Group Tasks Nigerians on Use of Treated Nets

As part of efforts to eradicate malaria in Nigeria, Total Group Nigeria has called on Nigerians to imbibe the culture of using the Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLITN) to prevent mosquito bites as well as malaria.

The call was made by the Corporate Affairs Manager, Albert Manuyaju, during the company’s malaria sensitization programme and distribution of LLITN to 500 households in Ibafon community of Lagos State to mark this year’s World Malaria Day.

The programme which mainly targeted about 3,520 people, especially children under age 5 and pregnant women, also educated other community members on hygiene, treatment of malaria, as well as how to hang the mosquito preventive nets.

According to Manuyaju, the use of the LLITNs each night is one of the most effective ways to prevent malaria as they have been demonstrated to be one of the most effective malaria vector control methods available to date.

He said studies in a number of countries in Africa have reported a 17 per cent to 63 per cent reduction rate in the overall child mortality resulting from the use of the nets, hence the reason Total Group Nigeria is all out to support the eradication of the scourge through distribution of the LLITN.

“This is a programme we do every year to mark the World Malaria Day, as part of our corporate social responsibility to the people and our host communities.

“And so far we have been able to impact the people’s lives through this programme. The one we did last year yielded tremendous positive results. After last year’s malaria awareness creation programme and distribution of the treated nets, our research team went back to do a survey in the community and it was discovered that the incidence of malaria in that community dropped by 25 per cent.”

He said they intend achieving more results through this years programme because the community members have been very corporative and eager to learn how to use the mosquito nets.

“As part of our tradition, before we carry out any intervention programme in a particular area, we first do a survey to know how many people are affected by the particular issue before we embark on our intervention programme, so that after the intervention, we would be able to access how much impact we have so far to alleviate the issue within the particular area,” he added.

Manuyaju explained that apart from malaria interventions, the corporate social responsibility arm of the company is also deeply involved in other health programme in the country either directly or indirectly through financial support. “When a health programme we consider necessary is not directly carried out by us, we often times support financially.

“Health is the first priority of our corporate social responsibility and Total Group world wide is committed to assisting in the area of eradication of malaria,” says the Managing Director, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and the group representative in Nigeria, Elizabeth Proust

Also commenting on the project, the Managing Director, Total Nigeria Plc, Alexis Vovk explained that the objective of the programme is to create awareness amongst local communities, employees and their families as well as all stakeholders on malaria control and prevention in Nigeria.

“The malaria eradication initiative is in line with the Group’s directive and part of Total’s corporate social responsibility to its host communities. The objective of the programme is to create awareness amongst the local communities, employees and their families as well as all stakeholders on malaria control and prevention,” Vovk added.

In the same vein, some members of the community who spoke with THISDAY correspondent expressed satisfaction with the distribution of the nets, while also calling on other corporate bodies, individuals as well as the government to supply more mosquito nets to the area as they are been ravaged by the malaria infection.

According to a community member, Deji Daudu, “the distribution of the nets and the general awareness about malaria is timely, as mosquitoes are making our nights unbearable.”

He said due to the lack of drainage in their area and lots of stagnated water logs, it is increasingly impossible for the residents, including women and children not to fall ill.

“It is very exciting that Total Group Nigeria Plc has remembered our community by helping our people here who are mostly poor families to prevent the spread of malaria,” he added.

He expressed hope that with the distribution of insecticide treated nets in the community, malaria as well as the sleepless nights occasioned by the presence of mosquitoes would be reduced drastically.

-By Martins Ifijeh