By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

Stakeholders in the Health sector, on Tuesday, raised alarm over more than 300,000 missing cases of Tuberculosis, TB, in Nigeria.

Among the stakeholders who spoke at a three-day National consultation on public-private partnership to end TB in Nigeria, organized by Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, in collaboration with National Tuberculosis and Lebrosy Control Programme, NTBLCB, in Abuja, include Board Chairman of Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, Dr.

Queen Ogbuji-Ladipo, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, Director, Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Mayowa Joel, Dr. Stella Makpu, Azhee Akinrin to mention few. 

According to Dr. Queen, “Investment in ending TB is great value for money, because every $1 invested $43 is gained in return.

Only 15%, 8,293 of the estimated TB cases , 57,000 among children were notified with huge number of undiagnosed TB cases.

“57,000 children get TB every year , 80,000 eligible to receive preventive treatment. 10, 522 only actually receive this treatment. 18 Nigerians die of TB every hour despite the fact that TB is preventable and curable.

“The Stop TB mandate is to compliment Government’s efforts in controlling TB in the country. And we also work with the government in creating awareness in the communities.

“We work with the Civil Society Organization, CSO, to create awareness in the communities.if one person has TB in a community, he or she has tendency to infect at least 15 people before the end of the year. 

“We have engaged the private sector by establishment of private-public partnership, we cannot do without engagement of the private sector. They can compliment the efforts of the Federal Government. We ensure we bring the private sector on board to be able to address the challenges of TB in Nigeria.

“For us to find the missing cases we have to engage the necessary stakeholders, in order to identify them. It is a good thing we want to work with every partner in order to diagnosis the over 300,000 missing cases. These people keep on transmitting the disease to other people”. 

Dr. Makpu, in her paper presentation titled, ‘Status of TB Public-Private Mix (PPM),in Nigeria’, said that the TB cases by end of 2023 is expected to rise to over 90,000 new cases.

She said PPM is imperative in order to address the challenges of TB, there is need to enhance quality of TB diagnosis and treatment, increase TB case notification, improve coverage and access to TB care at private health facilities.

She lamented poor knowledge of TB management at private health facilities despite the fact that over 60% of Nigerians first seek care in private facilities.

The National Boundary Commission (NBC) has urged relevant stakeholders in Cross River and Ebonyi to support ongoing efforts toward the demarcation of the interstate boundary.

The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adamu Adaji, made the call in Abuja on Monday, at a joint meeting of officials of both states to address the lingering interstate boundary dispute.

Adaji explained that the meeting was convened to review the status of the boundary and discuss the way forward towards definition and delimitation of the boundary.

He said that the interstate boundary dispute between the states dates back several years ago.

He added that misunderstanding and crisis engulfs the border communities from time to time due to the land dispute and indigene settler dichotomy.

He blamed the persistent crises on the non-determination and demarcation of the interstate boundary, describing it as one of the volatile interstate boundaries in Nigeria with high risk of threat to peace.

“The crisis on the boundary necessitated the interventions of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his vice, Mr Atiku Abubakar at different times.

“The Federal Government was also compelled to draft military personnel to the sectors of the boundary in 2005 to maintain peace.

“The commission’s efforts over the years, had been to re-establish the boundary in accordance with available documents.

“These efforts resulted in the tracing and provisional demarcation of the boundary by a Joint Field Team (JFT) on the boundary between 2000 and 2004,” he said.

The DG said that the fieldwork produced two claim lines representing the positions of the states, adding that the NBC reviewed the states’ claim lines and proposed a boundary line but was rejected by both states.

He added that while Ebonyi accepted a segment of the proposed line, Cross River insisted that the boundary line must be in line with her claim.

He, however, said that the commission and the states’ subsequent efforts focused mainly on the restoration of peace to the warring communities of both states.

“Accordingly, the joint meetings of officials held in 2010, 2011 and 2013 resolved that peace committees be constituted at different levels to ensure the return of peace to the affected communities.

“This was to pave the way for further actions on the boundary, but sadly, the committees never functioned.

“The former Vice-President and Chairman of the National Boundary Commission, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, also intervened in February 2017 when he met with the Governors of the two States.

“Unfortunately, the scheduled follow-up activities could not be implemented due to non-cooperation of the two States.

“In the wake of the unfortunate Ukelle/Izzi crisis of June 2018, the National Boundary Commission and the two states took prompt action by visiting the communities affected and agreed on actions to be taken,” he said.

Adaji further said that the governors of the two states met in 2018, adding that a Joint Technical Committee of Experts equally met and resolved to pave the way for the return of peace to the affected communities.

“It is on this note that I welcome you once more to the meeting and appeal that we focus on the imperative of peace among the people.

“I urge us all to discuss all the issues with every sense of commitment to supporting the commission’s effort towards the demarcation of the boundary,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Peter Odey, Deputy Governor of Cross River, and Chairman of the State Boundary Committee, acknowledged the impasse on the boundary dispute between the states.

Odey expressed the readiness of the state to support ongoing efforts to bring the lingering dispute to a logical conclusion.

Similarly, Mrs Patricia Obila, Deputy Governor of Ebonyi, and Chairperson of the state Boundary Committee, commended NBC for the efforts to address the dispute.

Obila pledged the support of the Ebonyi government towards putting an end to the fracas among the states’ neighbouring communities. (NAN)

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to release investigative reports on Flight NUA0504 within 10 days.

Keyamo said this on Monday in Abuja during a meeting he held with the leadership of the ministry and Heads of Agencies under the ministry.

United Nigeria Flight NUA0504, operating from MM2 in Lagos en route Abuja on Sunday was temporarily diverted  to the Asaba International Airport, Delta.

Keyamo further told NSIB to deepen efforts to produce its investigative reports on other incidents that happened within the last two weeks.

According to him, the ministry is taking every step to ensure the safety of lives of Nigerians who decide to travel by air.

” For the incidents that happened recently in the country, some are classified as minor, and some serious incidents. But, we did have any fatality.

” However, we have some preliminary steps and precautions steps that we are taking as a ministry and the regulators.

” Because of the incident that happened yesterday, where a flight to Abuja ended up in Asaba. They must have their reports within ten days of what really transpired,” he said.

According to him, the transcript from the tower of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) indicated that the pilot took off from Lagos headed to Asaba not Abuja.

” There was no weather problem yesterday, NiMet’s DG is here. It was a question of wet lease plane. Pilots and the Cabin crew were foreigners.

” They were not familiar with the Nigerian terrain. So, it was purely an issue of in-house administrative issues.

” We have agreed, from now, any wet lease coming into Nigeria must have a Nigerian pilot and Nigerians as its Cabin crew,” he said.

The minister directed the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) to hold a crucial briefing with all Pilots and Cabin crew of wet lease in Nigeria within 72 hours.

He said he had also ordered NCAA boss to see how law could be enforced whereby passengers get some benefits from the Airlines  when there was flight delays or cancellations. (NAN)