From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has launched a mass house-to-house malaria prevention programme with a pledge to administer free drugs to one million children in the state.
Speaking at the event in Sokoto, Governor Tambuwal said the state government had resolved to renew its push against the dreaded disease, and would deploy religious and traditional institutions to achieve the set target.
He said state government, in collaboration with the Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) and other partners, was providing three million units of mosquito nets and Seasonal Malaria Chematherapy (SMC) drugs to be distributed free of charge in all parts of the state.
His words, “We are spending three hundred million Naira for training of personnel, provision of logistics, vehicles, fumigation and sanitation to combat the causative factor of the disease.
“Already, the state government has redeemed all its pledges of counterpart funding in bid to support supervision, social mobilisation and distribution of drugs to all benefiting health facilities across Sokoto state,” he added.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Malaria Elimination and Control, Abubakar Chika Umar, said the state government and partners would distribute SMC drugs free to all children between 3 to 59 months in all the 23 LGAs.
Governor Tambuwal also distributed motorcycles to be used by roll back malaria officials to be posted to rural communities in the state for effective administration of the drugs and other preventive measures.