The World Health Organization (WHO) Mission for Health Financing to Nigeria, led by its Technical Officer, Fahdi Dkhimi, declared Support for National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act2022.

This was made known when a delegate of WHO and NHIA paid a courtesy call to the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the gesture was a welcome development. He revealed some of the constraints faced by the scheme to include infrastructural development, human resource and investment patterns.

The visiting team and other relevant stakeholders who interacted with the Minister of Health on the recently signed NHIA Act 2022, discussed among others possible ways to effectively operationalize the NHIA Act for the benefits of Nigerians.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Mahmuda Mamman, stated that the Act promulgated few years ago, has recently been signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The Act provided for National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to implement schemes for relevant groups including Federal Civil Servant and establishes a vulnerable Group Fund, part of which can be invested by the NHIA.”

The Technical Officer, World Health Organisation, Fahdi Dkhimi, stated that W.H.O is committed towards supporting the implementation process of the Scheme.

Nigerian youth Corpers Sensitizes over 10.000 students annually against Tobacco smoking and other substance at private and public schools.

The Three extraordinary volunteer corpers working with a non governmental organization in northern Nigeria (The eye opener foundation) has trained over 10,000 students both at the pubic and private secondary school.

The aims is to raise more awareness to boys and girls on the dangers associated with cigarettes smoking. While stressing that Tobacco kills up to half of its users world wide.

All the corpers that embarked on this year campaign are all Passionate about educating the young once on harmful effects of tobacco smoking and other substance in the communities.

Mabia Uchechukwu Christian from university of Portharcourt who was posted to kaduna for his NYSC last year, told journalists that paid him visit at the center, how his biological father died of lungs disease in 2008 as a result of smoking Tobacco cigarettes.

Mabia said, he has desire to work and provide selfless services to humanity and to educate boys and girls on the dangers of cigarettes smoking among teenagers ,adult and Women groups.

Umoh Esther Efemena, another Youth Corper pointed that she has visited many schools, where most of them have been trained on the harmful effects of cigarettes smoking and drug abuse.

According to her, my target is to take the campaigns to 500 schools annually and create clubs that would enlightened hundreds of students on preventive measures against tobacco smoking in the society.

She explained that Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, of which More than 7 million of them was as a result of direct tobacco intakes, while 1.2 million are the non-smokers, but are been exposed to second-hand smoking.

Umoh stressed that all forms of tobacco are harmful, include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, pipe tobacco, marijuana among other.

Responding, the national president of the foundation Mrs Margaret Julius expressed satisfaction over the various contributions been made by the volunteer corpers that came from various states.

She said, these corpers deserved national award for been dedicated to service to humanity

Adding by saying that the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, that kills more than 8 million people a year, including 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke.

She then appealed to state and federal government to support organizations and volunteers that are taking cigarette and tobacco campaigns in other to strengthening their activities at communities, market places, mosque and Churches, so as to raise more awareness.

Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director General, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) said it had discovered a new malaria vector called anopheles stephensi in northern Nigeria.

Salako who spoke with newsmen in Lagos during a birthday ceremony organised by his members of staff, said that it was the most recent research discovery.

He said that it was a rugged vector, very difficult to eradicate and had not been found anywhere near West Africa.

He said that this was a discovery by NIMR researchers and that had implication to malaria control in Nigeria. Salako said the idea was to ensure that Nigerian researchers were able to take it from the beginning to the end in the development of vaccines.

Earlier, Samuel Amao, a Senior Researcher, said that the event was unprecedented.

Amao said that the institute was dealing with somebody that was a game changer, so competent that you don’t need to voice it.

He said that NIMR was a place where aspiring researchers were supposed to be.

The Nasarawa State Agency for the Control of AIDS (NASACA), has called on journalists to be very careful and guided in their reportage on victims of  HIV and AIDS; so as to promote and give hope to people living with the virus.

The agency made the call during a two-day training on a youth-friendly HIV program that focused on HIV awareness, reporting, and communication which was held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The training which had speakers and presenters, exposed journalists to the implications of negative reporting of HIV and AIDS; appealing to journalists to be conversant with terms, words, and languages that could discourage and hamper the total well-being of those living with the virus.

Executive Director, Nasarawa State Agency for the Control of AIDS (NASACA), Dr. Ruth Bello said they are partnering with the media so that the appropriate information can be disseminated to the youth who are more vulnerable to HIV.

Also speaking, the Director of Program, Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS), Hajia Hadiza Dahir, urged the participant to be more attentive to achieving the goal of the training. She lauded NASA for bringing the training to reality.

One of the resource persons Dr. Peter Okwudili explained that contrary to public perception that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a death warrant for those infected, many people who are living with the virus and managing it well are living a healthy life like every other person.

The objective of the training was to expose journalists and media practitioners from the broadcast, print, and online media to the rudiments of HIV and AIDS reporting, and teach them the right words and languages to be used in reporting the illness in a way that would promote positive living and give hope to people living with the virus.