The Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, has called on all well-meaning Nigerians to join in the battle of kicking out Malaria from the country.
Professor Adebayo made this call while declaring open, the commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day, which held at the Covenant University Chapel, on Tuesday, 25th of April, 2023. with the theme, ‘Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement.’
Reeling out vital statistics on the havoc that Malaria has caused in the Country, he disclosed that unfortunately, it is Children under 5 years that are most susceptible to the disease, with an estimate of almost 100 million deaths per year in Nigeria, they account for 9O percent of the national Malaria mortality.
According to him, Nigeria’s plight might be amongst the worst scenarios in the world. A country like China, he said, has already been declared ‘Malaria Free’ by the United Nations, whereas, some countries in Africa (including Nigeria), are still trying to cut it down by 30-90 percent, not to talk of totally eradicating it by the year 2030.
This, according to him, is because many people are still very far from intervention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease and the ones affected mostly are the low income earners, pregnant women and children.
He said this year’s theme of ‘Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement,’ underscores a clarion call for concerted efforts of all stakeholders to reboot and chart the way, for beating the target of eradicating Malaria, in alignment with the Sustainable goal of target 313 which calls for ending Malaria by 2030
He ended his address by thanking the Community Development Impact Initiative Committee (CDIIC), the Ace Medicare Hospitals, Fidson Pharmaceuticals, May & Baker and many others for their support in co-sponsoring the programme.
In her remarks, the Chair, CDIIC, Dr Tayo George, equally thanked the Covenant University Management for providing the platform and also acknowledged the presence of Association of Nigerian Physicians in America amongst others.
Dr Kukoyi, who is the Chief Medical Director, Ace Medicare Clinics, accompanied by some members of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, also lauded Covenant University’s Initiative of reaching out to the less privileged as the institution has partnered with his Ace Medicare Clinics to reach out to the public in many occasions.
Present at the event were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olujide Adekeye; Acting Registrar, Mrs Regina Tobi-David and other members of the University Management.
Others at the event were Members of the Rotary District 911 as led by their president; Rotary 911 District Governor Mrs Omotunde Lawson (FCAI); President of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, Dr. Chinyere Anyaoku; Professor Grace Olasehinde of CapicAce and members of the Covenant University Community Development Impact Initiative Committee (CDIIC) among others.