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The umbrella body of civil society organizations working towards the total elimination of malaria in Nigeria, formerly known as Association of Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition, ACOMIN, Delta state chapter, held an advocacy meeting with key stakeholders and traditional rulers in five selected local government councils in the state, to seek their respective support in the fight to eliminate malaria in Nigeria.
The meeting, which took place at the four Local Government Areas, out of the Five selected LGAs in the pilot phase, kick started at the Okpe Local Government council, then proceeded to Warri South, Udu, and was finally wrapped up at the palace of His Royal Majesty, Anthony Williams, Onovughe Ovrawah, the Odion logbo of Oleh Kingdom, in Isoko South Local Government Area.
Speaking during the meeting with the Secretary to the Okpe Local Government Council, who received the advocacy team on behalf of the council, ACOMIN, Delta State program officer, Itua Osasunmhen, said the Global fund for ATM is currently running a grant for malaria, which started in 2018 and will be rounding up by 2020. According to him the grant is being implemented through a consortium that is led by the Catholic Relief Services, and ACOMIN has been engaged to implement the Civil Society Organizations and Community component, and further coordinate efforts of community based organizations on oversight,advocacy, and accountability at the community, Local Government Area, and state level.
“Our main objectives are Accountability for Commodity Utilization, Accountability to Value for Money, Accountability for human resource deployment, Accountability for budgetary appropriation, and Accountability for Result.”
Responding, the Secretary to Okpe Local Government Council, Hon. Ekruwokwo Eju, appreciate the state chapter on their efforts so far in the elimination of Malaria in Nigeria, urging Global Fund to further fumigate their environment to complement mosquitoes nets that were earlier distributed. He also promised to forward the minutes of the meeting to the Local Government Council chairman, Hon. Julius Scott.
“There is need for fumigation of our environment to quicken the elimination of malaria from Nigeria”
At the Warri South Local Government, the Secretary to the Local Government Council, Hon. Joseph Oribioye, who received the advocacy team on behalf of the council, assured the team of the Local Government’s support.
The Secretary to the Udu Local Government Council, Eloho Awinoro, speaking during the advocacy meeting at the Udu Local Government Council, advocated for proper sensitization of rural settlers on the need to maximize the advantages of Primary Health Care facilities in their area.
“On our part, we will try to really sensitize our people on the need to visit the health centre facility closer to them because some of these people in the villages don’t really know what they stand to benefit when they visit those health centres”
The advocacy team also visited the palace of His Royal Majesty, Anthony Williams, Onovughe Ovrawah, the Odion logbo of Oleh Kingdom.
Addressing the team, the Odion Ologbo who spoke through one of his chiefs, Anthony Okoro, called for sensitization of the people, on the importance of the health facility in their area, adding that the health centre in Oleh is underutilized due to undue and outrageous charges on the part of the official overseeing the facility.
“The people do not even know that there is a health centre in Oleh, so the patronage of the health centre is very, very low because they have a bigger central Hospital, so every body goes to the Central Hospital”.
“At the initial stage I know health centres are where women even deliver children, but in Oleh health centre, no delivery takes place there because they don’t have the facilities. Every delivery is taken to the Central Hospital. If they have Malaria problem they will go to the Central Hospital not the health centre”.
“The few people that know that there is a Public Health Centre in Oleh are women who take their children there for Immunization,that is the only thing that happens in Oleh Health centres; because they announced to them about the Immunization. So, as far as I know, the Public Health Centre in Oleh is mainly for Immunization”
“Like I have told you people before, you need much advocacy in the community to tell them that the Public Health Centre is available for free Malaria treatment”.
The advocacy team was led by the Delta State chapter Program Officer of ACOMIN, Itua Osasumhen, Delta state chapter Secretary, Hon. Peter Anighoro, ,CSOs representative, Ruppee Missan Rachael,and the media representative.
Delta state is the only selected state among the states in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria to benefit from the(ACOMIN) Program
