Malaria Elimination Possible With Stronger Political Will — Ojelade

The Programme Officer of Malaria Consortium in Nigeria, Olubunmi Ojelade, has said that eliminating malaria in Nigeria is achievable with stronger political will and sustained commitment from governments at all levels.

Ojelade stated this during a media engagement in Lokoja, where she called for increased government commitment to malaria prevention and control, noting that countries that had successfully eliminated the disease demonstrated strong political leadership and dedication to the cause.

“Yes, we can achieve a malaria-free society if our government is committed. However, I am yet to see that level of commitment. Although we have achieved significant milestones in the fight against malaria, more still needs to be done,” she said.

She solicited the support of the media in sensitising residents to the importance of sleeping under insecticide-treated nets to reduce malaria transmission and prevalence in Kogi State.

Earlier, the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, said the state government, in collaboration with Malaria Consortium and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), would distribute 3,141,485 insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to households across the state from November 8 to 15, 2026.

Adeiza, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Maji Enoch, said the exercise was designed to reduce the burden of malaria and promote the use of treated nets as an effective preventive measure.

He described malaria as a life-threatening disease transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, noting that it remained a major public health challenge because of its impact on healthcare costs, productivity and livelihoods.

According to him, Nigeria accounts for 24.3 per cent of malaria cases globally and an estimated 30.3 per cent of the 579,000 malaria-related deaths recorded worldwide annually, citing the World Health Organisation’s 2025 data.

He, however, said the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showed that malaria prevalence in the country had declined from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.2 per cent in 2025.

The commissioner disclosed that Kogi State recorded a malaria prevalence rate of 8.9 per cent in the 2025 survey, but warned that the disease continued to undermine productivity through school and workplace absenteeism, while imposing significant financial burdens on households and the country.

He said billions of naira were lost annually to malaria through treatment expenses, prevention costs and working hours lost to illness.

Adeiza identified sleeping under insecticide-treated nets as one of the most effective ways of preventing malaria, adding that studies showed that the use of ITNs could reduce malaria incidence by 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of global malaria cases.

He urged residents to take advantage of the free distribution campaign, describing it as an important intervention to strengthen malaria prevention in the state after nine years without a statewide free net distribution exercise.

The campaign is being implemented by the Kogi State Ministry of Health, through its Malaria Elimination Programme, in collaboration with the NMEP and Malaria Consortium.

Adeiza explained that personnel wearing uniforms bearing the malaria campaign logo would visit households to register residents and distribute the nets.

He urged households to ensure that at least one representative was available during the exercise to complete the registration process and collect their allocated nets.

The commissioner also advised beneficiaries to air the newly collected nets in the shade for 24 hours before hanging them. He urged residents to hang the nets properly, tuck them around sleeping areas and use them every night throughout the year.

He called on residents to support the campaign by making consistent use of the nets, stressing that collective action was essential to reducing malaria transmission and improving public health outcomes in Kogi State.