News: FG to Recruit NYSC Members as Anti-malaria Taskforce

The Federal Government is to engage the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as advocates against malaria infection.

Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, at the launch of National Mosquito Control and Liquid Waste Management Programme, yesterday in Abuja said that the recruited members will serve in the capacity of the defunct War Against Indiscipline (WAI).

He disclosed in Abuja that the ministry may partner with State governments to also register community health officers in Public Health Departments in the 774 local governments, to eliminate the breeding places of mosquitoes and reducing incidences of malaria parasites across the country.

The Minister condemned increasing rate of malaria infection as a result of poor environmental sanitation, stressing that it was becoming worrisome as it contributed to high child and maternal mortality.

Jubril said: “I remember in my days as a youth corper, we were in the WAI brigade and now I can see people (NYSC) that we can recruit for the anti-malaria brigade. This is worth commending because it is of serious health concern.

"In the 1960s, 70s, we had the privilege of having the wole-woles… so the federal ministry of environment in partnership andelsta limited has decided to re-launch this programme with the sole objective of achieving a clean and green environment, free of mosquitoes and other diseases in the country.

"We know of the menace of malaria vectors causing diseases in the country as well as poor management of the environment in rural, semi-rural and urban areas that constitute serious threat to human health.”

However, he said the responsibility to maintain a healthy environment should be collective and participatory as the ministry cannot solely perform the public sanitary functions.

According to him, there was the need for partnership with the public and private sector in the campaign against malaria infection.

In his remark, the Managing Director, Andelsta Limited, Engr. Fintan Ibeshi called for the abolition of monthly sanitation stressing that sanitations should be daily activity rather than monthly exercise.

He said the firm in partnership with the ministry will roll out campaigns, seminars, trainings for volunteer corps in order to promote sanitation advocacy in schools, health centers and other public places.

Ibeshi noted that the success in the war against mosquito, access to clean water and sanitation for everyone cannot be achieved by the public sector alone without the involvement and strong participation of private sector.

He explained that through its Decentralised Waste Water Treatment System (DEWATS), waste water in densely populated areas, villages and slums would be treated.

"The DEWATS solution constitutes primary, secondary and tertiary treatment for waste water and also provides biogas for cooking, lighting and power generation," he added.

Source: The Nation