The Federal Government has announced plan to engage National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as advocates against malaria infection.
Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, disclosed this yeaterday at the launch of National Mosquito Control and Liquid Waste Management Programme, in Abuja. he stated that the recruited members will serve in the capacity of the defunct War Against Indiscipline (WAI).
The Minister disclosed that the ministry may partner with State governments to also register community health officers in Public Health Departments in the 774 local governments, to eliminate the breeding places of mosquitoes and reducing incidences of malaria parasites across the country.
He condemned the increasing rate of malaria infection as a result of poor environmental sanitation, stressing that it was becoming worrisome as it contributed to high child and maternal mortality.
According to him : “I remember in my days as a youth corper, we were in the WAI brigade and now I can see people (NYSC) that we can recruit for the anti-malaria brigade. This is worth commending because it is of serious health concern.
“In the 1960s, 70s, we had the privilege of having the wole-woles… so the federal ministry of environment in partnership andelsta limited has decided to re-launch this programme with the sole objective of achieving a clean and green environment, free of mosquitoes and other diseases in the country.
“We know of the menace of malaria vectors causing diseases in the country as well as poor management of the environment in rural, semi-rural and urban areas that constitute serious threat to human health.”
However, he said the responsibility to maintain a healthy environment should be collective and participatory as the ministry cannot solely perform the public sanitary functions.
