About four million
children in Kano are
expected to be immunized against poliomyelitis, even as the state government prepares flag off mobilization campaign on the exercise slated for July 29, 2004.
The state ministry of health gave the indication at a one-day interactive session with the media in the state, organised by the ministry.
Following the state government’s directives to the health ministry to begin necessary preparations to successfully conducts the exercise, the polio immunization, campaign is also to be flagged off on July 29, 2004.
In his welcome address at the occasion, the commissioner for health, Dr. Sanda Mohammed, said the state has the highest number of 93 cases of polio in the country.
The commissioner, who spoke through his director of administration and general services, Alhaji Shuiabu Umar Yola, stated further that 34 local government areas were affected and “this calls for immediate intervention.” Dr. Sanda noted that the controversy, which trailed the efficacy and safety of the polio vaccines had generated misgivings and its rejection.
The issue however, according to him, has now been resolved by the state government and a series of activities have been slated for the successful conduct of the exercise.
Dr. Sanda noted that the media plays a vital role for effective communication in the society and called for effective information dissemination on the matter.
A WHO surveillance officer in Kano, Dr. H. A. Walla in his own submission said that an international investment of three billion US dollars ($3b) has been made and more than 200 countries have participated in NID activities, while 20 million volunteers have participated in PEI and over 2 billion children have benefited from 1988 to 2003.
Education:Provost blames UBE for falling standards
The Provost, College of
Education Gumel, in
Jigawa State has blamed the introduction of the Universal Basic Education (UBE), of 1976 as responsible for the present decay in the education sector.
Speaking with newsmen in Gumel, Alhaji Adamu Ibrahim said the proliferation of schools and enrolment of development as introduced during the 1976 Universal Basic Education programme set the pace of gradual fall of standards of education in the country.
He said due to the nature of the project, unnecessary over-burdening of the education system became eminent where large schools and large numbers of pupils sprout overnight leading to the forceful recruitment of unqualified teachers.
Alhaji Ibrahim added that led to “hazardous implementation, causing some fall in the entire education system.
He said for the educational sector to be revived collective and responsive approach as qualified teachers, adequate training teaching staff is necessary.
The provost also disclosed that inability or outright refusal of communities especially in the Northern part of the country to participate in this educational sector also contributed to the fall in educational standard.
While blaming society for its inability to ensure a disciplined younger generation, the provost accused parents for the rise in “cultism and social strife,” stressing that absence of a social groomed youth has affected institutions and the nation as a whole.
RMAFC cries out over shortage of funds
The Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC), has decried the deduction of 85 percent in its overhead cost and zero-capital allocation to it in the year 2004 budget, saying that this is currently threatening its operations.
The revenue commission which raised this alarm at the weekend in Abuja, said however, that this paucity of funds will not affect the production of a new revenue allocation formula for the federation, emphasising that the proposed formula will be out soon.
A federal commissioner in the RMAFC, Alhaji Magaji Muazu, who represented the chairman of the commission at a courtesy call on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, at the weekend, appealed to the National Assembly to reconsider the over 85 percent deduction in its 2004 budget.
Alhaji Muazu disclosed that the commission made a budget proposal of N296 million for the 2004 fiscal year but was shocked to observe that the 2004 appropriation Act contained only N30 million as overhead costs for the commission, which is a reduction by 85 percent over the N189 million approved and released to the commission last year.
A statement from the commission signed by the head, public relations, Yushau A. Shuaib, said that even with the last year’s N188 million, which had proved inadequate, the commission had to make occasional appeals for extra budgetary releases to pull through the year.
“The commission strongly believes that if the situation is not rectified through a supplemen-tary appropriation or special grants; most of the activities of the commission would be put on hold for the rest of the year,” said the statement. |
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