The Northern Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC) on public health care (PHC) delivery has reiterated its commitment to support the Federal Government to solve Nigeria’s public health problems.
Speaking at the committee’s fourth-quarter review meeting today (December 16) convened by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Abuja, the NTLC chairman, Emir of Argungu, HRH Muhammed Meira, reiterated that the committee is key to solving our health problems is ready to support the government and the public their health issues.
“NTLC will continue to be a dependable ally for as long as you are prepared to work with us.
“As this year rolls to an end and a new year is about to begin, I want to call on all of us to rededicate ourselves to work selflessly and with all the influence we can muster to ensure the interruption of the spread of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in the coming year.
“I call on the Presidential Committee on Covid-19 to reflect on past efforts against major public health concerns and re- strategies to convert vaccine hesitancy, misuse and spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. I call on the FG to ensure adequate and timely funding of the operation of the NPHCDA.
“I urge all of us to continue to do more until every Nigerian child and mother is protected against risk of death or debilitating condition from ailments that can be prevented.
“Our development partners UNICEF, WHO and Gates Foundation, we cherish you and sincerely thank you for your support and trust,” Meira said
He also thanked the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and his management team for their dedication to duty.
In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, said: “This body was established 14 years ago to fight polio which we never looked back especially on our discharge and effort to ensure the health of the society.
“We want to go out to convince people about the COVID-19 pandemic and how to tackle it. For use to convince people the government needs to convince us, leaders, to convince people to take the vaccine. The people must have trust in the government. We will fight COVID-19 the way we fight polio.
“The traditional leaders need to be more educated to be able to educate their communities”.
Earlier, the ED NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaibu, appreciated the support, sacrifice and leadership of the royal father over the last few years.
“We have vaccinated over 8 million eligible Nigerians against COVID-19. Although this figure is far from our target of 112 million individuals to attain health immunity, we have seen a significant improvement in the figures since we launched the mass vaccination campaign to strengthen immunity against COVID-19.
“The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 response, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health at the NPHCDA has approved the administration of booster doses for persons that have completed three doses of the vaccine. The booster dose is meant to strengthen the immune response to COVID-19. People who take the booster dose have greater protection against COVID-19.
“To be eligible to take the booster dose, you must be 18 years or above and must have received the second doses of the vaccine 6 months ago.
“The administration of the booster dose commenced on December 10, 2021 and it’s been sent all across the country. We call on all eligible Nigerians to get their booster doses, especially in the face of the Omicron Variant that is spreading so rapidly across the country. As you all are aware, the Omicron Variant of the COVID-19 virus has already been detected in Nigeria, although studies are being conducted to determine the nature of this variant.
“I want to assure you that the FG has deployed the necessary logistics to lodge and control the variant. We do not need to start a fresh war against Omicron. It is just a variant of the COVID-19 virus that can be handled if we comply and take recommended doses of the vaccine while continuing to observe protective measures such as wearing face masks, regular washing of hands and [keeping the] social distance to protect ourselves,” he added.
