Why I seek federal agency for malaria eradication – Ned Nwoko

Mosquito and malaria

 

Chairman of Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation and Antarctica explorer, Hon Ned Nwoko, has explained why he is seeking federal government’s approval for the establishment of an agency to handle malaria issues in the country.

Nwoko said the establishment of agency for malaria eradication is the only way by which the scourge of malaria in Nigeria could be eradicated, saying it would focus on issues relating malaria only.

Nwoko spoke at the weekend in Abuja while playing host to Arewa Youth Vanguard for Change and Development and other student unions who honoured him with the Leadership Excellence Award for humanitarian services. 

He stated that the same kind of speed with which the entire world came together to do research and invented vaccines against COVID-19 could be applied to invent reliable vaccines that would deal a death knell to the malaria scourge, still ravaging Africa and parts of the world. 

Nwoko attributed the lukewarm global approach to the malaria challenge to the fact that it is often viewed as Africa’s problem by the developed nations whereas the disease claims over 400,000 lives annually.

The former federal lawmaker also disclosed that his foundation is collaborating with stakeholders to eradicate malaria in Africa through a combination of steps, including environmental sanitisation through proper waste management, fumigation of the environment and research for an effective anti-malaria vaccine.

He stated that his foundation was working closely with relevant lawmakers on a bill which he has forwarded to the National Assembly for the establishment of malaria eradication agency.

Nwoko also advocated for effective sensitisation of the public on measures to curb the high rate of malaria attack in Nigeria, especially the creation of clean environment that would not serve as breeding ground for mosquitoes.

He said: “Research has revealed that malaria and mosquitoes are not natural to us: they can be eradicated. The first thing is to address the cause, mosquito, which breeds and multiplies in dirty environment.”