Kylian Mbappe is back in the France starting line-up for Tuesday’s Euro 2024 clash with Poland, his first appearance since suffering a broken nose against Austria just over a week ago.
Mbappe injured himself late on in the 1-0 victory over the Austrians on June 17 and did not play any part in last Friday’s 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in Leipzig as a result.
The new Real Madrid signing, who must wear a protective face mask, captains a France side who have already qualified for the last 16 before the Group D finale in Dortmund.
He returns in one of two changes made by coach Didier Deschamps to his line-up, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola getting a first international start as Antoine Griezmann and Marcus Thuram drop out.
Where France finish in the section depends both on their result and the outcome of the simultaneous encounter between the Netherlands and Austria.
Poland are already eliminated but their captain and record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski makes his first start of the competition after injury.
As Nigeria battles with the cholera outbreak, the country has recorded seven new confirmed cases of Lassa Fever.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed in its latest situation report for week 24 of 2024, spanning 10 to 16 June.
This is around the same period NCDC issued an alert on cholera outbreak which has now claimed 53 lives with over 1, 500 suspected cases recorded across 107 LGAs in 31 states as of 24 June.
While no deaths were recorded from Lassa fever in the reporting week, NCDC noted that 162 deaths were reported in 2024 with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 17.6 per cent, higher than 17.1 per cent recorded for the same period in 2023.
It stated that 66 per cent of all confirmed cases in 2024 (918) were reported from Ondo, Edo, and Bauchi, while 34 per cent were reported from 25 states.
“In total for 2024, 28 states have recorded at least one confirmed case of Lassa fever across 125 Local Government Areas,” it noted.
Cholera outbreak
In response to the alarming surge in cholera cases across the country, the NCDC on Monday, activated the National Cholera Multi-Sectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to coordinate a robust response to the outbreak.
According to Jide Idris, Director General of NCDC, an expert risk assessment placed Nigeria at high risk of increased cholera transmission and impact.
The NCDC DG explained that the activated EOC will be the central hub for coordinating and directing the country’s response to the cholera outbreak.
In a statement on Monday, the Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako, also advised Nigerians to avoid locally made drinks like kunu, zobo, and fura to prevent the spread of cholera disease.
“Avoid locally prepared drinks like kunu, zobo, fura da nono, koko, and fruit juice among others except it is certain that the preparation was done hygienically and safely,” Mr Salako said.
“Wash hands regularly with soap under running water, especially after using the toilet, cleaning a child who has gone to the toilet, before preparing food, before and after eating, and after playing with animals.”
About cholera, Lassa fever
Cholera is a food and waterborne disease, caused by ingestion of the organism Vibrio cholera in contaminated water and food.
Symptoms of cholera include acute, profuse, painless watery diarrhoea (rice water stools) of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea and fever.
Severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration (massive body fluid loss).
However, most infected people may only show mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently announced the global resurgence of cholera, Lassa Fever remains an issue of public health concern in Nigeria.
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic (excessive bleeding) illness that is transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons.
Its symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and other body openings.
A Nigerian man has accused police operatives from Anambra State of extorting N800,000 from him.
A human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, drew the attention of the Nigerian police to the alleged extortion via a post on his X handle on Tuesday.
Mr Gwamnishu uploaded on the X handle a voice note of the unidentified man and screenshot of his transaction receipt indicating that the N810,000 was withdrawn from his bank account.
“Dear Nigeria Police Force, kindly look into this case and help us fish out these officers that have continued to destroy the image of the Police Force,” the human rights activist wrote.
How it happened
In the voice note uploaded by Mr Gwamnishu, the victim said he was heading to a mechanic workshop on Friday when police operatives flagged down his vehicle at Upper Iweka Onitsha in Anambra State.
He said there were four police operatives from the Area Command Onitsha, Onitsha North Local Government Area of the state.
“I can identify four of them,” he said.
The victim said the operatives requested his car particulars and an explanation for using tinted glass in the vehicles.
He said the head of the police team, upon receipt of the documents, immediately claimed that the car documents and a doctor’s report permitting his use of tinted glass were fake.
“But I have been using the doctor’s report since 2022, yet he said it is fake,” the victim said.
He said three of the operatives subsequently searched his car and immediately one of them brought out a pack of marijuana from the vehicle.
“But I don’t smoke. I had just washed my car at a car wash stand.
“He implanted weed in my car,” the victim said.
Weed is another word for marijuana.
‘Don’t tell anyone’
The victim said immediately they brought out the pack of marijuana, they siezed his car and his mobile phone and asked him not tell anybody where he was going to.
“It was like an act of kidnapping,” he said.
He said when they arrived the Command’s office, the operatives told him that he should pay N5 million to be freed or they would transfer him to Force Headquarters, Abuja.
“They had already printed two transfer papers to transfer me to Abuja immediately,” he said.
He said he repeatedly asked what his offence was, but they responded that they would consider accepting N2 million from him to free him.
The victim said the operatives refused to give him back his mobile phone, until he informed them that he wanted to call someone who would bring the amount they demanded.
He said he subsequently reached a relative who came along with a lawyer to the police facility.
But the lawyer, according to him, strangely began negotiations with the operatives and allegedly lied to them that the victim had accepted to pay N800,000.
“They forced me to appear in a video, snapped me with the weed, forced me to say that I am a smoker and that I am a Yahoo boy. They forced me to say everything (that could incriminate me),” he said.
“Yahoo boy” is a Nigerian slang for an internet fraudster.
“After that, one of them removed his uniform, put on a plain cloth, followed me outside to force me to withdraw N900,000 first because they had checked my account balance after seizing my phone and opening my bank application,” the victim added.
He said he finally withdrew and gave the operatives N800,000 which he did through a Point on Sale (PoS) operator, but they further asked him to go his bank to transfer additional N1 million to their account.
PREMIUM TIMES understood that out of the N810,000 allegedly extorted from the victim, N10,000 was the service charge for the PoS withdrawal.
“So, it was when I went outside that I had the chance to call somebody and say, ‘please, I am in trouble. Come to the station. This is what is happening,’” he narrated.
He said the operatives got angry when they noticed that he had made a phone call.
“They said why did I call somebody. That they will deal with me. That they will finish me and that they will end my life,” he said.
The victim said it took the intervention of the lawyer and one other person he phoned earlier to be freed by the operatives.
Police speak
When contacted on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, told PREMIUM TIMES that the attention of the police in the state had been drawn to the allegation.
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said efforts were already on to identify the officers involved in the alleged extortion.
The police spokesperson said “information about the incident has been escalated to Area Commander Onitsha” for necessary actions.
“Meanwhile, the Command also wishes to invite the victim to come to Police Command Headquarters, Awka at the Police Public Relations Office to help us with more information that will help in facilitating the necessary procedures involved in the process,” he stated.
Earlier, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, in response to the X post, asked the victim to reach out to commissioner of police in Anambra State through Mr Ikenga.
Mr Adejobi, an assistant commissioner of police, dropped the phone number of the police spokesperson and asked the victim to contact him.
“This must be investigated and the police must act appropriately,” he assured.
Not the first time
Cases of police extortion in the country have continued despite punishment by police authorities, such as dismissal from service.
The latest extortion allegations came days after an operative was dismissed in Abia State for allegedly shooting dead an entrepreneur over his refusal to bribe him.
Earlier in March, another operative was dismissed while two others were suspended for allegedly extorting $3,000 from two Nigerians in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
A Divisional Crimes Officer of Abraka Division in Delta State was also removed from office for allegedly extorting over N2 million.
This newspaper reported the detention of some operatives at the police headquarters in Abuja for allegedly extorting N30.3 million.
The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old cleaner, Savior Udoh, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl on a church premises.
Justice Ramon Oshodi held that the prosecution was able to prove the offence of defilement against the convict without reasonable doubt, stating that the defendant’s action was reprehensible and deserving of the maximum punishment under the law.
Udoh was arraigned on February 5, 2020, on a count of sexual assault by penetration preferred against him by the state, to which he pleaded not guilty.
According to the prosecution counsel, I.D. Solarin, the offence committed by Udoh contravened Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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The court heard that the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, on the premises of a prominent Pentecostal church in Ikeja, Lagos.
Udoh, who also worked as a cleaner at the church, approached the sleeping child in the children’s department and sexually assaulted her.
The victim’s mother reported the crime to the authorities, leading to Udoh’s arrest.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the crime committed was a grave one.
He said, “The court has carefully considered the evidence presented during the trial, including the confessional statement, the testimony of the victim, her mother, the IPO, and the medical evidence. The crime he has committed is a grave one as it involves sexual exploitation of a vulnerable child.”
According to the judge, the victim is still suffering from the effects of the crime committed by the convict. He said, “The impact of your action on the victim and her family cannot be overstated. In her testimony, the victim’s mother stated that she was still taking the victim to the hospital three years after the incident and that the victim was still having discharges.
This statement highlights the long-lasting physical and emotional trauma inflicted upon the child.
“The victim who was only five years old at the time of the incident trusted you, and her mother entrusted her in your care. You breached that trust, most disgustingly, by sexually assaulting the child. Sexual assault by penetration is a serious offence that attracts a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment under Section 261 of the Criminal Law”, he stated.
Justice Oshodi acknowledged the convict’s plea for mercy, saying, “I have considered other factors like the lack of previous convictions and your plea for mercy and sentencing. However, the aggravating factors outweigh any other circumstance.”
He convicted the defendant on the one-count charge of sexual assault by penetration and sentenced him to life imprisonment, ordering that the name of the convict should be registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offences Register.
He said, “Therefore, having found you guilty of sexual assault by penetration, I now sentence you to imprisonment for life as mandated by Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State. You will serve this sentence in the maximum security custodial centre or wherever the Nigerian Correctional Service may direct you. And your name will be added to the register of sex offenders.”
World Health Organization (WHO), in its new reports, has said that over 3 million annual deaths occur in the world due to alcohol and drug use, the majority among men.
WHO’s Global status report, in its new release, highlights that 2.6 million deaths per year were attributable to alcohol consumption, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths, and 0.6 million deaths to psychoactive drug use, adding that notably, 2 million of alcohol and 0.4 million of drug-attributable deaths were among men.
The report declared that an estimated 400 million people live with alcohol and drug use disorders globally. Of this, 209 million people lived with alcohol dependence.
According to the WHO, despite some reduction in alcohol-related death rates since 2010, the overall number of deaths due to alcohol consumption remains unacceptably high and amounts to 2.6 million in 2019, with the highest numbers in the European Region and the African region.
“The death rates due to alcohol consumption per liter of alcohol consumed are highest in low-income countries and lowest in high-income countries. countries.
“Of all deaths attributable to alcohol in 2019, an estimated 1.6 million deaths were from noncommunicable diseases, including 474,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 401,000 from cancer.
“Some 724,000 deaths were due to injuries, such as those from traffic crashes, self-harm and interpersonal violence. Another 284,000 deaths were linked to communicable diseases.
“For example, alcohol consumption has been shown to increase the risk of HIV transmission resulting from an increased risk of unprotected sex and by increasing the risk of TB infection and mortality by suppressing a wide range of immune responses.
“The highest proportion (13%) of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 were among young people aged 20–39 years.”
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a remark said, “Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year. It places a heavy burden on families and communities, increasing exposure to accidents, injuries, and violence.”
He added, “To build a healthier, more equitable society, we must urgently commit to bold actions that reduce the negative health and social consequences of alcohol consumption and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable.”
WHO’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders provides a comprehensive update based on 2019 data on the public health impact of alcohol and drug use and the situation with alcohol consumption and treatment of substance use disorders worldwide.
The report highlights the urgent need to accelerate actions globally towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.5 by 2030 by reducing alcohol and drug consumption and improving access to quality treatment for substance use disorders.
Effective treatment options for substance use disorders exist, but treatment coverage remains incredibly low. In countries providing this data, the proportion of people in contact with substance use treatment services ranged from less than 1% to no more than 35% in 2019.
Most of the 145 countries that reported data did not have a specific budget line or data on governmental expenditures for the treatment of substance use disorders. Although mutual help and peer support groups are useful resources for people with substance use disorders, almost half of responding countries reported that they do not offer such support groups for substance use disorders .
Stigma, discrimination and misconceptions about the efficacy of treatment contribute to these critical gaps in treatment provision, as well as the continued low prioritization of substance use disorders by health and development agencies.
Veteran Nollywood actor and producer, Kanayo O. Kanayo, has publicly accused teen actress Angel Unigwe and her mother of breaching a filming contract.
Kanayo claims that Unigwe’s mother prematurely withdrew her daughter from a project before the agreed-upon contract period had concluded.
In a video via his Instagram account, Kanayo threatened to disrupt any film shoots involving Unigwe in response to the alleged contract violation.
Kanayo said, “A particular woman has been holding producers to ransom. And this is unfortunate; it has happened to me. Unfortunately, she is Angel Unigwe’s mother. A contract is reached by every producer, whether written or orally. But we found out that immediately after this woman takes money from you, everything changes. I’ve gotten reports from people before it happened to me.
“It happened last night that she took her daughter at 9 pm, when a particular day we agreed had not expired. 12 midnight is expiring into another day. She came and took her daughter at 9 pm.
“This is a clarion call for every producer. Please, I beg you, in the name of professionalism and all that unites us, from this moment, the 21st day of June 2024, any set that employs the services of Angel Unigwe, I will come to that set and make sure filming does not hold. You guys know what it is for an artiste to walk out on a set. There was no issue. I want to assure all of you, we had very good working relationship with Angel. [But] Her mother has been threatening many producers. So please, from this moment on, I will monitor every filming schedule. Any set where I found Angel Unigwe would be disrupted.”
Family doctors have emphasized that cholera, though fatal, was preventable if the government at all levels and relevant stakeholders would do the needful.
They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ibadan.
Speaking with NAN, Dr Francis Sanwo, the Medical Director of Our Lady of Apostle Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro, Oke Offa, Ibadan, said that cholera is an easily treatable disease if handled promptly.
“Majority of people can be treated successfully for cholera through prompt administration of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS).
“The WHO/UNICEF ORS standard is for a sachet of ORS to be dissolved in one litre (L) of clean water while adult patients may require up to six liters of ORS to treat moderate dehydration on the first day”.
“With early and proper treatment, the case fatality rate should remain below one per cent.
“Zinc is an important adjunctive therapy for children under five, which also reduces the duration of diarrhoea and may prevent future episodes of other causes of acute watery diarrhoea.
“Provision of safe water and sanitation is critical to prevent and control the transmission of cholera, a multifaceted approach is key to control cholera, and to reduce deaths.
“A combination of surveillance, water, sanitation and hygiene (environmental and personal), social mobilization, treatment, and oral cholera vaccines are used.”
This, he added, should involve governments at various levels, communities, families, and personal hygiene.
Sanwo advised people to always wash their hands with soap and water frequently, especially after using the toilet and before and after handling food.
He urged individuals to drink only safe water, including bottled water or water they had boiled or disinfected by themselves.
“Use bottled water even to brush your teeth. Don’t add ice to your drinks unless you made it yourself using safe water. Eat food that’s completely cooked and hot and avoid street vendor food, if possible.
“Take fruits and vegetables that you can peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges, and avocados.
“Community engagement means that people and communities are part of the process of developing and implementing programmes.
“Local culture practices and beliefs are central to promoting actions such as the adoption of protective hygiene measures such as handwashing with soap, safe preparation and storage of food and safe disposal of the faeces.
“Funeral practices for individuals who die from cholera should be well handled to prevent infection among attendees,” he said.
Also, according to Dr Olufemi Okedare, Oyo State Chairman of Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON), cholera is a bacteria disease in which the bacteria contaminates food or water and when taken, leads to gastroenteritis.
This diarrhoea and vomiting, he adds, leads to loss of fluids and electrolytes leading to dehydration, shock kidney failure, and eventually death.
According to him, Cholera is preventable by provision of clean potable water and cultural hygienic practices including people watching the water and food they take.
“Wash hands frequently and get treated promptly when infected.
“Salt and sugar solution drinking even before getting to hospital; emergency response by government when there is epidemic like this, having a ward for cholera for urgent rehydration and treatment were all paramount,” Okedare said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked to get to work and improve the situation in the country instead of trivializing the situation.
The presidential candidate of the Labor Party in the last general election, Peter Obi challenged the president on his X handle.
Obi said for the president to say that poverty is not peculiar to Nigeria was not in good taste coming from the president who is tasked with the responsibility of bringing assistance to the people.
Obi said the president should face the reality that Nigeria is the poverty capital of the World and the most insecure people. Therefore, his administration should take decisive steps to stem the situation. He said the government is trying to play the ostrich even when the people are overwhelmed.
His words: “The problems facing Nigeria are well-known to all Nigerians. We are the poverty capital of the world, among the most insecure people on earth, among the hungriest, have poor education quality and the highest number of out-of-school children, high infant mortality, corruption, unemployment, the highest income gap between the poor and the rich, high corruption perception index, infrastructure and healthcare challenges, and more.
“It’s disheartening to hear those in charge, who were hired to address our problems, make statements like ‘we are not the only ones struggling with poverty and hunger.’ Instead of merely acknowledging that other countries face similar challenges, we need to hear a thorough plan of action to tackle our unique struggles.
“We require concrete solutions and a clear vision to address these issues, not comparisons that downplay our circumstances. I urge those in leadership positions to offer tangible solutions, not mere reminders that others face similar challenges.
“We need a comprehensive approach to tackle our specific challenges, not generalizations that dismiss our experiences.
“A true leader provides direction, guidance, solutions, and reassurance in times of crisis. This is the hallmark of visionary leadership and a trait of nations making progress and advancing their development.
“They don’t simply state the obvious but offer a roadmap for overcoming obstacles. Just like a pilot, who doesn’t just announce turbulence; they assure passengers that they will do everything possible to ensure a safe journey.
“Only then can we begin to trust that our country is in capable hands, working towards a brighter future for all Nigerians,” Obi stated.
No fewer than 37 deaths have been recorded in the current Cholera outbreak, which has hit 30 states, including Lagos and Ogun.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, in a statement on Thursday by the Director of Public Affairs in the state Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, said the state had recorded an additional six cholera deaths as against the previous 15.
She said cholera cases had risen to 401 in the state.
On her part, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, told one of our correspondents that the state had recorded one death and 14 cases.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in its recent report, said from January 1 to June 11, 2024, over 1,141 suspected and over 65 confirmed cases of cholera, resulting in over 30 deaths, had been reported from 96 local government areas in 30 states.
With the six additional deaths in Lagos, and one death in Ogun, the fatalities are no fewer than 37.
The PUNCH had on Monday reported that the resumption of schools on Wednesday after the Sallah holiday could fuel the spread of the disease.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration held an emergency meeting in Lagos over the cholera outbreak in the country.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingesting the bacteria— Vibrio cholerae— in contaminated water and food. Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea, and the severe forms of the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more frequently in areas with poor sanitation.
Lagos cases
Giving the situation report in Lagos on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Ogunyemi, stated that Lagos Island remained the epicenter of the outbreak.
The special adviser, who stated this in the statement by the Director of Public Affairs in the state Ministry of Health, Ogunbanwo, recalled in the last update, that the state recorded 350 cases and 15 deaths.
The statement partly read, “Following the last update on the cholera outbreak in Lagos, which reported 350 suspected cases and 15 fatalities, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed that the total number of cholera cases has increased to 401 across Lagos, with Lagos Island, Kosofe, and Eti Osa recording the highest numbers.
“Dr Ogunyemi revealed this today while providing an update on the outbreak after meeting with members of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. She added that the death toll had also risen to 21, an increase of six from the previously reported 15 fatalities.”
According to Ogunyemi, the rise in cases was anticipated following the Sallah festivities, during which large gatherings occurred.
She, however, noted that suspected cases were subsiding across local government areas, particularly in previously affected LGAs due to the state government’s interventions and surveillance efforts.
The Special Adviser stated that the government, through the Ministry of Health and other sister agencies, was maintaining rigorous surveillance and monitoring of the situation and implementing planned programmes and activities to curb the spread.
She advised that citizens seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as watery diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, general malaise, and fever, stressing that cholera treatment is provided free of charge at all public health facilities
In Ogun State, a 62-year-old woman in Ijebu-Igbo has died of cholera.
Our correspondent gathered that the outbreak which occurred three days ago, also left five other persons hospitalized.
The deceased, it was gathered contracted the disease from her son who is now among those hospitalized.
The state commissioner for Health, Coker confirmed the incident to one of our correspondents on Thursday.
Coker said 14 cases of cholera had been reported from four local government areas; Ota, Abeokuta South, Obafemi Owode and Ijebu North.
According to her, five other persons had also been hospitalized.
She stated, “A 62-year-old lady who contracted cholera from her sick son died in Ijebu Igbo. Five others have also been hospitalized across four local government areas of Ota, Abeokuta South, Obafemi Owode, and Ijebu North.
“The cumulative total cases since last week are 14 with one fatality”, Coker said.
She urged residents of the state to maintain good hygiene and avoid drinking water from unknown sources.
“I want to call on Ogun people to keep calm and be on the alert for anyone with the symptoms of cholera. They should report any suspected case of cholera to our disease surveillance team”, Coker said.
Water analysis
She said this as the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, on Thursday, said it had initiated a water quality analysis following the outbreak of cholera in 30 states.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Aliyu Shinkafi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.
Shinkafi said the move was necessary following continued reports of outbreaks in many parts of the country.
He said the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, in response, had embarked on water analysis.
“In response to the outbreak, teams from the National Water Quality Reference Laboratories in Lagos, Enugu, and Sokoto have been dispatched to collect water samples and investigate the presence of Vibrio cholerae in the affected areas.
“Additionally, the ministry is coordinating with State Technical Working Groups and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies through the WASH in Emergency Technical Working Group to address the outbreak comprehensively,” Shinkafi said.
He said before the outbreak, the National WASH in Emergency Technical Working Group had already trained state working groups on preparedness, prevention, and response strategies, as well as hygiene promotion and water safety planning.
These states, he said, had intensified their community sensitization efforts to reduce cholera cases and are promoting campaigns against open defecation, a known transmission route for the disease.
He however urged Nigerians to take precautions to protect themselves and their families by boiling or treating drinking water before consumption.
On Thursday, the Commissioner for Health in Cross River State, Dr Henry Ayuk, said the state had activated an emergency response team to respond to any threat of cholera outbreak in the state.
The commissioner made this known in an interview with NAN Calabar.
He said although the state had not witnessed any cholera cases since the current outbreak was reported, there was one recorded death associated with cholera around March 2024.
He added that “there was an outbreak of the disease in Obubura and Biase local government areas between February and April, with one death recorded during the outbreak.
“That was about the only time we had a case of cholera outbreak in this state.”
The Osun State Government also said it had intensified sensitisation among the residents to prevent the outbreak of cholera in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Jola Akintola, while addressing the concerns about possible outbreak due to the large movement of people into the state during the festive period, highlighted measures put in place by the government to prevent the outbreak of the disease.
Giving an update about efforts to prevent the cholera outbreak in Osun, Akintola, in an interview , said his ministry had intensified sensitization, especially at motor parks and markets across the state.
He further said, “No suspected case of cholera in Osun till now, not to talk of a confirmed case. We have fliers everywhere and outreaches were being organized in some public places like moto parks and markets.
“But as we speak, we have not recorded any suspected case. The essence of the outreaches I spoke about earlier is to educate our people on what they must do to prevent the outbreak of the disease.”
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organization, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has urged state governments to address the underlying issues to curb the spread of cholera.
In a statement by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA noted that as the outbreak ravages, state authorities had been quick to issue safety guidelines and precautionary measures, but underlying issues needed to be addressed.
“Cholera is an infectious disease that causes diarrhoea and severe dehydration and is typically spread through unsafe water and food contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
“The disease, even though preventable, is particularly vicious in areas where sanitary facilities are insufficient, and the availability of safe water supply is inadequate. As such, the resolution to controlling cholera lies in the effective management of public water and sanitation systems,” CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said.
Governor Alex Otti has announced the sack of his Chief Press Secretary with immediate effect . This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, shortly after an Executive Council meeting with the Governor, Wednesday evening.
According to Kanu, Kalu Ukoha Kalu will take over as the new Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, effective immediately.
The governor also approved the payment of school fees for Abia students studying in India who were abandoned by the previous administration, as well as approved the payment of school fees of those in Nigeria Law Schools in the country.
The Commissioner said, “Following Governor Alex Otti’s interest and the high premium he placed on students, the governor has graciously approved the payment of school fees of Abia students in India. He also approved the payment of school fees of 271 Abia students in Nigeria Law Schools.”
He added that the state governor has also secured the accreditation of 19 programmes for the Abia State University Uturu, ABSU.
