability, accessibility and incentives for fertiliser use among smallholder farmers in Africa and expand the supply and distribution of fertiliser by leveraging investments. It is also intended to create over 1,000 jobs for women and youths. The African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership will match the FAPA grant on a 1:1 basis.
“We look forward to providing further FAPA grants that will unlock business possibilities for Africa’s SMEs,” Eweck said.
Since its launch in 2006, FAPA has received donor contributions exceeding $85 million and helped finance over 80 technical assistance projects, thereby making a significant contribution to SME development in Africa.
The FAPA is a multi-donor trust fund that provides grant funding for technical assistance activities to public and private sector entities domiciled in Africa. FAPA resources are utilised to promote innovative programmes that specifically support the development of SMEs in Africa. FAPA is one of the components of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance (EPSA) initiative hosted at the AfDB.
On the occasion of World Health Day on Saturday, April 7, 2018, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has called for increased and more quality investments in the continent’s health sector to achieve universal health coverage.
Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group
Member States of the United Nations agreed in 2012 to work towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 with a target that everyone, everywhere should access quality health services, where and when they need them without facing financial hardship.
The theme of World Health Day is “Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere”, with the slogan “Health for All”. By owning and leading their national Universal Health Coverage agendas, countries can move towards achieving the goal of UHC.
“Providing Universal Health Coverage through strengthened health systems backed with a sound financing system are clearly fundamental to improving the quality of life for the people of Africa,” said Oley Dibba-Wadda, Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the AfDB.
AfDB’s High 5 development priorities, says the organisation, are enablers for achieving public health security in Africa.
According to the bank, it has since the late 1970s invested $7.2 billion to finance over 220 health operations mainly through its sovereign lending window. These projects, it adds, have a strong focus on increasing access to health care services and saving the lives of people, and contributing to improving the health and well-being of women and children. The bank’s decentralisation policy is said to have brought the institution closer to clients, with social sector experts across the five African regions.
The bank says it also provides technical assistance to governments and the private sector and contributes to knowledge-sharing, and that its support for the health sector has been catalytic, including selective support to strategic investments which have contributed to improving health outcomes.
While claiming that it was instrumental in strengthening pandemic preparedness and response efforts across all West African countries, contributing to the timely containment of the Ebola epidemic, the organisation reveals that it was the first international financial institution to rally support in the fight against Ebola, providing about $300 million for emergency and post-Ebola recovery programmes in the affected countries, and neighbouring countries.
Building an effective health system is fundamental to ensuring that Africa can better respond to health emergencies, build resilient economies, and improve the life expectancy of its people, it emphasises.
According to the AfDB, Africa lags behind the rest of the world, as it carries 24% of the global disease burden while accounting for only 13% of the world’s population.
“For instance, the risk of a woman dying from a maternal cause is approximately 23 times higher than for a woman living in a developed country. It is estimated that 5.9 million children under 5 years of age died in 2015, mostly from preventable causes, and that some 217 million African people are undernourished.
“Health requires increased and sustained investments. In April 2001, the African Union countries met in Abuja, Nigeria, and pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15% of their annual budget to improve the health sector and urged donor countries to scale up support.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently estimates that $20-54 billion is required to address the healthcare investment gap in the continent every year until 2030 to reach the UHC targets. Yet, domestic spending on health varies largely between countries. In most African countries, public spending falls short of the Abuja target of 15% budget allocation.
At the same time, countries achieve highly varying health results at comparable levels of health expenditures, which indicate that the use of available resources needs to be improved.
The AfDB has promised that it will continue to leverage its position as the trusted development institution on the continent to advance Universal Health Coverage for everyone, everywhere.
The Lagos State Government says it will deploy over 800 buses soon to start operations at the newly inaugurated Ikeja Bus Terminal.
The Ikeja Bus Terminal
Mr Ladi Lawanson, the state Commissioner for Transportation, made the disclosure during a visit to the terminal and the Oshodi Transport Interchange construction site on Saturday, April 7, 2018.
According to him, the newly procured buses will enable efficient and effective transportation to classes of Lagos residents.
“The state government is coming with multi-modal and integrated transportation system which will take care of about four million people on a daily basis across the state.
“The idea is to cater for Lagos residents of especially lower and middle classes, who cannot afford to fund their own cars every day.
“We should be expecting some buses like over 800 that Lagos State Government has procured to kick-start operation for the benefit of the residents,” he said.
He noted that Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State, had about 900,000 inhabitants.
“It is also a major transport hub on the Lagos mainland, as it is a major node of very important corridors in Lagos such as Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Agege Motor Road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Oba Akran Way and Awolowo Way.
“Ikeja Terminal is a key transport infrastructure constructed to improve efficiency in system connections, reduce traffic congestion caused by ongoing street loading and dropping off of passengers, reduce environmental pollution and improve security and safety of the commuting public,” he said.
The commissioner said that Ikeja Bus Terminal was a small component of big picture of multimodal transport system planned by the government.
According to him, the proposed Oshodi Transport Interchange – where three terminals will be integrated for buses to move people within and outside the state – is another big reform project of the government
The official noted that the state’s growth was exponential as an emerging mega city and Nigeria’s premier economic centre.
“Lagos, no doubt, requires an integrated transport system to meet the demand of its over 20 million citizens and fulfil its aspiration as Africas foremost business and entertainment city.”
Lawanson said that the state Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode was passionate to provide residents with transportation system of international standards which would be responsive to the core need of Lagos residents and teeming visitors.
“Constructions are going on in 13 different bus terminals across the state to leverage their various operations.
“We have Alapere Bus Shelter, Ilupeju Bus Depot, Yaba Bus Terminal, Anthony Bus Depot, Maryland Bus Terminal, Agege Bus Terminal, Ojota Bus Terminal, Oyingbo Bus Terminal, Tafawa Balewa Square Bus Terminal and other proposed corridors,” he said.
According to him, the facilities will provide over 3,000 jobs for youths and increase transport connections and inter-modal connectivity.
He added that it would eliminate “one chance” kidnapping and accidents associated with the current commercial bus regime.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari, on March 29, inaugurated the Ikeja Bus Terminal expected to provide comfort, safety, security and good travel experience for commutters.
Recent improvement in security is helping immunisation activities in Zamfara State, says World Health Organisation (WHO) Coordinator in the state, Dr Hamza Kankiya.
Dr. Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, governor of Zamfara State
The WHO Coordinator made the assertion on Saturday, April 8, 2018 at the Flag-off of April 2018 National Immunisation Plus Days awareness campaign held in Kaura-Namoda.
He said, “We are congratulating the Zamfara State Government and entire people of the state, and also acknowledge the efforts of Federal Government and security agencies in addressing security challenges facing the state.
“The improvement of security in the state has allowed us to reach many children in several communities that were being left in polio immunisation for years due to insecurity.
“Inaccessibility to some settlement due to insecurity was a major challenge hindering polio immunisation in the state.
“But with the present efforts that government is making, we have started witnessing changes and accessing some communities who were left during the previous polio immunisation exercises.
“In March round polio eradication campaign, 15, 232 children were not accessed across 125 settlements in the 31 wards of eight out of the 14 local government areas of the state.
“Inaccessible areas due to insecurity, poor team performance, and non-compliant parents remained major challenges hindering polio immunisation in Zamfara State,’’ he said.
Kankiya thanked the state government for providing enabling environment for the partner agencies to support communities in the state in health care delivery and polio immunisation.
“We are also appreciating the traditional and religious leaders over their contentious efforts in ensuring quality implementation campaigns, community mobilisation and resolution of non-compliance cases.
“The positive results of political, traditional and religious institutions in improving health status of women and children in the state.”
In her remark, the representatives of UNICEF, Mrs Carina Prakke, commended all stakeholders working to eradicate polio virus in the state.
“It is commendable efforts as we have government officials, traditional and religious leaders and development partners among others working together to ensure effective polio eradication in this state.
“It is very impressive to have the record of six years without polio virus in this state; therefore we need to continue with this collaboration in order to achieve the desired goal and objectives,’’ she said.
Executive Secretary of the state Primary Health Care Development Board, Alhaji Yusuf Mafara, commended the partners supporting the state not only on immunisation but in all health care related programmes.
“I must appreciate Federal Ministry of Health and National Primary Health Care Development Agency over their immense support to the health sector of the state,’’
He also thanked Kaura-Namoda Emirate Council for its commitments in supporting primary health care delivery in the area and enlightening the public on the importance of polio immunisation.
