The federal government has stepped up its efforts to eradicate malaria, a major public health problem, by recruiting a high-powered team of the country’s top business magnates to manage the campaign. Over the weekend, billionaire businessmen Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and banking giant Tony Elumelu were appointed to helm the National End Malaria Council (NEMC), a strategic step aimed at eliminating malaria, which continues to ravage the country.
President Bola Tinubu appointed these corporate leaders to the National Economy Advisory Committee in February to address economic difficulties caused by the naira’s depreciation. The current collaboration between government and corporate sector leaders is a significant step toward tackling public health challenges while also promoting economic regeneration.
Femi Otedola, chairman of Geregu Power Plc and FBN Holdings Plc, has recently been reinstated on the world’s billionaires list. Aliko Dangote, the country’s richest individual, heads the conglomerate Dangote Group, while Elumelu runs UBA Group and created Heirs Holdings. Their leadership is anticipated to guide the country toward its objective of eradicating malaria, a disease that claims over 600,000 lives worldwide each year, with Nigeria accounting for more than a quarter of these instances.
During the inaugural event in Abuja, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Tunji Alausa stressed the significance of this project, citing Nigeria’s disproportionate share of the worldwide malaria burden. “Nigeria contributes more than a quarter of global malaria cases and about a third of the over 600,000 deaths, mostly among children and pregnant women,” Alausa told the BBC. He went on to explain the socioeconomic toll malaria takes on the country, citing the disease as a major cause of childhood mortality, school absenteeism, and hospital visits.
The NEMC, which includes notable religious leader John Cardinal Onaiyekan, will work with important players such as the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, National Assembly joint Health Committees, and women’s organizations to push this project. The minister admitted that, while different interventions, such as antimalarial drugs and treated nets, have been adopted, they are insufficient for Nigeria’s vast population of almost 200 million.
Aliko Dangote, Nigeria’s Malaria Ambassador and member of the Global End Malaria Council, now leads the council. In his speech, Dangote urged a united front in the fight against malaria, emphasizing the significance of keeping the disease’s eradication at the top of Nigeria’s national agenda. He emphasized the council’s importance in obtaining long-term support and ensuring that malaria-fighting progress is preserved and expanded.
The council members are entrusted with organizing the financial resources required to eradicate malaria in Nigeria, with assistance from the Nigeria End Malaria Council’s secretariat, directed by Executive Secretary Ope Abegunde. As Dangote and his fellow corporate titans take on this vital role, expectations are high that their combined influence and resources will propel Nigeria closer to a malaria-free future, integrating health outcomes with the country’s overall economic recovery plan.