By Jacinta Nwachukwu

An NGO, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) says it is necessary for government to continuously engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the dividend of democracy reaches the average Nigerian.

Mr Shittu Jubril, the Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Jubril said the most transparent and governable society was possible when citizens were actively informed and engaged.

“As civil society, our expectation is that the consultation which the new administration has started will continue to be all inclusive and engaging in a more transparent and cohesive manner.

“This will ensure that the dividends of democracy and governance reaches the average Nigerian.

“Access to information, access to the decisions that are being made and being part of the decisions are things we try to promote,” he said.

Jubril said that PPDC had been in existence for 20 years as a civil society organisation promoting good governance and citizens engagement.

He added that one of the centre’s thematic areas was procurement covenant, saying this was about how government resources were utilised for the provision of health care, transportation and infrastructure such as schools.

According to Jubril, for government to be effective, it has to deal with the allocation of resources.

“What we then do is to ensure that these allocations are transparent and accountable, and that would not exist where there is a rule of law and there is no impunity.

He, therefore, commended President Bola Tinubu for stating clearly in his inaugural speech that his administration would adhere to the rule of law. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Oluyinka Fadare/Folasade Adeniran

By Racheal Abuja, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

According to UNICEF nine out of 10 schools in Nigeria have no handwashing facilities for students. This, according to the UN agency, does not augur well for the fight against infectious diseases.

UNICEF said in a report that in 2018, only 21 per cent of Nigerians had access to basic handwashing facilities at home adding, that the figure dropped to 16 per cent in 2019.

“The global response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented hand hygiene culture, yet, progress remains far too slow for the most vulnerable and underserved communities, “UNICEF said.

A Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, UNICEF said, showed that while more than half of Ghanaian households have designated places for washing hands, only about one household out of every five has water or other cleansing agents available at home.

Nigeria’s statistics is even worse when compared to the less developed countries, where only 7 out of 10 schools lack basic hand washing facilities.

Experts say hand hygiene reduces the transmission of communicable diseases. Therefore, poor hand hygiene practice in schools, workplaces, homes and marketplaces even in hospitals remains a public health challenge.

The World Health Organisation states that 50 per cent of healthcare facilities worldwide lack basic hygiene, while about 32 per cent of healthcare facilities in Africa do not have access to hand hygiene facilities at the points of care.

Public health experts suggest that hand hygiene should be entrenched as a routine clean care habit for everyone, especially in health care facilities, schools, crowded public spaces, camps, and prisons.

According to Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General, Africa Centre for Disease Control, hand hygiene practices are critical in reducing the transmission of infections, particularly during disease outbreaks such as Ebola, SARS, Influenza, and currently, COVID-19.

Kaseya said in a goodwill message in commemoration of 2022 world hand hygiene day that improving hand hygiene could also reduce the occurrence of diseases like diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

According to Dr Chris Eleoma, Director Community Health Services, National Primary Health Care Agency, handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases and save lives.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Nigerians should build on the handwashing gains of COVID-19 to make hand hygiene a culture.

He said that there was need for more investment in water, sanitation and hygiene to help prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases in communities.

Dr Tochi Okwor said it was important to recognised that workers were at the forefront of the country’s response strategy to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Okwor is the Assistant Director, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Okwor said it was unfortunate that some health workers did not pay attention to health hygiene.

He advised them to wash their hands “before touching a patient, before a clean/aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient and after touching the patient’s surroundings.

“The patient is at the centre of the care. The patient could be you or me. We are either patients today or patients in the future.

“We need to empower healthcare workers to do regular hand hygiene and we also need patients to get involved.

Maintaining hand hygiene does not come by accident, it is cultivated.

Dr Rita Okonkwo, Global Health Security Manager and Research Scientist, Institute of Human Virologist Nigeria (IHVN) said that there were two sides to building a culture of hand hygiene.

Okonkwo told NAN that health workers were expected to maintain a culture of hand hygiene during while giving care and support.

“IHVN is using empirical data to create targeted hand hygiene interventions. Based on our assessments, we see the need to create more holistic efforts towards improving systems that sustain the culture of hand hygiene,” she said.

According to experts given its importance in disease prevention and control and seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders should take advantage of the traditional and new media to promote hand hygiene culture in Nigeria.

They also advocate that handwashing should be included in the curriculum at primary and Junior Secondary School levels so that Nigerians would inculcate the culture from young age.

They further advance that hospitals and health centres should provide handwashing facilities and make it mandatory for care givers to use them before and after attending to patients. (NANFeatures)

**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria.

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer

The Ladies Section of the IBB International Golf and Country Club says 30 female caddies will be engaged to enhance professionalism in the game.

Lady Captain of the club, Mrs Comfort Olateju, said this at the celebration of the International Women Golf Day on Wednesday in Abuja.

The celebration, with the theme: “Be the best version of yourself that you can be,” was organised by the Ladies Section of the Club.

Olateju said to achieve the theme of the celebration, there was need to involve caddies to play with.

“This is because we want to empower and celebrate female golfers around the world and we want a kind of empowerment that will be sustainable.

“There is going to be a lecture and programme where each woman player will be encouraged to adopt a caddy and empower her in the area of mentorship.

“Let me also add that playing golf is an exercise; as you walk and go round, you are seeing the trees and nature that improve our health,” Olateju said.

Similarly, the Vice Lady Captain of the club, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, said there were young girls that played as professionals and some playing to become professionals.

“Here in IBB, we encourage as many young girls as possible to come out and play golf as their male counterparts, and as a matter of fact, we are going to sponsor some of them,’’ she said.

In the same vein, the competition Secretary for the Ladies Section, Mrs Jane Ahmed, said the celebration of the International Women Golf Day started in 2017.

“The whole idea of this year’s celebration is to empower girls and for ladies to network; so the day is for uniting, bringing in new golfers, networking and empowering the young ones.

“So we in the IBB and Ladies Section have chosen to empower female caddies, because, you must start from your immediate environment.

“We have 30 female caddies and we have chosen to see how we can sit together and help them in their individual circumstances.

“This is the first time we are doing this, and we hope it will yield fruits,” Ahmed said.

One of the female caddies, Miss Hanatu Timothy, a champion for Carddies from Adamawa, said she was happy to play in the Lady’s Day.

She expressed optimism that Olateju, Okah-Donli, Ahmed and others would empower her and her fellow caddies to take their game to the professional level. (NAN)

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Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Idris Abdulrahman

By Lizzy Okoji

The Federal Government and the Kingdom of Netherlands have engaged in an Economic Consultation to modernize the existing bilateral investment treaty between both countries to strengthen economic interest and opportunities.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Adamu Lamuwa, at the opening of the Economic Consultation on Tuesday in Abuja, said that discussion would also be opened or the establishment of a joint Bi-national Commission.

Lamuwa, who was represented Amb. Bolaji Akinremi, Director, Trade and Economic Relations in the Ministry, said that the Economic Consultation was timely as rebuilding the nation’s economy is the focus of the new administration.

“This gathering of professionals would foster productive dialogue on Nigeria-Netherlands Economic Cooperation, the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA), Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (ADTA), and other legal frameworks.

“During this Economic Consultation, Nigeria is willing to explore further, areas of economic cooperation with the Netherlands in Agricultural value chain, secular economy, renewable energy, waterways management and water scarcity.

“Other areas are Oil and Gas, Special Economic Zones, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Trade facilitation in Western Africa, Science, Technology and Innovations (STI) Education and Health

“Mines and Metallurgy, Arts and Crafts, Tourism, Creative and Entertainment Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Aviation, Anti-Money Laundry and Counter Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) / General Security matters. Digital Economy and FINTECH,”

He noted that in spite of the longstanding bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Netherlands there was no Joint/Bi-National Commission Agreement between the two countries.

“Negotiation for the establishment of a Joint Commission has been inconclusive since 1987.

“Against this background, the Government of Nigeria would like to reopen the negotiation for the establishment of a Joint/Bi-National Commission Agreement, as this would further consolidate and boost the relations between the two countries,” Lamuwa said.

Ms. Hanneke Schuiling, Vice-Minister for Foreign Trade of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said the Dutch government attaches importance strengthening bilateral economic relationship with Nigeria, its fifth trading partner in Africa.

Schuiling said that updating and modernizing the investment agreement between both countries will create a more stable and predictable investment environment.

“In this regard we see a high potential in four areas in particular: –agriculture, IT, healthcare and renewable energy.

“As you may be aware, the current treaty was signed in 1992. Since then, both countries have experienced significant changes in their approach to international investments which can be adopted into a new treaty.

“It is important to modernize our treaty to reflect these changes. A modernized treaty can also foster stronger economic relations between our two nations.

“I hope we can seize the opportunity to mutually agree on a new investment treaty, that reflects the evolving economic landscape and guarantees a fair and transparent investment climate for both parties.

“Firstly, we recognize the importance of promoting and protecting investments in both our countries. It is important that we facilitate investments and that we provide a transparent legal framework to investors. This will be crucial to fostering investor confidence.

“At the same time, we need to ensure that our respective governments’ right to regulate is enshrined in the treaty.

“Secondly, incorporating sustainable development and responsible business conduct in this treaty is another element that we feel is very important. These topics are increasingly important in trade and investment agreements. .

“Thirdly, it is our ambition to include provisions for transparent and predictable dispute settlement procedures. This will provide both governments and investors with greater certainty and confidence in the investment process,” Schuiling said.

Dr Bashir Jamoh, Director-General, Nigeria Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said that the Agency looked to partnering with the Netherlands as a maritime nation to develop Nigeria’s blue economy to becoming the nation’s main source of revenue.

“What we are advocating now is the issue of the blue economy, and already, the Federal Government has inaugurated a committee to look into ways of harnessing our blue economy.

“The Netherlands having being a maritime nation, they owe it a duty to join hands together and see how we can continue to build and expand our own fleets, the ships, small ships, the fishing trollers, passenger ferries, instead of using small canoes that every day we record accidents.

“The fishing industry used to give Nigeria the second largest income, today, because of the extinction of these fishing trollers we no longer have any sizeable income from our fishing.

“We are doing what we can explore from the over 2.5 trillion dollars’ worth of ocean resources,” Jamoh said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 35 Ministries, Department, and Agencies (MDAs), the Lagos State Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) would be participating in the three-day economic consultation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Dorcas Jonah

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abuja Council has congratulated its Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, on his appointment as Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River.

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Messrs Osaretin Osadebamwem and Ochiaka Ugwu, Vice-Chairman and Secretary of the union respectively, on Tuesday in Abuja.

NUJ stated that both the executives and members were elated by the appointment which, it said, was well-deserved.

“We commend Gov. Otu for honouring the NUJ FCT family with this appointment.

“We thank the governor for finding our chairman, Comrade Ogbeche, worthy of the appointment,” the union said.

It assured the new chief press secretary of members’ support in projecting, promoting and advancing the policies and programme s of the Out-led administration.

“The executive and members of NUJ, Abuja council, congratulate you on your well-deserved appointment as the CPS to the Governor of Cross River.

“There is no doubt that you will bring your wealth of experience and professionalism to bear on this very appropriate portfolio and ensure a seamless, respectful and mutually-beneficial co-existence amongst the different media platforms.

“We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to Otu for deeming it fit and worthy to appoint a thorough-bred, tested and proven core journalist and image manager to the position of CPS,” the union said.

According to NUJ, the appointment is an excellent sign of better days ahead for the media community in the state.

“Accept our esteemed regards, even as we envisage a more cordial, mutually-rewarding working relationship with you and your principal,” it said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq