41 die of meningitis in Sokoto State – Commissioner

The death toll as a result of the meningitis epidemic in Sokoto State has now risen to 41, Health Commissioner Dr Balarabe Kakale has said.

Kakale, disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto on Sunday when he gave an update on the state of high alert declared by the state government since on March 20.

He said that the deaths were mostly recorded out of the nearly 600 clinically confirmed cases of meningitis in the eight worst-hit local governments.

They are Rabah, Kebbe, Tureta, Gada, Dange/Shuni, Wamakko, Kware and Bodinga.

Kakale said:“the epidemic was caused by the type “C’’ strain of meningitis and not the type “A’’ strain which the people of the state had hitherto developed immunity for.

“This new strain of meningitis is deadlier than the dreaded ebola disease as it kills within four to six hours of afflicting a patient.

“More than eighty per cent of the victims also had not been immunised, hence, the aggravation of the epidemic.’’

The commissioner further stated that the state government has embarked on a state-wide, mass vaccination for the people of the state, against meningitis.

He explained that over 700,000 persons, aged one to thirty years were being targeted across the 23 local governments of the state.

Kakale further stressed the need for the people of the state to ensure that their children were fully immunised against the child killer diseases like measles, whooping cough, yellow fever and diphtheria, among others.

“They should also desist from self medication as adequate drugs and medicament were provided by the state government for the free treatment of the patients.

“No fewer than one hundred medical personnel comprising of medical Doctors, Nurses, ambulances and other logistics are still operating across the state.

“The people should also desist attaching traditional beliefs like witchcraft and report all suspected cases of meningitis, measles and other diseases to the nearest health facility.

“We will not rest on our oars until when the epidemic is fully mitigated, although the cases had drastically reduced.

“Some of the isolation camps hitherto set had since been closed in most of the local governments,’’ Kakale said. (NAN)

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‘Nigerians need three million cooking gas cylinders annually’

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says that Nigerians need no less than three million Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) also, known as cooking gas cylinders, annually.

Mr Simbi Wabate, the Executive Secretary of the Board, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.
According to him, the only LPG cylinder manufacturing company in the country located at Isheri in Ogun , has capacity to produce about 400,000 cooking gas cylinders yearly.

He said this was far below what Nigerian homes required annually.

He said that this had encouraged the in-flow of substandard and expired LPG cylinders into the country.

Wabate said that in order to stop this, the board had conceived what he called “the local manufacture of liquefied gas cylinders’ initiative’’.

He said this would create employment opportunities, stop importation of LPG cylinders and jump-start a new cylinder-producing industry.

According to him, the initiative is connected to the Federal Government’s domestic gas utilisation programme aimed at encouraging the use of cooking gas by every home in the country.

He said that studies had shown that for domestic gas utilisation programme to pull through; there was the need to address the availability, affordability and acceptability of LPG and its cylinders by all stakeholders. 

Wabate said the initiative would make cylinders affordable and create a new industry in the LPG value chain with respect to local manufacturing.

The executive secretary said it would also enhance the use of cleaner fuel supply, thereby, reducing environmental pollution in the country.

It would also reduce the utilisation of firewood which would discourage deforestation, he said.
Wabate said that the board would develop a funding-model to support would-be investors.

He said this had led the board to go into partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI).

NAN reports that NCDMB was created to realise Federal Government’s aspiration of increasing indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry, build local capacity, and create linkages with other sectors of the national economy.

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Mikel scores first goal for Chinese Club

Mikel Leading TEDA Players for the match

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has opened a goal account in the Chinese Super League.

On Sunday, the former Chelsea player scored his first goal which equally gave Tianjin TEDA their first victory in the super league this season.

TEDA won the match against Chongqing Danladi Lifan by 2-0.

Tianjin TEDA are now ninth on the league table with 4 points from three games. The former Chelsea star scored at the 48th minute into the game.

His compatriot Brown Ideye lasted for 65 minutes before he was replaced by Dong Wang.

This is the first win for Tianjin TEDA who started the season on a losing note and then recorded a draw in their second outing of the season.

Meanwhile, another Super Eagles star, Odion Ighalo, was on the losing side in the Chinese Super League on Sunday morning as his club, Changchun Yatai were beaten 2-0 at home by Shandong Luneng.

Ighalo, who also doubles as Changchun’s captain, led the line for his side, but fired blanks as they suffered yet another defeat which has now seen them slip to the bottom of the league table.

All the Nigerian players in China were snubbed by Coach Genort Rohr for the Super Eagles friendly game against Senegal and the botched game against Burkina Faso.

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Fulani herdsmen kill 10 in Cross River

• Only one dead-police 

No fewer than 10 people have been allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen in Obio Usiere, Odukapni local government area of Cross River State.
Village head of Obio Usiere, Apostle Iya Orok, told reporters the community discovered eight more corpses after the two earlier killed last week.
He said: “We have lost nothing less than 10 people in this attack by Fulani herdsmen. They normally come during the dry season to feed their cattle in our area.
“The same incident occurred two years ago when two people were shot dead, now its 10 people.
“As I speak with you, Obio Usiere has been deserted, our women are afraid to go their farms because they rape them in the bush and no one can help them. These people are heavily armed and we are just helpless.
“We have reported to both police, DSS and other security agencies and we call on Governor Ben Ayade to help us because about 3, 500 people are now homeless, we have become refugees in our own land.”
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the attack but said only one person was killed.
She said policemen have been drafted to the area and normalcy has been restored.
“Our men are on ground 24 hours and we are not aware of any other killing. The rise in the death toll has not been reported to us and we are not leaving the place,” she said.

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