From Ameachi Prosper,(The New Diplomat’s Delta State Correspondent)
Nigerian billionaire businessman and the convener of Global Campaign Against Malaria in Africa, Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko, has called for homegrown solutions to eradicate the centuries-old disease, Malaria in the continent, following global apathy towards developing a vaccine.
Nwoko, a one-time member of the Federal House of Representatives, made the call on the heels of a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) report that 94 per cent of global malaria deaths occurred in Africa alone.
At the occasion of his conferment with a Distinguished Service Award by Delta State University (DELSU), Wednesday, Nwoko made a comparison of the race to find a Coronavirus vaccine and the neglect for a cure for malaria, a disease with far more casualties.
While reaffirming his commitment to funding the research for a vaccine, which, he said, had gotten to appreciable stages with his recent visit to Antarctica, Nwoko also stressed the need for environmental sanitation and hygiene to wipe out malaria from Nigeria.
‘’Malaria is an African problem and we must look for an African solution. According to WHO, over 500, 000 people die annually from malaria and this is a lot bigger than COVID-19. But because it is an African problem, the Europeans and Americans will not pay attention to it’’
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of DELSU, Prof Andy Egwunyenga commended the malaria advocacy by the Ned Nwoko Foundation, stressing that an estimated 570 Nigerians die daily from malaria, with children and pregnant women being the most vulnerable.
He added; ‘’The entire infections of COVID-19 in Nigeria is about 60, 000 but cannot be compared with the 51 million malaria cases. The socioeconomic consequences of malaria is devastating and this campaign by Hon Nwoko is noble and worth supporting. It is for this reason that we deemed it deserving to honour him.’’
