Ibrahim Yasir
The wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun was on Sunday July 29th 2019 flagged off Campaign against Hepatitis B in commemoration of World Hepatitis Day celebration in Nigeria, organised by World Hepatitis Eradication Comminssion Nigeria delegation at Primary Health Centre, School 3, Sango.
Mrs Abiodun defies the rain alongside, Deputy Governor Alhaja Noimot Oyedele and over 60 personnel of nurses and Doctors from Ministry of Health, and other eminent ambassadors, to flag off Campaign against Hepatitis, and begin free tests. World Hepatitis Day is globally observed to raise global awareness of hepatitis and to eradicate people on its diagnosis, prevention and cure. It was celebrated in Ogun State, with the assistance from Rotary International.
Mrs Bamidele who was decorated last week by the Commission as their ‘Global Ambassador for the Commission of Zero Eradication’ with scheduled task of using her office as the First Lady of Ogun State, in order to structure the campaign awareness in all the 20 LGA of the state.
Mrs Florence Egbeyemi, the South West Commissioner, appreciated the First Lady and the Deputy Governor, for accepting the challenge of serving as the state rallying point, despite their busy schedules and condemned the widespread of the disease in Nigeria. Blaming the spread of the preventable disease on ignorance of the people and lack of public awareness, she urged parents and Nigerians to join hands with the commission to begin eradication through their ‘Zero project’ of identifying, counselling, screening and treatment of patients. Also, Dr Bakare, further educated the people about the inflammatory liver diseases. He said: “Body or skin reaction may not be visible for patients with the disease and the carrier would be living fine, except it is discovered early by test. With about 150 locations in Nigeria our zero project is aimed to offer free test, screening and free vacines for treatment to Nigerians to help eradicate the disease.
Butressing the danger for lack of awareness and living unhealthy life, The Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, said, HPV is so uncomon but more dangerous, a killer disease of bad records. He appreciated the First lady and the Deputy Governor, for such a inititiave to begin the Campaign in Ota. While praying, he assured the support of Olota in Council and people of Ota for the government of Dapo Abiodun.
While addressing the people, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun described Hepatitis as the most dreaded disease that people gave lip attention, and propose an urgent need for stakeholders to rally critical heads of medical department, parents and medical experts to begin wider awaresness through sensitization.
“As part of activities for World Hepathitis Day Celebration, we are here for public awareness; the first step of the eradication process through our ‘zero project’, curtail the spread of the hepatitis disease and eliminate the virus to zero level conducting free test, and giving out treatment to people for prevention and cure”. A global initiative and Ogun State Government has adopted it, to guarantee safety and healthy lives of the citizens. While expressing her confidence in the World hepatitis Commission, she further assures that government is ready to follow global guideliness and campaigns through testing, vacination againt HBV. She said: “This opportunity is loaded with benefits and we have carefully chosen Sango to begin with. The campaign accross 20 local government will enable people to know their status, help allienate the danger called HPV and also directly create Jobs, engaged the people in all the local governments”.
She then emphasized that: “It is our ultimate desire to see us live a free and healthy life”. She however, advised that people should always go for test, avoid multiple s@xual partners and serve as campaigners in their homes.
