News

Malaria Kills 9 Nigerians Every Hour – SFH

Published

2 months ago

July 28, 2025

Editor

The Society for Family Health, SFH, said nine Nigerians die every hour in Nigeria as a result of malaria.

This was also as it said 97 per cent of Nigerians suffer from the burden of malaria.

The Society’s Social and Behavioural Change Specialist, Sesugh Deborah Oryiman, disclosed this during a media orientation on integrated insecticide treated nets (ITNs) and Seasonal Malaria Chemo prevention (SMC) campaign in Kano.

Oryiman said during the campaign, it planned to distribute 7.7million treated nets and over 15m doses of SPAQ to children between age of 3-59 months in order to reduce the burden of malaria.

According to her, “Malaria is the most common preventable public health problem in Nigeria, yet it takes a lethal toll on 97% of Nigerians, especially children under five years of age and pregnant women.

“Evidence has shown that Nigeria accounts for nearly 110million clinically diagnosed cases per year.

“An estimated 30% of child and 11% of maternal deaths each year are due to malaria.

“Nigeria accounts for a quarter ofthe malaria burden in the world.

“Two out of every 4 persons having malaria in West African sub-region live in Nigeria. One out of 5 deaths from malaria globally occur in Nigeria. Malaria kills 9 people every hour in Nigeria.

“It is the commonest cause of absenteeism from schools, offices, farms, markets, etc, resulting to lower productivity.

“In addition to the overburden on health system it also exerts a huge social and economic burden on our communities and country, retarding the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 40% annually and billions of Naira is lost to malaria annually in form of treatment cost, prevention and loss of man hours. Despite the increase in malaria incidence, there was a notable decrease in malaria prevalence as determined by microscopy, dropping from 27% in 2015 to 22% in 2021.

“Malaria can be prevented by not allowing mosquito to bite us. One assured way (and most cost effective) is to sleep inside a net consistently,” she said.

The Society’s Social and Behavioral Change Specialist, Oryiman maintained the distribution of treated nets were to focus on Local Government areas and wards most vulnerable and with prevalent cases of malaria while the SPAQ dosage will be carried out across the 44 LGAs of the state.

On his part, the Kano State Malaria Elimination Programme Manager, SMEPM, Babangida Gwarzo said it has engaged over 27,000 Community Mobilizers and Distributors, CMDs to go house to house to give the SPAQ dosage to the children and targets to reach over 3 million children as well as give the caregiver token for collection of the treated nets.

He however, appealed to caregivers to avail their wards for the dosage to reduce the burden of malaria in the state, especially during the rainy season.

Related Topics:Malaria SFH Society for Family Health

Up Next

Nigerian First Female Train Driver Receives Chinese Friendship Honour In Beijing

Don't Miss

NiMet Forecasts Rain, Flash Floods Nationwide

Comments

News

NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

5 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

10 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

News

JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

10 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.