News
Death toll rises as cholera rages in Lagos, Oyo, Kano
Lagos is shivering under the outbreak of cholera. A vicious intestinal illness has gripped the state, adding a layer of fear to the already bustling streets. With 24 deaths, 35 confirmed cases and 417 suspected cases across the state as of Friday, July 21, 2024, experts say the outbreak isn’t just a national concern but a local fight for survival, particularly in areas where access to clean water and proper sanitation remains a luxury.
Apart from poor water and sanitation challenges, the plight of citizens leaves much to be desired.
17-year-old Bayo was rushed-in with his frail body racked with chills. His worried mother, Dolapo, wiped his face, a deep fear etched on her face. “Please admit him, don’t reject us. Today is a public holiday, please help, it started yesterday,” Dolapo murmured. “Just stomach cramps at first, but now…” Bayo unfortunately lost his life in one of the private hospitals in the Ago area of Lagos. His case is among the rising number of cholera infections plaguing Lagos.
With limited resources and a densely populated city to contend with, Lagos grapples with controlling the outbreak.
Sadly, water and sanitation remain a challenge in the state. From the end of Makoko to the highbrow areas of Victoria Island in Lagos, potable water remains a challenge despite having water all around the city.
A situation report issued by the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, last Friday (EPI Week 25), as of 19th of June, 2024, revealed that the outbreak has swept across the 20 LGAs.
While the highest outbreak occurred in Ajeromi, Kosofe, Epe, Ikorodu, Alimosho and Eti-Osa LGAs, as of 10th of June, 2024, the Commissioner said there was the need to adhere strictly to personal and environmental hygiene to stay safe from infection risk.
However, in what seems like an attack on cholera in countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a resurgence of cholera worldwide.
WHO said in May 2024, a total of 46,364 new cholera cases were reported from 19 countries, showing 58 per cent increase from the previous month.
It said from January 1, 2024 to May 26, 2024, a total of 194,897 cholera cases and 1,932 deaths were reported from 24 countries across five regions.
WHO said the Eastern Mediterranean region recorded the highest numbers (98,003 cases; seven countries), followed by the African region (92,789 cases; 14 countries), the Americas (2,672 cases; one country), the South-East Asia region (1,328 cases; two countries), and the European region (105 cases; one country).
WHO added that during this period, the African region reported 1,698 deaths; the Eastern Mediterranean region, 256 deaths; the region of the Americas, 13 deaths; the Southeast Asia region, four deaths; and the European region, one death.
The global body’s report comes as Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city and commercial capital, battles a cholera outbreak.
Blame
However, while the disease continues to sweep across countries and states in Nigeria, experts have continued to blame the Nigerian government for paying lip service to water and sanitation.
Today, most communities across Nigeria cannot boast of adequate safe drinking water. The affordability of bottled water, often used as a safer alternative, is also a challenge for many families.
For instance, in Lagos, sachet water, the presumed alternative to borehole water, is sold, in many areas, for N50 and, in others areas, it goes for N30. Five bags of water are sold for N1,500 and in some areas N2,000.
Bottle water goes for N200 per bottle. Sadly, many Nigerians who have resorted to borehole water can no longer boil before drinking due to the hike in electricity tariff.
Public health experts have warned that without improved water, sanitation and hygiene, cholera will remain endemic in Lagos and Nigeria in particular.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief, Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucrier, safer water could save 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhoea, 500,000 deaths from malaria, 860,000 child deaths from malnutrition, as well as protect 10 million people from serious illnesses like lymphatic filariasis and trachoma.
She said the current outbreak demonstrates the need for an urgent government focus on ensuring water provided to the population is clean and risk-free.
According to her, good water and sanitation infrastructure play a crucial role in reducing disease outbreaks such as cholera, which causes an estimated 100,000 deaths annually.
Lip service
In an interview with Sunday Vanguard, a public health disease expert, Dr Casmir Ifeanyi, said the country has continued to pay lip service to water, sanitation and hygiene.
“I challenge you to go and dig it up. Of the 30 states already reported to have the outbreak, how many of them have a public potable water supply in place? I can categorically tell you, none. So, we do know that cholera is a disease that thrives where water, sanitation and hygiene are at its low rate,” Ifeanyi stated.
He emphasised the need for improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices, including addressing open defecation and ensuring access to clean water which are essential for preventing future outbreaks.
The public health expert warned that the outbreak, particularly severe in developed areas of Lagos, highlights deficiencies in sanitation and water quality.
According to him, schools with proper hygiene facilities and access to clean water could reopen, after mid-term holiday, with heightened public health education on hygiene practices.
However, expressing concerns about densely populated areas with limited access to clean water, Ifeanyi said: “It must be said that the situation that will sustain this outbreak is quite high. I give you an example. I do not know how much a bag of sachet water is sold in Lagos, but, in most of Nigeria, it is now between N400 and N600 and, if you buy that it should be either 20 sachets. I do not know how long it would sustain families and, besides, the source of this sachet water and also bottled water is also questionable because their conformity to water processing is still very unsure.”
Increased Public Health Measures
Ifeanyi, who is also the National President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), urged Lagos State government to prioritize improved detection and surveillance of cholera and cholera-like illnesses. “This includes contact tracing, increased access to cholera testing kits, and a thermal risk factor analysis specific to Lagos,” he said.
Noting that food safety is another critical area, he stressed that the state government should implement stricter food safety protocols, including lab testing of imported and commercially sold water.
“Public health authorities must beef up to detect cholera and cholera-like illnesses and also to put in place a surveillance system that promotes disease tracking. That is to say, if you have an individual whose case is confirmed, then there’s a need to do contact tracing and to evaluate the contact,” the expert said.
Expressing disappointment in the description of the Lagos cholera as aggressive without the proper name of the type, he pointed out that the government has failed to provide infrastructure and facilities for diagnostic testing and typing whenever there is an outbreak.
According to him, there was a need to identify the biotype of the cholera responsible for the outbreak and not use ominous words like aggressive.
Glimmer of Hope
Ifeanyi said the state government should immediately deploy cholera vaccine particularly for school children, adding that individual vigilance remains paramount.
He advised Lagosians to boil or treat drinking water, avoid raw fruits and vegetables, and practice frequent and thorough handwashing.
Corroborating his views, a public physician, Dr Femi Oyekan, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, stressed that cholera outbreaks originate and spread within communities, making community-led and participatory approaches essential for sustainable prevention.
According to him, citizens also have a lot of things to do to help combat cholera outbreak by ensuring proper hygiene, keeping their environment clean, avoiding open defecation, and ensuring proper waste and sewage disposal.
“Ultimately, access to clean water and sanitation is critical in preventing outbreaks. Communities must take collective action to ensure clean water access and maintain good hygiene. Identifying and empowering positive role models within the community can encourage the widespread adoption of healthy.
By Gloria Ikibah
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has identified Nigeria’s creative industry as the country’s second-largest source of employment.
He made this known on Wednesday during the opening of a public hearing on a proposed law to establish the National Institute for Film and Media Technology in Ukawu. The event took place in Abuja.
Abbas, who was represented by Rep. Amos Magaji of the Zangon/Kataf/Jaba federal constituency, said the creative sector holds even greater potential, with projections indicating the capacity to generate up to 2.7 million new jobs by the year 2025.
He said: “I understand that the creative sector is the second-largest employer of labour in the country, and has the potential to create an additional 2.7 million jobs by 2025.
“This indicates that the creative economy worldwide contributes over 6.1 percent to global gross domestic product (GDP, averaging between 2 per cent and 7 per cent of national GDPs”.
Naijablitznews.com recalled that the proposed legislation was introduced by Rep. Nkem Kama, who represents the Ohanivo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State.
Speaker Abbas noted that the bill aligns with the broader goals of the House, especially in advancing reforms in technical education.
He emphasised the need to modernize learning systems so that students are better prepared with practical skills suited for the demands of today’s job market.
According to him, equipping young Nigerians in this way would position them to play a more active role in driving the country’s economic progress.
“We are committed to ensuring the integration of entrepreneurship modules in technical and vocational education curricula to enable students to go into private ventures and become self-employed”, he added.
The Speaker restated the commitment of the House to integrating fast-evolving fields like robotics, renewable energy, and other cutting-edge innovations into Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system.
He stressed the importance of not falling short in preparing young people for the future, ememphasising the urgency of embedding modern tools.particularly artificial intelligence into the nation’s training frameworks.
“We must not be found wanting in the fulfillment of our commitments.
“We would have failed if we did not provide our children with the opportunities that they need to achieve their purposes and become fulfilled as human beings.
“The world was already running away with Artificial Intelligence.
“We cannot be left behind. Education is the bedrock of development, and the need for educational institutions that will develop the skills of our people ought to have been addressed yesterday”, he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Rep. Fatoba Olusola, restated the imperatives of investing on film and media sector.
Olusola said that the film and media sector had the capacity to take the youths out of the streets and boost the economy.
Finally, social activist, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, has been released from the detention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday evening.
Human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, disclosed this via his social media handles.
Recall that VeryDarkMan was arrested last week in controversial circumstances around the premises of a commercial bank in Abuja, a development that has led to condemnation from netizens and protests by his supporters.
The EFCC, after initial denial, on Tuesday admitted that VeryDarkMan was in its custody over some petitions against him bordering on ‘grave financial malfeasance’.
The anti-graft agency, in a post on its X handle, also said that VeryDarkMan had been offered administrative bail and would be released whenever he fulfilled the bails condition pending when he will be arraigned in court.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has reiterated that the disbursement of N54 billion to students in 303 educational institutions has followed a clear and verifiable process, contrary to circulating claims suggesting otherwise.
Managing Director of NELFund, Akintunde Sawyerr, made this clarification during a session with the House of Representatives Committee on Students Loans on Wednesday. His comments came amid public concerns following recent statements by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to Sawyerr, the ICPC had released a statement the previous Friday indicating it had conducted preliminary inquiries into certain transactions involving educational institutions.
The agency reportedly noted instances that raised questions, particularly around institutional practices and student interactions relating to school fees and access to educational resources.
Sawyerr explained that the public discourse was likely influenced by a media report which mentioned 51 institutions in relation to the alleged discrepancies. However, he emphasized that NELFund’s internal documentation shows all disbursements to date amounting to N54 billion out of a total N203 billion allocated for the student loan programme have been properly tracked and managed.
He said: “I think their report followed a report in the print media that suggested that 51 institutions were erring. One were the irregularities they seem to have identified with the institutions and their relationship with the students in terms of access to education and charges or otherwise.
“We, as the NELFund, were caught up in that release by the ICPC, who indicated that they were of the opinion that funds had been diverted by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
“We immediately reacted to that report because we recognised the damage, even though we knew it was unbounded, we recognised the damage that it might do to public confidence in a scheme where there was already a great deal of scepticism.
“Our reaction led to the ICPC looking again at their statement, and within a matter of hours, they retracted the statement that suggested that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund might be diverting funds.
“They did not retract their assertion about the irregularities in the educational system and in the institutions, but they retracted wholehearted their allegation that funds have been diverted. I don’t think that has happened ever in Nigeria, where a security agency within hours reverses itself on a statement that was made. Nevertheless, a great deal of damage was done because, as you know, Honourable Members, once news is out there, you can retract all you like.
“It takes on a life of its own, and a lot of confidence has been lost in our institution, and it is sad for the institution of NELFund and for the country of Nigeria. We have worked very hard to put out the narrative that actually the new statement by the ICPC vindicates NELFund and establishes the fact that no funds have been diverted”.
According to him, in line with the mandate of NELFund, the agency is to spend 90 percen of the funds that come to it exclusively on the loans to pay the fees of students.
“Those funds cannot be touched and cannot be used for anything else. Any form of diversion in that regard would be a breach of the law. So, just going straight through to the numbers, I can confirm that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has done the following.
“NELFund has paid, as of today, 303 institutions, government-owned institutions, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education. 303. NELFund has paid out, has disbursed a total of approximately 54 billion Naira. 54 billion Naira has left the account of NELFund to go to pay for the loans that people have applied for.
“That 54 billion Naira is split into two sections. 30 billion of those, of that Naira I just talked about, the 54 billion, 30 billion has been paid to the 303 institutions that I just mentioned. 24 billion has been paid as pocket money or stipend to 293,000 students who are Nigerians, studying at tertiary level in Nigerian government-owned institutions.
“Representing direct beneficiaries of NELFund at 293,000. So far, NELFund has received 203 billion Naira in the bank account that we hold at the Central Bank of Nigeria. I’ll just break that down because those funds came in in segments”, he explained .
Sawyerr said NELFund initially received an appropriation of N10 billion from the Office of the Accountant General as directed by the Minister for Finance.
“We then received 71 billion Naira from TETFund, approximately. This was as a result of an order by the President for TETFund to release 143 billion Naira to NELFund. They released 71 billion in the first instance, plus, and then another 71 billion, making 143 when we add the top onto it.
“And then, finally, we received a further 50 billion Naira proceeds, recovered proceeds of crime, from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, again as directed as an intervention fund from His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So the total comes to 203 billion Naira received.
“I raise these, and I mention these figures because, clearly, there were errors in the, apart from the fact that the statement by the ICPC was unfounded and later confirmed by them that it was unfounded, there were also some inaccuracies in the announcement. The announcement suggested that we had received 100 billion Naira. That figure was wrong.
“The announcement suggested that 28 billion had been disbursed. That figure was wrong. It was understated. Both figures were understated. And it therefore concluded that, therefore, 71 billion Naira may have been diverted. So you can see that from even the figures they provided, which were inaccurate in the first instance, the wrong conclusions were drawn even about that.
“I have to say that we take with the utmost seriousness any issues of funds being diverted within and outside or related to in any way NELFund because we recognise that this project is a sacred project and it should not be tampered with because the people and the constituency that we are catering for really usually have nowhere else to turn to. They have no jobs. They have no opportunities and education represents probably the last bridge that they can climb to get an opportunity.
“So we recognise that we can stunt the growth of not just Nigeria but of individuals within Nigeria if we don’t behave and act responsibly”, he added.
Earlier n his address, the Committee Chairman, Rep.Ifeoluwa Ehindero said that the National Education Loan Fund has implemented the administration of the student loan scheme.
The Chairman said: The committee has been inundated with several reports, making waves on the social media, including concerns about possible diversion of loan funds and issues that have to do with the disbursement and administration of the student loan by certain federal institutions.
“This has necessitated this meeting that we have called the agency, the National Education Loan Fund, to come and make clarifications and enlighten this committee on the issues that have been making rounds on social media.
“So based on this, you have been invited to make clarifications and enlighten this committee on the issues that have been going on, on the disbursement and administration of the student loans being administered by your agency”.
-
News10 hours agoReal cause of Herbert Wigwe’s helicopter crash revealed
-
Politics11 hours agoUghelli North PDP Holds Crucial Meeting
-
News17 hours ago2027: Why Obi should reject VP slot — Tinubu’s aide
-
News17 hours agoTinubu presents N1.78 trillion FCT budget to NASS
-
News17 hours agoNnamdi Kanu wanted more states for Biafra – DSS
-
Economy11 hours agoSEE Black Market Dollar to Naira Exchange Rate Today – 7th May 2025
-
News6 hours agoJust in: Lagos LG chairman slumps during APC meeting
-
News8 hours agoJust in: Security and Exchange Commission declares PWAN as PONZI scheme, cautions Nigerians