As part of the drive toward eradicating malaria in Nigeria, the Federal Government has enlisted the support of prominent business leaders led by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, alongside the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, and the Chairman of Geregu Power Plc, Femi Otedola, to lead the charge against the disease.
Other members of the Council tasked with reducing, and potentially eliminating the malaria scourge in the country include Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health; Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM); Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; President, National Council For Women Society (NCWS); and National Amira, Federation of Muslim Women’s Association (FOMWAN), and others.
During the inaugural meeting of the Nigeria End Malaria Council on Thursday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa emphasized the urgency of addressing malaria prevalence in Nigeria, which led to the establishment of the Council, saying, “The disease’s prevalence in the country makes it urgently expedient to explore every option available to address it”.
The Nigeria End Malaria Council, established in 2017, was inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari on 16 August 2022 with the primary objectives to keep malaria high on national and state agendas, secure strong political commitment from leaders, and mobilize resources from both traditional and innovative sources, particularly the private sector, to close resource gaps in the national malaria strategic plan.
Following the 2022 inauguration, the Council was unable to meet due to the change in government and other operational challenges, although the Secretariat remained functional.
Noting that the urgency of the Council’s mission is underscored by alarming statistics of the scourge, the Minister said, “Nigeria contributes over a quarter of global malaria cases and about a third of the more than 600,000 malaria deaths worldwide, mostly affecting children and pregnant women.
“It is sad to note that malaria contributes about 25-30% of childhood mortality and about 60% of hospital attendance. Similarly, malaria is a major cause of absenteeism in schools, markets, and workplaces, as well as a significant out-of-pocket expense for most households in the country”.
He also recalled Nigeria’s involvement earlier this year in the Ministerial Conference on Malaria in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where Nigeria, alongside 10 other high-burden countries, signed a Declaration to scale up interventions against malaria.
This, according to him, was followed by the “Rethinking Malaria Elimination in Nigeria” roundtable discussion in Abuja, which brought together major stakeholders and global players to identify challenges and strategize on eliminating malaria.
Highlighting the enormity of the challenge, Alausa lamented that “Nigeria currently has a population of over 200 million, and the entire population is at risk of malaria. This puts a huge challenge on the Government and requires a different approach to tackle the disease”.
He, however, acknowledged that while current interventions like antimalarial medicines and protective measures such as treated nets and insecticides are essential, they remain insufficient.
