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2019: APC restates commitment to peaceful, credible elections in Ebonyi

NAN-H-2

Commitment

By Douglas Okoro

Abakaliki, Jan. 6, 2018 (NAN) The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday restated its commitment to peaceful and credible 2019 general elections in Ebonyi.

The state’s Chairman of the party, Mr Eze Nwachukwu, who gave the assurance while addressing journalists in Abakaliki, therefore, appealed to groups and individuals preaching violence and war ahead of the elections to have a rethink.

Nwachukwu insisted that APC would abide by extant laws, rules and regulations guiding peaceful conduct of elections in the country.

He said that the party had at a stakeholders meeting on Friday, reviewed its preparedness for the forthcoming general elections and seen the need to make its position known especially in view of unsavoury comments allegedly made by some politicians in the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state governor, David Umahi, had said that he was ready for the political intrigues that would herald the battle for elective positions in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

He said this on Monday while addressing stakeholders of Afikpo North and Ezza South, who paid him a Christmas visit at his country home in Uburu.

In his remarks, he vowed to ensure the re-election of the state and federal lawmakers from Afikpo North and Ezza South Local Government Area of the state.

Umahi had said that there was no vacancy in the state House of Assembly and National Assembly positions in both councils, and that those aspiring for the positions should wait for 2023.

“I am a man of war and ready to war in ensuring that the present occupiers of the positions are re-elected in 2019.

“We all came together on the platform of divine mandate and would complete the mandates together.

“When we all finish our tenures, I will force the present occupiers to vacate the seats to ensure that other aspirants realise their ambitions,’’ Umahi said.

Nwachukwu described the governor’s threat as an indication of acceptance of defeat.

“Gov. Umahi, while addressing stakeholders of Afikpo North and Ezza South, who paid him a Christmas visit at his country home in Uburu, declared himself as a man of war and ready to fight for his re-election in 2019.

“For us in APC, such comments are un-dignifying and unwarranted especially coming from a man occupying the exalted office of Governor.

“Election is neither a war nor a do-or-die affair. It is a free contest that is only decided by the electorate through the ballot hence it is not an act or war.

“Our questions then are: who is fighting who and who is warring against, who since it must take two to fight or to get involved in a war,’’ Nwachukwu said.

“The Governor knows that he has been technically defeated and that is why he wants to threaten and intimidate.’’

Nwachukwu stated that as the largest opposition party in the state, APC believes that power resides with the people and that such power is exercised through their free franchise.

He said that the party would rather seek the votes of the people than preach war.

“For us in the opposition, ours is to mobilize the electorate, canvass for their votes and support and to urge them to actively participate in the electoral process through sustained sensitisation.

“We are letting residents know that we are ready and set to take over power not by hook or crook, but by the laid down legal procedure that enhances peaceful and credible elections.

“We in APC subscribe to the laws of the land and this includes those laws and guidelines regulating conduct of behaviour during elections because in Nigeria there are laws guiding actions and behaviour and our actions,” Nwachukwu added.

He, therefore, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be vigilant and to apply strict sanctions against any political party or candidate for the elections that violates the electoral law or INEC guidelines. (NAN)

ODO /COO/YEE

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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Emmanuel Yashim

Health

Mrs Buhari expresses commitment to welfare of women, children

Mrs Buhari renews commitment to welfare of women, children
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Commitment
By Ahmed Ubandoma
Tafa (Niger), Aug. 22, 2017 (NAN) The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has renewed her commitment to improving the lives of women and children in the country.
Mrs Buhari made the commitment on Tuesday while conducting free medical outreach to more than 2,000 persons comprising indigent women and children at Chachi village of Tafa Local Government Area of Niger.
The outreach was organised by the Future Assured initiative of Mrs Buhari, which provided cartons of anti-malaria drugs, cough syrup and food items, among others, to the community.
Buhari, represented by the Coordinator of Future Assured programme in North Central, Hajiya Hafsatu Zannah, said the aim of this outreach was to provide essential medical services to less privileged people at their door steps.
She said that the well-being of women and children in Nigeria remained her primary concern, hence the need to provide medical and nutritious food items for them.
“We conducted deworming for women and children as well as sensitise the women on how to go about exclusive breastfeeding.
“We also sensitised them on the preventions and control of malaria during and after pregnancy and the importance of ante-natal care,’’ she said.
The beneficiaries were also trained on how to use local grains such as ground nuts, beans, maize and soya beans to make nutritious food for their babies at cheapest rate.
While expressing his appreciation to the gesture, the Village Head of Chachi, Mr Musa Abubakar, prayed Almighty God to reward the wife of the President for her good gesture.
Abubakar said the entire community was happy to receive the delegation of Mrs Buhari, assuring the medical team of their unflinching support and prayers to the success of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He also prayed God to grant Buhari good health, guidance and protection to deliver his electoral promises.
The Director of Health in the local government, Mrs Dinatu Bako, thanked the wife of the President for the kind gesture.
Bako said that the gesture would go a long way in complementing the efforts of the council in providing medical care for the rural community.
However, she called on the wife of the president and other relevant agencies in the state to assist the rural community with additional manpower to take care of existing health facilities.
The Women Leader in the community, Mrs Maryam Targema, also expressed appreciation to Mrs Buhari for identifying with their plight.
Targema said: “This is the first time we are having a powerful delegation in this community; we are indeed grateful to Mrs Aisha Buhari for providing succour to our people.’’
She however urged the wife of the president to establish a women centre for skill acquisition programme to cater for widows, refugees and orphans in the village.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) expressed their appreciation to Mrs Buhari for the gesture and solicited for its sustainability. (NAN)
AMU/FF/MST
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Children’s Day: FG committed to children’s right

Children’s Day: FG committed to children’s right

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Commitment

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

Abuja, May 27, 2017 (NAN) President Muhammad Buhari said on Saturday said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring the protection of children’s rights in the country.

Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Sen. Aisha Alhassan, said this at the Children’s Day celebration in Abuja.

He therefore advised stakeholders to renew their commitment, intensify partnership and collaborative effects in achieving the promotion of child rights.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Day is: “Child Protection and the Sustainable Development Goals: Issues and opportunities’’.

“Children are the greatest resources that any nation has. They are the future of families; the future of the society and the nation.

“They are also the foundation upon which the societies and nations are built,” the president said.

Buhari, however, enjoined the children to obey their parents and constituted authorities, and be law abiding.

He also advised children to take their studies seriously and shun all forms of indiscipline so as to be responsible and productive future adults for a better Nigeria.

He said the government was committed to end all forms of violence against children in the country.

The Representative of Smile project, an NGO, Dr Emeka Onoja, said violence against children should not be tolerated, saying all hands must be deck to stop the menace.

However, Onoja said the country must ensure that the Nigerian child was positioned to benefit from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alhassan, who was represented by the Permanent Secertary of the ministry, Mrs Phylis Nwokedi, said the day was set aside by Nigerian government to honour children in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution.

The minister said the day was designed to recognise children through special events and to enable governments at both Federal and State levels to renew their unalloyed commitment to child rights.

In a sideline interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Chukwuemeka Onyinyechi from the Government Secondary School, Tudunwada, urged government to improve education standard by providing necessary teaching tools and conducive environment for learning.

Miss Esther Oluwafemi, from one of the private schools in Abuja that participated in the march pass, also urged government to support NGOs in fighting to end violence against children in country.

On his part, a parent, Dr Dolamu Jawando, called on parents and guardians to ensure their children were properly monitored and not left in the hands of maids or drivers.

Highpoints of the event was the march pass by various schools and the inauguration of End Violence Against Children Campaign in FCT. (NAN)

OEO/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

U.S. committed to ending malaria in Nigeria – Envoy

U.S. committed to ending malaria in Nigeria – Envoy

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By Isaac Aregbesola

Abuja, April 24, 2017 (NAN) The Deputy Head of Mission, U.S. Embassy, David Young, on Monday said that his country was committed to ending the scourge of malaria in Nigeria.

Young, who stated this in Abuja at the commemoration of 2017 World Malaria Day organised by the U.S. Embassy, said prevention and control remained a major U.S. foreign assistance objective.

“The U.S. Government, through Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is committed to raising awareness about the proper prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease,” he said.

According to him, the U.S. Government supports local partners to design and implement programmes to improve public and private sector adherence to diagnosis and treatment guidelines.

He disclosed that the U.S. invested over 420 million dollars in the fight against malaria in Nigeria since 2010, and 75 million dollars in 2016 alone.

He said that the U.S PMI strategy goal was to work with PMI-supported countries and partners to further reduce malaria deaths and substantially decrease malaria morbidity towards the long-term goal of elimination.

PMI, Young said, delivered nearly 7.5 million Rapid Diagnostic Tests and 12 million Artemisinin based Combination Therapy (ACT) treatment doses in support to 3,000 health facilities across 11 states in Nigeria.

To end malaria for good, Young called on Nigerians to commit to sleeping in a treated bed net every night and remember that not every fever is malaria.

He stressed the need to demand a “test before treatment”, before beginning a full regimen of ACT.

According to him, ending malaria will prevent more than 80 million illnesses and more than 300,000 related deaths from malaria annually.

“Ending malaria will increase school attendance, boost workers’ productivity and significantly lower out-of-pocket cost for treatment.

“This is why malaria prevention and control remain a major U.S. foreign assistance objective.

“Each year in Nigeria, more than 80 million people fall ill and 300,000 die from malaria,” he said.

According to him, early and accurate diagnosis is essential for rapid and effective disease management and surveillance.

He said that Malaria diagnosis was vital as misdiagnosis allows disease progression from uncomplicated to severe forms, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality.

Young said that Nigeria had in 2015 adopted the T3 (test, treat and track) strategy for malaria case management.

He said that the strategy helped to improve overall management of patients with febrile illnesses and reduced the emergence and spread of drug resistance to anti-malarial medications. (NAN)

IAA/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola