Benin City – Wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs Betsey Obaseki has been named Edo State Net Ambassador by the state committee on Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets campaign, 2017, thereby making her the face of the rollback malaria project in the state.
The committee is headed by the state deputy governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu with the Catholic Relief Services, CRS as the implementation partners and the Federal Ministry of Health represented by Dr Chukwu Ikhimioya and Hope Obokoh respectively. The committee said the choice of the first lady was deliberate given her role and untiring support in the fight against child and infant mortality across the state.
The committee added that as a mother, the first Lady being the face of the malaria eradication programme in the state will help to sensitise the public on the need for every household collect and properly put into use the freely distributed insecticidal net to achieve at least 80 per cent coverage.
In her acceptance speech which also kick started her advocacy campaign on the local media, Mrs Obaseki, expressed concern over the poor utilisation of mosquito nets in the state which she said is still below 30% coverage.She told her own story about the use of mosquitoes net as grew up, saying that she grew up to meet the use of mosquito nets by her family when it used to be ordinary net and wonder why people do not like to use treated ones these days.
Mrs Obaseki who thanked the committee for considering her fit and proper to be the state ambassador, urged every Edo family to make good use of the treated net to prevent malaria.
“I am concerned that our Communities are facing a high degree of malaria illnesses caused by the parasite transmitted by mosquito bite. This has caused us so many lives and made many of us to get sick in the past.
Malaria is still the cause of death of many pregnant women and children in our State.
Now, we can protect ourselves and our families from Malaria by hanging and sleeping inside the Long Lasting Insecticidal Net every night.
Since my family and I started sleeping inside the net, none of my family member has come down with malaria.
The net truly protects all members of my family from mosquito bites which transmits the parasite that causes malaria
I urge you and your family to sleep inside Long Lasting Insecticidal Net tonight and every night.
Remember, when everybody sleeps inside the Net, everybody is protected from malaria.” She said.
The first Lady will officially be decorated and unveiled as the state Net Ambassador August 11, 2017.
