Minister for Mines & Steel, Arch. Olamilekan Adegbite
To correct some media outlets’ inaccurate narratives about the Ajaokuta Steel Plant’s alleged handover to a British entity, Minister of Mines and Steel Development Arc Olamilekan Adegbite stated that the federal government never indicated it was handing it over to a British firm for rehabilitation.
The minister emphasized that a local Nigerian company with a British partner had expressed interest in performing the TECHNICAL AUDIT for free and without conditions.
The federal government is in talks with a Russian firm called Messrs TPE (chosen by the Russian government) to do the technical audit, according to Adegbite in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by his S.A Media, Ayodeji Adeyemi.
The statement reads: “The war between Ukraine and Russia has caused a setback to the proposed plan. The minister noted that it was difficult to move forward with the Russian firm due to international sanctions placed on Russia, which has also impacted Russian firms and businesses.
“Meanwhile, a local company in partnership with a British company has offered to execute the technical audit at no cost to Nigeria and with no preconditions. This was what I said at the media parley at the state house and not that Ajaokuta would be handed over to a British company for rehabilitation.
” When the technical audit is completed, the result would be shared with all interested investors and potential partners interested in Ajaokuta Steel Plant resuscitation, which they would use to enter their submission bids.
“To ensure that the entire process is transparent, a firm was appointed in 2018 as Transaction Advisor. This firm has been revalidated by the BPP (Bureau of Public Procurement) and will guide and ensure a transparent due process in the selection of the eventual firm for Ajaokuta Steel restoration.
“The T.A will carry out all financial, environmental and technical due process to establish the successful firm and the mode of engagement. The various bids would then be ranked by the transaction advisor according to merits. “
“Adegbite noted that the outcome of the transaction advisors work would be taken to the Federal Executive Council for a robust discussion and eventual decision”, the statement further stated.
The Federal Capital Territory Government (FCTA) has intimated that the current administration has cleared about N150 billion in liabilities inherited from past administrations.
This was one of the outcomes of the FCTA Executive Committee meeting in Lifecamp, Abuja, which was headed by the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.
In response to the security assessment, the minister stated that the administration is considering the possibility of “operation know your neighbor” as part of its attempts to address the nation’s capital’s recurring security concerns.
Aliyu stated that this was required in light of recent security issues in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the fact that the Executive meeting was intended to x-ray some of the Administration’s challenges.
She said the Executive Committee also noted the presentation of the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, on the milestone achievements of the Authority.
She, however, tasked the FCDA to come up with policies that would address the development of the human component, even as she also charged the Authority to initiate policies that would outlived the present administration.
In his presentation, the FCDA Executive Secretary, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, revealed that the current FCT Administration has cleared all the liabilities inherited from the previous administrations, which has led to the completion of some major infrastructural projects within the city centre,
The FCDA boss noted that before now, most contractors have abandoned their sites because of accrued liabilities from the previous administrations worth over N150billion.
According to him, “The minister took the bull by the horn and cleared all the liabilities of these and other contractors, including those developing the Airport Expressway. So all the liabilities were cleared.
“So all the none completed segments of the works along this axis were completed. Now you can operate in dual mode on the Constitution Avenue and we are making efforts now to also finalize the development of the dual carriage of the Independence road.
“So this is what has actually eased the traffic right from the City Centre, from Three Arm Zone through to World Trade Centre, and to the National Hospital. And the travel time for most commuters, passengers to the airport has drastically reduced. You can almost plan your travel time now from your home to the airport”.
While enumerating some of the challenges, which include inadequate funding, uncontrolled population influx and resettlement of original inhabitants, the Executive Secretary, advocated for the review of the Master Plan to address some of these challenges.
Ahmad, also called for a coordinated development strategy to be pursued by the Administration with its contiguous states that would ensure the development of the satellite areas between the states and the FCT, as viable economic areas.
Those present at the meeting include the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, Chief of Staff to FCT Minister, Mallam Bashir Mai-Borno, Executive Secretary FCDA, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, Director Human Resource Management, Mallam Mohammad Bashir, the six Mandate Secretaries, Coordinators and other top management staff.
The Minister of Transportation, Honourable Rotimi Amaechi, has given assurance that the Daura Transport University in Katsina State would be ready for use by September, 2022.
Amaechi gave the assurance during his routine tour at the construction works being done by the Transport Ministry in that area.
He addee that the contractors has assured him that the remaining seven buildings will be ready before September.
“I have asked the permanent secretary to invite them for a meeting so that this school can start functioning from September.
The minister while inspecting the Dala dry port in Kano State commended the contractors for their efforts.
He however urged them to do more so that President Muhammadu Buhari can commission it at the targeted time.
“If you say I’m not impressed that will be wrong, they promised me that they will complete the project by today.
”Have they completed the structures? Yes, but I didn’t see the landscaping. So, I said until they complete the landscaping, I will not be able to bring the president here.
”If they complete the landscaping, we can then bring the president to come and inaugurate the project, but it appears they have finished the structures,” he said.
The minister lamented that the Kano-Kaduna rail project, was encountering a huge setbacks, but he expressed hope that it would be addressed by the governor of the state.
Amaechi later visited the Emirs of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero and lastly, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Farouk Umar Farouk to pay homage to them, and also used the opportunity to formally inform them of his intentions to contest as President in the 2023 general election.
It could be recalled that, Amaechi on Saturday declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
While welcoming him to the palace, the Emir of Kano thanked the minister for the visit and consultation. He also promised to give him full support on his presidential ambition.
The Emir said “I know him since when he was speaker to the time he became governor and now a minister. People are also aware of the roles he played then and now. All these make him to qualify to contest the seat of president of Nigeria”.
The Emir of Bichi disclosed that he has had a long-standing relationship with the minister and prayed for good leadership in the country.
He urged all contestants and the present leaders to always put the country first in any situation.
“We welcome the honorable minister to Bichi emirate and we wish him the best of luck. We are always praying for good leadership and also for the coming elections to be peaceful in the country”.
Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has convened an emergency meeting of the FCT Security Committee to discuss how to respond to increasing cases of banditry, kidnapping, and robbery on the territory’s outskirts.
Dr Ramatu Tijani-Aliyu, FCT Minister of State, and all FCT security chiefs were also present at the meeting on Friday.
Following the meeting, the media were briefed by Ambassador Habu Habu Saliu Mohammed, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Security, and Babaji Sunday, Commissioner of Police FCT Command.
According to the Commissioner of Police, the emergency meeting raised a lot of concerns about kidnapping and banditry in FCT suburbs.
He said that the security agencies also resolved to do their best to ensure the incidents were brought to the barest minimum.
He noted that the all the security chiefs will again meet in his office on Monday to further strategise on what were discussed at the emergency meeting.
According to him: “We have deliberated a lot and have already put in measures, which are not good to air to the criminals as it will be to their advantage.
“But we have resolved among all the security agencies that we are going to do our best and ensure all those things are brought to the barest minimum.
“At the same time, we are going to improve our synergy –all of us the security agencies- and as we speak, we are going to meet in my office on Monday to further strategise on what we have discussed here.
We have assured the house headed by the Minister and Minister of State, who were both in attendance, that they will see changes.
We are also appealing to the residents of FCT to also see reasons and understand that by the grace of God we will be on top of the situations,” Sunday said.
He advised FCT residents to be security conscious and provide security agencies with actionable intelligence on criminal activities.
He also tasked the residents to form small neighbourhood watch within each estate made up people of good character, to curb criminality considering that number of policemen are inadequate nationwide.
“We also work with local vigilantes to improve community security. We work with them hand in hand. They know the terrain. Anytime we have security issues, it is the local vigilante that we rely upon both in terms of intelligence and knowing the terrain. But they are always profiled and work in synergy with the divisional police of that area”.
Around 150 beggars and destitutes were removed from major streets in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for allegedly causing a nuisance and disrupting the city’s serenity.
Over the weekend, officials from the Social Development Secretariat (SDS) collaborated with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Directorate of Road Traffic Services, FCT Security Department, and the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to evacuate beggars, the majority of whom were women and children, as well as elderly men.
This was on the heels of FCTA’s renewed clampdown on street begging in the nation’s capital, following receipt of complaints about the menace. It was observed that the team picked up the beggars from streets having shopping malls, supermarkets , Mosques and other notorious spots for alms begging within Maitama , Wuse II and Garki and other areas of the city.
After profiling them, they were later given Iftar meal to break their Ramadan fast in the evening, by the FCT administration.
The Secretary Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Hadiza Mohammed Kabir, hinted that the FCTA is targeting to evacuate between 400 to 1,000 beggars from the city, said the FCT Minister of state had embarked on removing beggars from the streets and cleaning the environs of Abuja.
She noted that by by the time they finished evacuating beggars and camping them in some of FCTA centres, for proper documentation, the Minister will liaise with all the governors of their states of origin, and thereafter, they will be repatriated back their respective states.
According to her: “As you are seeing today , the Minister has just sent a strong and sound warning through me as the leader of this team to them that they should go off the streets, because we are coming out massively for them.
“The minister has already sent them food and drinks to eat and break fast in the evening, but we are coming for them if they don’t leave the streets, as they stop begging on the streets of Abuja”, the SDS Boss reaffirmed.
She also announced a ministerial pardon by the Minister of State for those evacuated during the weekend with a strong warning that they should not return back to the street.
Similarly, the Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister, on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah, noted that what the FCTA did was to evacuate the beggars from the streets and take them to a safe place, profile and ensure that they are that most of them are well catered for and subsequently repatriated.
He said: “During the month of Ramadan where most of Muslim brothers and sisters are devoting themselves to the service of Almighty Allah, we saw excessive beggars who from across the country flooding into FCT so we had to move them off the streets, sensitive areas where they gather in large numbers to beg for alms, and in the process they disturb people, and the complaints came in, and we moved in and cleared them in a friendly manner that most of them very happy about.
“We are promising that we will take them back to their respective states, so that they would actually leave the streets. But with the pardon by the Honourable minister of state it is now left for them to vacate the streets.”
To restore sanity and eliminate traffic bottlenecks in the nation’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun the restoration of 33 traffic light junctions out of 172 in the city.
The first intersections were picked based on the priority of utilization, according to Mr. Adesola Olusade, the permanent secretary who visited the project over the weekend.
He added that the program’s purpose was to make driving easier while simultaneously tackling the federal capital’s continuing grildlock problem.
The present renovation, which includes security measures, will connect all traffic signals to a central point where activity at crossings will be monitored, according to the permanent secretary.
According to him, the rehabilitation work was part of the approved FCT 2021 budget, with additional ones awaiting the approval of Bureau of Public Enterprise.
Olusade hinted that the administration had another China intervention support that would commence installation by June/July which will strengthen the traffic lights system.
This, according to him, will ultimately translate to tangible improvement in the installation, rehabilitation and maintenance of the lights across the territory.
He said: “For sometime now, there have been issues with traffic signals in the Federal Capital City but with the award of this contract all the challenges associated with the traffic lights will be addressed”
Olusade started the inspection of the traffic lights project at Zakari Maimalara by Muhammadu Buhari way in the Central Business District, and ended at Kashim Ibrahim way/Anguiyi Ironsi street in Maitama District.
Speaking on its sustainability, the Mandate Secretary FCT Transportation Secretariat, Zakari Dobi said adequate measures will be put in place by the secretariat to safeguard the millions naira worth traffic lights infrastructure scheme.
He added that: “The project is going to be for one year, but with 2022 budget it can be extended to 3 years considering its importance”.
However, the contractor Engr Adewale Ikatun explained that the project which is rehabilitation and reactivation of some intersections started in the last two weeks, and will last for three months in the first phase.
The Federal Government’s ICT infrastructure development organization, Galaxy Backbone, has been given a waiver on payments for Right of Way on the exploitation of one quarter duct space of existing telecommunication ducts in the nation’s capital by the FCT Administration.
This will allow Galaxy Backbone to complete the second phase of the National ICT Infrastructure Project in the FCT, strengthening the telecommunications network, improving security, boosting the economy, and increasing broadband penetration in the FCT.
Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, announced this at a brief ceremony to hand the letter of waiver to Professor Muhammad Bello Abubakar, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, at Galaxy Backbone’s offices in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary of Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and PPP, Hon. Lukman Agboola Dabiri, the Minister said upon execution, the project will also facilitate a robust broadband connectivity between the FCTA and all its agencies and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government in the FCT.
He added: “We will continue to pursue enthusiastically, the provision of Infrastructure towards the development of Abuja in particular and Nigeria in general”.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Muhammad Bello Abubakar, thanked the Minister for granting the waiver which, he said, will go a long way in broadening broadband penetration in FCT and the country at large.
Abubakar commended the FCTA for the giant strides it has made in developing the information Communication Technology sector, describing the FCTA as a pacesetter in terms of providing positive ICT directions and pledged the support of his organisation to the FCTA in this regard.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has declared his presidential candidacy for 2023.
He did so just a few minutes ago in the Presidential Villa Abuja, following a consultative meeting with several governors elected under the APC last night.
His announcement comes after months of speculation about whether he might run for president.
He said, “for the past seven (7) years, I have served as Vice President under a true Nigerian patriot, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“In these 7 years, while on the train of duty and service, I traversed every part of our country, meeting Nigerians of every cadre, class, tribe and walks of life, both young and old; I MET YOU.
“I’ve stood where you stand and sat where you sit. I know and I understand our hopes, aspirations and fears from a place of relatable proximity; and I believe that in those hopes and aspirations are the seeds for the great Nigeria that we all desire.
“I believe that the very reason why the Almighty God gave me these experiences, these insights, and these opportunities, is that they must be put to the use of our country and its great peoples.
“This is why today, with utmost humility, I formally declare my intention to run for the office of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.
“I also most solemnly and respectfully seek your support as fellow Nigerians everywhere in this land and the diaspora, as we embark on this great and exciting journey that lies ahead of us. It is time”.
The Minister of Transportation, Honourable Rotimi Amaechi has declared his intentions to contest as the President of Nigeria in the forth coming 2023 general elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Amaechi made his intentions known on Saturday while speaking at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Port Harcourt, venue of the Rivers APC thanksgiving service.
Amaechi who said he is compelled, promised to be a President for every Nigerian.
FULL TEXT OF HIS DECLARATION SPEECH
Forward with Courage
Fellow Nigerians,
I stand before you today to declare my intention and submit my application to serve as your next President.
I did not come to this decision lightly. I have served our nation for the last seven years as Minister of Transportation. For eight years before that, I served as Governor of Rivers State. In the preceding eight years before that, I was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. These 23 years of service have equipped me not only with great experience in governance and public service but also compassion for the ordinary citizens of our dear country.
After more than two decades in the public arena, I had wanted to go on holiday and spend more time with my family before charting a new course outside politics. But at 58, and a member of the generation born after independence who has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Nigeria, I am compelled by the urgency of our present challenges to place my experience and proven capacity at the service of the nation at the highest level.
Those who know me can testify that I have always been a straight talker. This trait has not always made me popular, but I speak truth with conviction. So, allow me to speak the truth here today.
We are facing some very serious challenges as a country. These are problems of insecurity, challenges of greater accountability in governance, youth unemployment and the scourge of spiraling poverty.
These problems are however not the exclusive preserve of Nigeria. We live in a troubled world. The reality we used to know has altered in nearly every nation. Climate change has brought about food scarcity in some places. Population explosion has produced unusual pressure on resources and supplies. Poverty has become a challenge all over the world especially in the developing world. The Covid crisis has placed unanticipated burdens on the budgets of nations and put pressure on available resources. Trans border crises have erupted in unusual places and placed the internal security of many nations under pressure. We are part of the Sahel, an area of the world that is subject to frequent terrorist attacks. Let us look at our current challenges as part and consequences of these global trends.
I admit that Nigeria’s problems did not begin today. And they will not be solved overnight. But they are not beyond the capacity of our people to solve. Fortunately, that process has already started.
There is an ancient proverb that “a society grows great when old men plant trees under whose shade they know they’ll never sit.”
The current administration under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has planted many such trees in Nigeria’s future. We have invested billions in infrastructure, human capital development and made reforms that will pay off over time in terms of socio-economic growth and stability. We have invested heavily in projects and initiatives that will secure a brighter, better future for Nigeria.
I am proud to have been part of this success story. It has been an honour overseeing the Ministry of Transportation in reviving the moribund railways, and working tirelessly to create an integrated national transportation system that will positively impact our economy, trade, employment, business, and national cohesion. Have we achieved everything we set out to do? Off-course not. Could wehave done more? Undoubtedly, there is always room for improvement.
On reflection, the notion of running for President would have been far beyond the imagination of the young lad running around the streets of Diobu or our small compound in Ubima. Not to talk of the young indigent student leader, mobilizing peers at the University of Port Harcourt. But my aspiration is not about fulfilling any personal ambition. I am contesting for office because I believe that it is my moral duty to give what I can in the service of my country. To sustain and intensify present efforts at solving our national problems, our democracy must ensure the emergence of a leadership that is equipped with broad experience in governance to ensure stability and continuity. To sustain our democracy and preserve our unity, we need a steady hand and a passion for success in a nation that remains united to pursue prosperity for all Nigerians.
It is this combination of experience and patriotic passion that I bring to the table. I have been in the political arena for 23 years. I have served at every level of government – local, state, and federal. I have served both as a political appointee and an elected official. I have served both as an executive – as Governor of Rivers State and as a legislator – as Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
In these capacities, I did not just fill vacant posts. As a Speaker, I managed the legislative process in a difficult transition from military rule. As Governor, I defeated mercantile militancy and restored security. As a minister, I can modestly claim to have justified the trust of Nigerians.
I do not come from a privileged background. I grew up poor. I understand how it feels to go without some meals in a day. I know the pain of lack and the agony of want. I know what it means to see your parents toil just to keep a roof over your family’s head. I know what it is to feel the weight of expectation when you are are the only one in your family who enjoys the opportunity to attend university. Subsequently, I funded the education of my siblings to be university graduates as well. I know what it is to scrimp and save and struggle.
In spite of all odds, I have journeyed to this point. I could not have come this far without my parents, Fidelis, and Mary, who sacrificed so much for me. I could not have come this far without the support of my siblings. I could not have come this far without the mentors, friends and sponsors who have believed in me. I could not have come this far without the precious wife of my youth and my best friend, Judith, and my children who mean everything to me. I could not have come this far without the support of Dr. Peter Odili and his wife. I could not have come this far without the support of Chief Rufus Ada-George. Neither could I have come this far without the support of President Muhammadu Buhari. Above all, I could not have come this far without the Grace of God.
The next leg of my political journey will be tough. But I am excited to go out and engage with Nigerians from every walk of life. I am ready to go from Maiduguri to Makurdi, from Sokoto to Sagbama, from Yola to Oyo, from Badagry to Birnin Kebbi. To each town and village, I will have one message: Hope is around the corner.
I look forward to meeting you in your towns, villages, cities, campuses, and creeks. I want to hear your desires, needs and pains. I want to know what matters most to you. I want to listen and learn. I will be coming with one assurance: I will be welcome everywhere because the blood of every Nigerian flow in my veins. I shall be the president of all and every Nigerian.
I believe that despite our cultural differences, we remain one people under God. We may speak different languages or worship in different ways, but we all want the same things – a better life for our children, the ability to support our families, the freedom to live in peace without fear for our lives or properties.
I have never been the type who folds his arms and complains about inadequacies I see around me. I have always jumped in with both feet to do whatever I can to help, to try and bring relief to those suffering, to work to make things right where I see wrong. If you elect me as your President, I promise to play my part to the best of my ability. Every day I will rise and go to work for you. I will never forget the fact that I am there to serve you.
Today, I stand as an aspirant to the position of President because of that same passion for people; that same drive for results. More than ever before, I am burning with the zeal to make a decisive difference in the lives of allNigerians.
No matter the darts and arrows that come my way, I will remain steadfast because the stakes are too high. We cannot afford to fail. We cannot afford to veer off-course.
I pledge my heart, mind and soul to the task of building a Nigeria in which every child can go to school, every young person can find work or support to start a business, every citizen can travel safely around the country and sleep at night knowing that law and order prevails and every Nigerian feels included, heard, and respected.
The road ahead will be long and arduous. But we go forward with faith.
Forward with courage.
Forward with compassion.
Forward with hope.
Forward with pride for who we are as a people and who we are yet to become.
The future is bright because of YOU.
God bless you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnibe Mamora
Federal government has said that, the environmental catastrophe has exacerbated noncommunicable diseases, enhanced an ecology where many infectious diseases thrive, deteriorated air quality, food and water shortages, and deteriorated mental health illness.
Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of State for Health, added that the current impact of various environmental crises on the planet’s health and every individual, such as climate change, avoidable pollution, food and waterborne diseases, emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and extreme weather events, is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
He stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the 72nd World Health Day, 2022, which has the theme “Our Planet, Our Health.”
According to him, ” The effect of COVID-19 and the climate change crisis have unsettled the lives of many individuals across the globe while causing profound disruptions in the global economy, supply chains and economic growth, with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs hard hit.
“Let me begin by thanking the World Health Organization for creating an awareness where we can re-imagine a world where clean air, water and food are available to all, where economies concentrate on health and well-being, where cities are livable, and people have control over their health and the health of the planet.
“On this occasion of the 72nd World Health Day, the theme “Our planet, our health” emphasizes an area of priority concern for the World Health Organization that looks at the connection between the health of our planet and the health of every living creature – humans, plants, and animals, in the concept of “One Health”.
According to the American Medical Association , “scientific surveys have shown clear evidence that our patients are facing adverse health effects associated with climate change. From heat-related injuries and forest fire air pollution, to worsening seasonal allergies and storm-related illness and injuries, it is important that we make every effort to put environmentally friendly practices in place to lessen the harmful impact that climate change is having on patient health across the globe.”
“These health impacts from climate change primarily affect the vulnerable and the elderly populations disproportionately, especially low-income communities, minorities, children, and individuals with existing health conditions. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 80 percent of climate change affects many children. It also impacts access to healthcare delivery services and disrupts primary health care infrastructure, involving health care utilities, ambulatory care services, and communication systems, which are all critical to maintaining emergency medical treatment services. Hospital supply chains may also see disruptions, leading to shortages of essential medicines, vaccines, and medical devices.
“Where there is will, there is a way”. Our resolve throws light at the end of the tunnel. Such resolve demonstrated by the health care professionals, policymakers, stakeholders, development partners and interests in health has been evident during this pandemic crisis.
“Our planet, our health”, permit me to quote from the late Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai, an environmentalist, who once said , “I have come to realize that the physical destruction of the earth extends to humanity, too. If we live in an environment that’s wounded – where the water is polluted, the air is filled with soot and fumes, the food is contaminated with heavy metals and plastic residues, or the soil is practically dust – it hurts us, chipping away at our health and creating injuries at a physical, psychological, and spiritual level. Therefore, in degrading the environment, we degrade ourselves and all humankind.”
This is a profound statement that captures the essence of our gathering here today! This call for urgent action to safeguard our planet and our health in line with the World Health Day theme, the government will bring together experts, policymakers, stakeholders, and development partners to set up a committee to discuss on the central scientific issues to improving and benefiting from healthy planet and respect for the integrity of living creature.
The Federal Ministry of Health will reflect on the need for strategic ideas and priorities, which should be worked on in more detail through the following: Prioritizing long term decision-making that stabilizes the welfare and security of Nigerians and their environment; Prioritizing efforts that will keep the private sector and other socio-economic organizations’ environmental and their health goals in safe hands; Implementing policies that reduce the use of fossil fuels, fossil fuels subsidies, its exploration and shift projects to increase clean energy production and use; he country towards a green economy by 2030.
These would serve as the basis for a framework for an Action Plan towards reducing human and planetary health threats. Such an economy in Nigeria will improve the lives of many Nigerians and their environment while reducing exposure to environmental risks for future generations.
The Federal Ministry of Health will provide a framework for an action plan that can be modified as desirable for local needs with a shift from fragmented approaches to policy and practice geared towards systematic actions that will promote human health as well as health of the planet.
He is confidence that, our funding and implementing partners will support the targeted goals and objectives to make them achievable through appropriate funding and robust implementation.
Similarly, WHO Nigeria Head of Mission and Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo said WHO estimates that more than 13 million annual deaths globally are due to avoidable environmental causes, including the climate crisis.
He said that, climate change is manifesting in increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather conditions.
Mulombo, who was represented by his Deputy Dr. Alex Chimbaru said This year’s theme, Our Planet, Our Health, serves as a timely reminder of the inextricable link between the planet and our health, as the burden of noncommunicable and infectious diseases rises alongside growing incidence of climate-related challenges.
His words, “With direct consequences for the key determinants of health, climate change is negatively impacting air and water quality, food security, and human habitat and shelter. The knock-on effect for the burden of heart and lung disease, stroke and cancer, among others, is evident from statistics that point to NCDs representing a growing proportion of Africa’s disease burden including Nigeria.
“In Nigeria and many part of African continent, NCDs are set to overtake communicable diseases, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions combined, to become the leading cause of death by 2030. COVID-19, along with spiraling obesity, diabetes and hypertension rates, compounds the challenge, highlighting the urgency of a multi-sectoral response.
“In Nigeria climate change is already increasing the vulnerability of health systems. Warming of 2-3°C is estimated to increase the higher risks of malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, Lassa fever, cholera and other diseases especially in coastal regions such as Lagos and Port Harcourt and in the Lake Chad Basin.
“Consequently, Nigeria’s commitment to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission by 20% unconditionally and 47% with international support, and the development the Sectoral Action Plan (SAP) for the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in the key priority sectors are commendable”.
Mulombo further noted that, “During the past two decades, most public health events have been climate-related, whether they were vector- or water-borne, transmitted from animals to humans, or the result of natural disasters. For example, diarrhoeal diseases are the third leading cause of disease and death in children younger than five in Africa, a significant proportion of which is preventable through safe drinking water, and adequate sanitation and hygiene.
“However, 3 in 10 people in Nigeria don’t have clean water close to home, putting them under constant threat from waterborne diseases like cholera. The more our climate changes, the more challenging this becomes. Though in 2018, President Mohammmed Buhari declared a state of emergency in Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, yet 30 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to a basic water services, more than half of rural water sources are contaminated. of the resultant effect of inadequate access to WASH services is increasing child deaths linked to outbreaks of cholera and WASH related diseases.
Meanwhile, a heating world is seeing mosquitos spread diseases further and faster than ever before, with serious consequences for Nigeria which reported 31.9%% of all malaria cases recorded in Africa region and 27% of global cases in 2021.
“In 2018, African health and environment ministers endorsed the 10-year Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa, signed in 2008. This is a WHO-supported framework aimed at promoting government investment in addressing environmental problems that impact human health – such as air pollution, contamination of water sources, and ecosystem damage.
“With Nigeria population estimated at 208 million and projected to grow to surpass that of the United States by 2050, at which point it would become the third largest country in the world., we can expect burgeoning urbanization into areas exposed to natural hazards, and a concomitant increase in associated injuries, disease and deaths. As such, I urge our WHO State offices across the 36 states in Nigeria to urgently initiate climate change and health adaptation and mitigation actions” .
Mulombo added that, being part of the solution, in 2021, WHO has facilitated the signing of 1st ever Nigeria Health Sector Ministerial Commitment and Public Declaration to building a climate-resilient and sustainable health system with deadlines prior to COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in October 2021. WHO has also supported Nigeria to develop her health climate profiles in 2015. And prior to the onset of the first index of COVID-19 in Nigeria in 2020, WHO has collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health to train over 74 experts and climate change health desk officers across the 36+1 states in Nigeria to coordinate health system climate initiatives at sub-national level. We have supported Nigeria to activate a national Technical Working Group on Climate Change and Health.
In a multisectoral one-health approach and in furtherance to achieving the NDC, we shall support the development of Nigeria National Health Adaptation Plan (HNAP) and Conduct assessment of the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the health systems to climate change comprising essential public health interventions, in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and COP26 Health Programme.
Governments, civil society, nongovernment organizations and communities need to work together, empowering one another to ensure the continued delivery of essential health services during future extreme events, while containing the growing incidence of environment- and lifestyle-related diseases.
We cannot afford to lose sight of the fundamental truth that the climate crisis, the single biggest threat facing humanity today, is also very much a health crisis.
