President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to establish a committee to oversee the cholera emergency operation centre operated by the National Centre For Disease Control (NCDC).
This directive was announced by the Minister of Health, Dr. Ali Pate, while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Dr. Pate revealed that the committee would include members from several federal ministries, namely Health, Finance, Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, and Education.
This multidisciplinary team aims to ensure comprehensive support from both federal and state governments to combat cholera and reduce open defecation, a significant contributor to the outbreak.
“The council then approved a cabinet committee comprising the federal ministries of Health, Finance, Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, and Education because some of our children will be returning to school,” Dr. Pate stated.
He emphasized the importance of a multi-sectoral approach to address the cholera outbreak effectively.
He further explained that the state governments would be involved in the efforts to enhance the impact of the committee’s work.
“In addition to this, the state governments will be co-opted so that Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation because cholera is a developmental issue that requires a multi-sectoral approach,” he added.
The minister disclosed alarming statistics, noting that 31 states had reported 1,528 cases of cholera with 53 deaths.
“At the moment, about 31 states have recorded 1,528 cases and 53 deaths in Nigeria. That is what we are working on through the emergency operation centre that was activated by NCDC on Monday.”
Dr. Pate highlighted the global context of the cholera pandemic, noting its long-standing nature and the rising number of cases worldwide.
“Now we have a cholera outbreak, and we discussed it extensively in the Council in addition to a new emergence of yellow fever specifically in Bayelsa State. On cholera, we are in the middle of the 7th pandemic globally which is decades in the making. In 2022, the world had almost 500,000 cases of cholera, so it is not only peculiar to Nigeria. In 2023, almost 700,000 cases of cholera were reported by the World Health Organisation. This year, more than 200,000 cases have occurred in five regions of the world,” he explained.
The minister underscored the necessity of a collaborative approach involving various sectors to tackle the cholera outbreak effectively.
