Dr Uthman Mubashir, a public health physician, on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to provide adequate vaccines for the prevention of meningitis in the country. Mubashir, a Consultant at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), gave the advice in Ilorin, saying the country was presently contending with extreme heat wave and an outbreak of the disease in parts of the country. According to the consultant, meningitis tends to set in at the peak of the dry season due to the hot weather. He described meningitis as an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Mubashir added…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
A major landslide on Sunday destroyed 10 houses in Odi community, Kolokuma-Opokuma Area Council of Bayelsa. The incident which occurred near the bank of the River Nun caused panic in the community. Mr James Dounana, a resident in Odi attributed the landslide to marine erosion, saying it might have been triggered by indiscriminate sand dredging from the River. “It was God’s doing that the incident happened during the day and not night. It is one of the many challenges faced by riverine communities. It started at about 7: 00 a.m. as earth tremor; and two hours later, the ground gave way…
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) will begin an awareness drive to mitigate the effect of flooding in Gombe ahead of the raining season. Mr Daniel Wuave, the Coordinator of NESREA in Gombe, who disclosed this on Monday said this would address the unpredictable changes in the climate. He said that people needed to change their negative attitude towards the environment, because “it could have severe devastating effect on our environment.” He decried the attitude of Nigerians of dumping wastes in drainages and building houses on water channels, which leads to flooding across the country. According to…
Guri local government in Jigawa will vaccinate 21,300 livestock against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBP) and pests des petits ruminants (PPR). This would be done under the 2019 Animal Vaccination Programme. Alhaji Kabiru Haruna, the Head of Department of Agriculture in the area, disclosed this in an interview on Monday. He said the animals to be vaccinated will include 10,000 cows, 11,000 goats and sheep as well as 300 dogs. Haruna said livestock owners in the area had already been informed to visit veterinary clinics nearest to them with their animals to access the vaccines. He noted that the vaccination would…
The North-East Commodity Association (NECAS) says it is targetting 20 hectares of cotton production and has mobilised nearly 10, 000 farmers in Gombe State to boost the production of the commodity in the state. Alhaji Yahaya Umar, the Gombe State Head of Agriculture, NECAS who made this known in Gombe on Monday, stressed that the cultivation of cotton in the North-east sub-region needed a boost to meet local and export demands. Umar stated that the focus of the association is to enhance to a large scale, the production of cotton in the sub-region, specifically in Gombe, adding that the target…
The Nigeria Meteorological Society (NMetS), says farmers need proper guidance from agriculture extension workers as they commence farming activities following the prevailing weather condition in the country. Accoding to its President, Prof. Clement Akoshile “as the weather carries a lot of heat waves and hot air, there should be agriculture extension services to farmers, to enable them understand the weather predictions. ”Thank God that the agriculture extension workers are around to educate farmers on when to plant and when not to plant. ”With the harsh weather condition this period, their guidance is necessary for farmers not to incur pre- and…
The Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria (IHVN) says it will work with Rivers Government and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen the state’s HIV diagnostic capacity. The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja. “In Port Harcourt, what we have been asked to do and we are funded to do is, principally to work with the government of Rivers State, with the technical support of CDC. We are going to first of all, identify facilities that do not have HIV diagnostic and treatment capabilities. “Two, we are…
The Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet), a civil society group, says the ongoing Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degraded Forests (REDD+) National Capacity Building will reduce carbon emission. According to a statement by Mr Pius Oko, the Project Officer of CSDevNet on Friday in Abuja, the engagement programme had both experts and the local communities in attendance. The REDD+ programme is the UN collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is a market-based mechanism for achieving the effective reduction of carbon emissions from forests.…
Some health workers in Nasarawa State have commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its efforts in tackling malnutrition among children in the state. They said UNICEF achieved the feat through capacity building for health workers and the provision of the Ready to Feed Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) free of charge to malnourished children. The health workers made the commendation at the ongoing six-day capacity building for 32 participants on Community Infant and Young Child Feeding Counseling package in Nassarawa. They appreciated the giant steps taken by UNICEF towards bettering the health and standard of living of infants and young…
The Commander, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kano state, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul says the rate of drug abuse in the state had reduced from three to one percent, according to a recent report. He disclosed this on Friday when the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA) paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Fagge local government, Alhaji Shehi Abdullahi. Abdul said the report indicated that Lagos had now taken over as number one followed by Ogun then Kano. He said the success was recorded in the last few months after his resumption as…