Gen. Yakubu Gowon spotted with Governor Okowa (photos)
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, on Monday, December 5, led a delegation of South-South advocacy group to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state.
General Gowon told the governor in Asaba, Delta state capital, that the group was on advocacy visit for the eradication of malaria, river blindness, elephantiasis and other neglected tropical diseases in the country.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa having handshake with General Yakubu Gowon at the Delta Government House
He called for the governor’s support in the fight against the diseases in the state and in the south south region of the country, just as he called for the distribution of insecticide treated nets as part of strategies to fight malaria.
The advocacy group is on how to control malaria and other neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria.
Governor Okowa, a medical doctor, lent his support for the project, hence he called for a holistic approach to tackling neglected tropical diseases in the country.
READ ALSO: ALERT! These are the 4 MAJOR foods killing Nigerians
While lauding the use of long lasting mosquito treated nets to check malaria, Governor Okowa observed that holistic approach to tackling the issue would bring greater relief to Nigerians.
Gen Gowon, Gov Okowa and Okowa's SSG, Ovie Agas
“I support the campaign for the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets but, we should try a holistic approach to control malaria scourge,” he said, noting that “until we do this, we will find that year in, year out, we will keep on distributing nets while we are not controlling malaria holistically.”
READ ALSO: Delta state govt unveils plans to put smiles on faces of pensioners, others
He added that “we need to combine both the net and other control measures in the fight against malaria; this is possible because, until we start driving our nation in that direction, we may not get the desired result; in the long run, we will find that the money that we have put into the distribution of mosquito nets could have produced better results using the holistic approach.”
The governor commended General Gowon for his commitment to the Nigerian project, assuring that his administration would relentlessly support the fight against tropical diseases.