News

FG Charges Workers To Imbibe Time-honoured Virtua In Work Practices

Published

3 years ago

April 2, 2024

… Commends Directors for implementing government policies

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government has called on civil servants in the country to imbibe the time-honoured virtues of training, retraining and adoptive skills in consonance with modern work practices, ethics and processes in order to help government evolve and promote programmes and policies that will impact on the lives of the citizenry.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance,Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya gave the charge in her office in Abuja during a familiarization visit to the Directorates under her Ministry.

She stated that the visit was part of efforts to acquaint herself with the office environment, get first hand knowledge about the challenges confronting the staff which can likely hinder efficient service delivery to Nigerians with a view to addressing them.

Mrs. Jafiya noted that Civil Servants are key to the development of any nation and must therefore enthrone the culture of innovation, both in imagination and routine work as well as develop appropriate tools for the anticipated change that goes with the emerging challenges.

The Permanent Secretary commended the Directors for their doggedness and commitment to the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Government and called on them to uphold the spirit of team work while also bringing their wealth of experience to bear in making sure the Honourable Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun delivers on his Mandate, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration.

Mrs Jafiya explained that the achievements of any public servant are evaluated by his or her efficiency, transparency, integrity, productivity and ability to impact the lives of people through the services put to drive government policies, projects and programmes.

She observed that for any civil servant ready to attain world class status, he or she must re-discover himself or herself and enthrone the culture of innovation both in imagination and routine work as well as develop appropriate tools for the anticipated change and emerging challenges.

Contemporary civil servant, according to her, must not only be a change agent but must also be able to institutionalize change in modern governance and societal development. *Civil Servants must see themselves as seasoned technocrats for the promotion of growth, peace, stability, development, and democracy. They must encompass and exhibit values that will inspire others, institutions and individuals to be creative, innovative, patriotic and productive. She said.

The Permanent Secretary further observed the need for civil servants to move with global realities, especially in terms of technology, information, service delivery, and ideas.

Mrs Jafiya who informed that the civil service was the hope of all Nigerians and, as such, needed staff who are selfless, dedicated, and committed to delivering on government initiatives, expressed optimism that with the calibre of Directors and staff in the Ministry, it was set to deliver on its mandate in line with the present administration’s policy thrust.

“Let me state clearly that I am impressed with the commitment of staff, especially the Directors, to their duty in the Ministry. I embarked on a familiarization visit to the Directorates without prior notice and I am surprised to find out that almost all the Directors and their key staff are already seated and working in this early hours of the day except for a few who I understand are on official assignment outside the Ministry.

“I want to implore you to remain resolute, committed and ensure team work in order to enable the Honourable Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun deliver on the Ministry’s Mandate”.

*On our part, we are determined to create an enabling environment for every category of staff to discharge his or her duties without any hindrance. I want to assure you that the challenges identified today will be looked into within the available resources, since no challenge is insurmountable*, Jafiya stated.

Responding on behalf of the Directors and staff of the Ministry, the Director Human Resources, Mrs Olusola Dada, pledged the staff’s total commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Government for improved socio-economic growth and development of the country.

She explained that what the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya saw early this morning during the familiarization tour of offices of Directors was an impact and replication of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun. *Your humble self, as well as your* *colleague, the Permanent Secretary Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance Mr Okokon Ekanem Udo Your operational team work has indeed inspired us and as you can see, we are ready to follow suit with a view to ensuring that Nigerian Economy receives the desired boost for the benefit of all our people.

Mrs Dada thanked the Honourable Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya and the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance Mr Okokon Ekanem Udo for having the staff in their hearts, especially in relation to their training needs and welfare, and also in ensuring the creation of an enabling environment for them to efficiently discharge their functions.

Share on Facebook

Health

New Malaria Plan Puts States, Local Data At Centre Of Nigeria’s 2030 Response

Published

10 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Nigeria’s latest malaria data point to a country making progress overall but facing sharply different disease burdens from one state to another, prompting health authorities to shift emphasis towards locally tailored interventions under a new five-year strategy.

The National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) 2026–2030, launched alongside the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey (NMIS) report, seeks to cut malaria parasite prevalence and deaths by 50 per cent from 2025 levels by 2030.

Rather than applying a uniform national response, the plan prioritises interventions based on local epidemiological evidence, while also calling for stronger domestic financing, improved diagnosis and treatment, better surveillance and clearer accountability.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Daju Kachallom, presented the government’s position at the joint launch in Abuja.

Pate described the survey and strategic plan as essential tools for identifying weaknesses in malaria control and directing resources towards areas with the greatest need.

He said the survey’s findings on prevalence, prevention, diagnosis and treatment would support policy development, programme implementation, resource allocation and performance assessment.

The minister said the strategic plan was designed to accelerate progress towards a malaria-free Nigeria while remaining consistent with national health priorities and the World Health Organisation’s global malaria strategy.

He commended the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the National Population Commission (NPC), development partners and other stakeholders involved in producing the survey and plan.

Pate also called for a shared national effort involving federal and state governments, the private sector, communities and households, stressing that malaria elimination could not be achieved by government alone.

The 2025 NMIS shows that malaria parasite prevalence among children aged six to 59 months, measured through microscopy, fell from 42 per cent in 2010 to 23 per cent in 2018, 22 per cent in 2021 and 15 per cent in 2025.

However, the national improvement masks substantial differences between states. Prevalence among children in the same age group ranged from two per cent in Lagos State to 31 per cent in Ebonyi State.

The figures indicate that progress has not been evenly distributed and that malaria control efforts must be adapted to the conditions in individual states and communities.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr Nnenna Ogbulafor, said the NMSP was developed from the 2025 NMIS findings and other programme data.

She said the evidence would help policymakers locate high-burden areas, improve the design of interventions and direct limited resources to communities most in need.

Ogbulafor said the plan was aligned with Nigeria’s health sector priorities and the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030.

She identified policy alignment, state-level leadership, domestic financing, partnerships and accountability as central to implementation.

The national coordinator urged state governments, civil society organisations and development partners to take ownership of the plan and support coordinated, adequately funded malaria programmes.

She said the differences in prevalence across states made subnational planning indispensable to meeting the national targets.

Ogbulafor called on states to develop comprehensive malaria control programmes reflecting local disease burdens, epidemiological evidence and available resources.

She also stressed the need for sustained domestic financing and partnerships to close funding gaps and maintain implementation through 2030.

NMEP, she said, would work with the National Malaria Working Group and international partners to track implementation, assess performance and review results regularly.

The plan aims to raise access to and use of preventive interventions to at least 80 per cent, achieve at least 90 per cent effective coverage of malaria diagnosis and appropriate treatment among at-risk populations, and improve surveillance performance from a baseline of 47 per cent to 70 per cent by 2030.

It also targets stronger governance and organisational capacity, with at least 60 per cent of malaria programme resources expected to come from domestic sources by 2030.

The survey data show that prevention remains uneven. Only 54 per cent of households had at least one insecticide-treated net, while 45 per cent of children under five and 54 per cent of pregnant women aged 15–49 slept under a net on the night before the survey.

Protection during pregnancy was also incomplete. Among women aged 15–49 who had a live birth in the preceding two years, 62 per cent received at least one dose of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine during their last pregnancy, but only 33 per cent received three or more doses.

The findings point to the need to expand access to insecticide-treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women.

Diagnosis is another major gap. Of children under five who had a fever in the two weeks before the survey, 59 per cent had advice or treatment sought, but only 18 per cent had blood taken for malaria testing.

The strategic plan therefore places emphasis on prompt testing, appropriate treatment, preventive services and public awareness.

In his remarks, the Director-General of NPC, Dr Abubakar Muhammed, pledged the commission’s continued support for credible demographic and health data to guide policymaking and malaria elimination efforts.

Muhammed said the survey reflected the partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through NMEP, and the NPC.

He said the collaboration brought together expertise in malaria control, demographic surveys and data management to produce information for national planning and development.

The NPC director-general said the commission would continue to modernise its survey operations through technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and spatial techniques.

He urged policymakers, programme managers, researchers and development partners to use the findings to refine strategies, improve implementation and target communities where interventions were most needed.

Muhammed commended the ministry, NMEP, technical consultants, state enumerators and field teams for their roles in conducting the survey.

He said the report would provide a strong evidence base for a coordinated national malaria response.

The launch of the NMIS report and NMSP 2026–2030 places the next phase of Nigeria’s malaria response on a clearer understanding of where the disease remains most entrenched, while challenging states and partners to convert that evidence into measurable local action.

Share on Facebook