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Dr Akanji Benjamin, a Public Health expert based in Abuja says health promotion should begin with every individual, as it calls for collective action to implement existing policies, using available resources.
He made the call in an interview with Nigeria News Agency on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Benjamin said that togetherness could also lead to the achievement of UHC.
NAN reports that on Dec. 12, 2012, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously endorsed a resolution, urging countries to accelerate progress toward UHC.
The idea was that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable healthcare as essential priority for international development.
UHC was, therefore, first celebrated on Dec. 12, 2014 to commemorate the date on which the UN General Assembly officially recognised the importance of UHC.
NAN reports that the theme of the 2019 UHC Day is “Keep the Promise.”
Benjamin said that UHC was highlighted in the Agenda of 2030 Sustainable Development Goals under Goal 3 (SDG3).
It calls for ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages by leaving no one behind.
UHC is not new. It is not rocket science. We have the policies and structures, but we aren’t doing what we ought to do.
There is need for a call to action as we celebrate UHC day.
The expert said building social cohesion by pooling resources under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was one way of subsidising hospital bills to I prove access to Medicare.
Edited by: Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
(NAN)
(NAN)
Mrs. Abieyuwa Abel, a Social Anthropologist, has called on the Federal Government to use the National Health Act (NHA), 2014, to fast track Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
Abel made the call in an interview with the Nigeria News Agency , on Wednesday in Abuja.
She was speaking ahead of the commemoration of International Day of UHC, slated for Dec. 12.
NAN reports that on Dec. 12, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously endorsed a resolution urging countries to accelerate progress toward UHC.
The idea was that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care as an essential priority for international development.
In 2014, the UN started to observe Dec. 12 as UHC Day to commemorate the date on which the General Assembly officially recognised the importance of UHC.
NAN reports that the theme of the 2019 UHC Day is ‘Keep the Promise’
The social anthropologist said that the NHA was a viable framework, the implementation of which could help the country and its people achieve UHC.
This Act sets the background to earmark adequate public resources to health towards strengthening primary health care through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.
Fifty per cent of the fund will be managed by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to ensure access to a minimum package of health services for all Nigerians.
forty-five per cent of the fund will be deployed to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCA), for primary health-care facility upgrade and maintainable provision of essential drugs, and deployment of human resources to primary health-care facilities.
The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) will manage the remaining five per cent for national health emergency and response to epidemics.
Counterpart funding from state and local governments is at the core of the National Health Act implementation,” she said.
According to her, resource mobilisation and accountability are key factors for successful implementation of the National Health Act.
She said that though there was substantial evidence that public financing was key to the achievement of UHC, government expenditure on health remained had low, with domestic resource mobilisation weak.
Abel said that President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration should creatively and aggressively explore innovative domestic financing despite attendant fiscal constraints.
She said that tax avoidance and inefficient tax collection were the major roadblocks that the President should tackle to improve domestic revenue generation.
The social anthropologist said that sufficient funds could be obtained through taxes on products that pose risk to health such as tobacco and alcohol, and progressive levies on phone calls or mobile phone purchases.
Other sources of income she identified included taxes on air tickets, foreign exchange transactions, and luxury goods.
Abel said that the government could also generate substantial fiscal capacity to fund national health reforms by cutting the country’s enormous budget for fuel subsidies.
Buhari-led government can also ‘assert vision and control’ to mobilise and align resources from domestic and external sources, and ensure efficient use of such resources to increase access to high-quality health care for Nigerians.
The government should implement the 2001 Abuja declaration by allocating at least 15 per cent of its budget to health.
With all of these in place, the government can demonstrate its political will to achieve the 2014 Presidential Summit Declaration on UHC and secure the crucial public support needed for other reforms,” she said.
According to her, government should make health insurance compulsory by facilitating the amendment of the 1999 NHIS Act 35.
Abel said that with full implementation of NHIS, the 36 states of the federation and FCT should create their health insurance agencies with guidance from the NHIS, and implement innovative ways to capture the formal and informal sectors.
She described UHC as a political choice, which required vision, courage, and long-term thinking.
“It is the best investment for a safer, fairer and healthier Nigeria that is needed for people’s health and sustainable development.’’
She said that universal health care could be cheaper if Nigerians had the courage to fight the existing powers and corporations.
Forty-nine of the 50 most developed nations in the world have universal health care.
The one nation where it is not yet a reality is the one we are living in. It can be a reality here only if our government keep to its promise.
NAN recalls that the UHC international day has become the annual rallying point for the growing global movement for Health for All.
The day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage.
Each year, on Dec. 12, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, to call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and to remind the world that Health for All is imperative to create the world we want.
Edited by: Bayo Sekoni and Ephraims Sheyin
(NAN)
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The President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, has called for active engagement of young people in the fight against corruption.
The way we engage young people today will determine the prospects for sustainable development and peace.
Mobilising and empowering Youth for Justice is key to ensuring sustainable solutions to combating corruption,” he said in a message to mark the 2019 International Anti-Corruption Day.
Referencing findings that an estimated 2.6 trillion dollars is stolen through corruption globally every year, Muhammad-Bande urged stronger international collaboration to check the menace.
He said: “The International Anti-Corruption Day is an opportunity to acknowledge and promote the efforts against corruption and bribery worldwide.
According to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development’, we need to fully address corruption to have any hope of achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
Corruption diverts resources away from poverty-eradication efforts. It fuels conflict and disharmony in society.
I have set poverty eradication and quality education as key priorities for the 74th Session of the General Assembly.
Corruption also hinders the achievement of quality education at the same time, education is a crucial element to effectively address the phenomenon of corruption.
It fosters attitudes that do not tolerate corruption.
The PGA described corruption as a serious global challenge to which no country is immune.
He, therefore, called on stakeholders to use the day to rededicate themselves to fight against corruption, including through cooperation and partnerships.
Edited by: Chukwudi Ekezie
(NAN)
Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) says women must be at the centre of all national development issues for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said this in Abuja on Monday during his first official visit to Nigeria as President of the General Assembly.
Nigeria News Agency reports that Muhammad-Bande emerged as President of the 74th UN General Assembly in September.
Bande made the remark while interacting with Mrs Pauline Tallen, the Minister of Women Affairs and her counterpart, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and other women groups.
He said “if we must leave no one behind as the SDG theme says, then women must be at the centre of what we do.”
He, therefore, decried the rate of gender-based violence meted on women, adding that “rape is clearly an issue which we need to address as a taboo.”
The UNGA president reiterated the commitment of the assembly toward ending all forms of violence against women and children and promote their rights.
The UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria, Comfort Lamptey, stressed the need for government to reflect on the achievements recorded toward resolving the plights of women and children in Nigeria.
Lamptey emphasised the need to restrategise and reconnect on ways to address the issue of gender based violence, with a view to ending the menace from the roots.
She said “we must root out all forms of violence against women and children. We must invest in women empowerment and ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice, while victims were supported.”
The women affairs minister said that the launch of the Sexual Offenders Register by NAPTIP and partners in Abuja on Monday would provide data on those convicted for sexual offences and serve as deterrent to others.
The Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mrs Mary Ekpere-Eta, commended government and relevant stakeholders for their support to women.
Ekpere-Eta reiterated the commitment of the centre toward empowering women with skills that would enable them to generate revenue, thereby reducing the risk of being vulnerable to abuse.
Mrs Bisi Adeleje-Fayemi, wife of Ekiti State Governor, stressed the need for adoption of political will to enforce laws that would protect women and children from violence.
She also stressed the need for active community participation in activities toward curbing violence against women.
Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, the National President, National Association of Women Journalists, said that the association would partner with state ministries of women affairs to sensitise communities at the grassroots to ensure that the tenets of the Sexual Offenders Register was not misunderstood.
She said “the register is a big plus in our quest to curb sexual offences. This will also ensure that perpetrators are known and this stigma will deter them from committing such crime.”
NAN reports that a candle light procession was carried out in honour of those who lost their lives due to sexual based violence.
Edited & Vetted By: Olawunmi Ashafa/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with President of the UN General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Nigeria News Agency reports that Muhammad-Bande, who emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly in September,was on his first official visit to Nigeria since he was elected.
Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York.
He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.
The outcome of the meeting between Buhari and the UNGA President was being awaited as at the time of filing this report.
Edited & Vetted By: Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Ali Baba-Inuwa
(NAN)
Details later
Prof. Tijaani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly has said that Africa needs to look inward to be able to overcome the negative effects of the trade war between the U.S. and China. Muhammad-Bande gave the advice in an interview with the Nigeria News Agency in Abuja when he paid his first official visit to Nigeria since he was elected President of the UNGA in September. Economists warn that the prolonged trade dispute between China and the U.S. is escalating risks to the global economy by disrupting supply chains, discouraging investment, dampening business confidence, and risking a long-term, hard-to-reverse stagnation.
Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the IMF has warned that trade tensions and resulting uncertainties could shave off 0.8 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020.
It is against this backdrop that the UNGA president said: “Trade wars are destructive and they can unsettle economies and political systems.
“The UN of course is always on the side of having countries engage to resolve problems.
“There is still engagement between the two countries more directly concerned, but every part of the UN system; every think-tank of note in the world has cautioned against going through a trade war. “But more specifically to Africa, I think Africa will survive like all others, whatever the situation. “And of course to start with, the whole idea of trade, intra-African trade is I think important, looking inward is important.” Muhammad-Bande added that although the trade war might have its impact on dependent countries, working towards stronger intra-African trade should help the continent survive. “But Africa, like other countries may be impacted by a change in the pattern because it is a pattern that is changing trade, and it will have in some areas positive balance and in some areas negative, unbalanced – I am not sure what it will be. “But certainly Africa is also working towards stronger intra-African trade, which should help it and therefore it can reduce the need to trade on some goods and services outside the African continent. “And those elements will be qualitative elements of things that are not easily available and I think that it’s also a rational approach which will help all economies and regional economies integrate better and they are results that will be positive for countries.” Muhammad-Bande reiterated that although there were already negative consequences of the trade tension between the U.S. and China, they are still engaging in business. “There has been tension but they are still selling goods and services. “There is no way they can decouple, but there are elements concerning whether some would say the trade is fair or unfair, imbalances in the trading system,” he added. According to him, any trade system that is free and fair helps everyone. NAN reports that tensions between the world’s two biggest economies intensified over the last week. The Donald Trump administration more than doubled tariffs on $300 billion worth that aren’t already facing 25% taxes. The escalation covers everything from sneakers to toasters to billiard balls. The Chinese have retaliated by upping tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. imports.China says it will strive to reach an initial trade agreement with the U.S. as both sides keep communication channels open.
Completion of a phase one deal could slide into 2020, trade experts and people close to the White House said, as Beijing presses for more extensive tariff rollbacks and the U.S. administration counters with heightened demands of its own.
(Edited By: Emmanuel Yashim)Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) says no African country is silent on racism and xenophobia, as all nations on the continent condemned such actions.
He said this in a special interview with Nigeria News Agency in Abuja, during his first official visit to the country as President of the General Assembly.
He affirmed that racism, xenophobia and resurgent nationalism and tendencies toward protectionism in Africa and other parts of the world were threats to multilateralism.
According to him, no country or community is self sufficient, hence the need to strife for peace, and unity, and going forward requires collective efforts toward addressing the challenges and concerns of the continent.
He noted that “fortunately, the issue between South Africa and other African countries has been successfully resolved, with the presidents of South Africa and Nigeria urging citizens to embrace peace.
“All African countries condemned racism, no African country is silent on racism, after all, the struggle against apartheid was not a South African struggle.
“It was a struggle of Africans and its friends and those who believe in humanity.
“The situation surrounding South Africa has already been resolved, it is not even an issue between South Africa and Nigeria, it involves other African countries and the mistake in that situation has been well understood and resolved.
“You can see after the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to South Africa the whole idea that going forward, it is simply and collectively to address common concerns on the continent.”
On the issue of irregular migration, which is a challenge in the West-African sub-region, Muhammad-Bande said that the UN adopted the Global Compact on Migration in December 2018 in Marrakech, Morroco.
He explained that the compact was endorsed by the UN General Assembly to cover all dimensions of migration and to ensure that migration was done in a safe and regular manner.
He added that the first positive development contained in the document was recognising migration as a positive thing, noting however that the act could have negative results when carried out irregularly and through dangerous and deadly routes.
The UNGA president, who noted that the adoption of the Global Compact on Migration was a hard negotiation for stakeholders, added that it would be an opportunity to see how well it would be implemented.
He said that the document would be reviewed after four years to assess the successes and challenges.
He explained that “the fact that there is a compact is because there is a problem and the way to deal with a problem is to collectively see whether there is a way to address it.”
The UNGA President arrived in Abuja on Nov. 21 on a four-day official visit.
Edited By: Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
(NAN)
Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the United Nations General Assembly said on Friday that the UN remained committed to eradicating poverty and hunger across the world.
Muhammad-Bande also reassured the world that the global body was committed to ensuring peace, security, and quality education worldwide.
He made this known in Abuja during his visit to Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama as part of scheduled activities on his first official visit to the country as President of the General Assembly.
According to him, poverty eradication, ensuring peace and security, inclusion, quality education, climate action are in line with his vision and mandate as the 74th President of the UN General Assembly.
He added that achieving the set out vision and mandate would go a long way toward achieving the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I am always conscious that I will not fail Nigeria in my capacity as President of the General Assembly at the 74th Session.
“We have within two months set the proper pace and we are very happy that everyone that has had an association with the system has stated that we have started really well.
“Our mandates are very clear as stated. Poverty eradiation must be key. So is peace and security. So will be education. So will be inclusion.
“And these are already agreed goals but they take particular urgency in Africa and in the global turf and they are also important for the global community.
“And we have already a road map and we have made all the key appointments to help in key negotiations that are necessary to have the system operate.
“Even difficult negotiations are made easier where you are clear as to why you are doing it.
“The importance of peace and security is not only to Nigeria but all of us,” Muhammad-Bande said.
He said that the UN system had supported Nigeria in dealing with the regional problem of Boko Haram and it was glad to see that by all accounts, light was at the end of the tunnel.
He praised Nigeria for leading other countries in the region to come together and look beyond the support of the UN system to the humanitarian phase of the problem.
The UNGA President said that staying the course in support of multilateralism was also a key element and an urgent matter for the world.
“I commend as others have done so, the efforts of Nigeria in being a positive force in West Africa, in Africa and globally,” Muhammad-Bande added.
Speaking earlier, Onyeama pledged Nigeria’s support to Muhammad-Bande in his official mandate as President of the UNGA, saying that his vision was in tandem with the priorities of the government.
Onyeama expressed appreciation for UN’s support and assistance to Nigeria through its several organisations operating in the country.
“The government and the country will stand/stands solidly behind you and we will do everything to ensure that your mandate is successful.
“It is a very important mandate because you are managing the most important multilateral organisation in the world – an organisation that plays a truly important role in global affairs and an organisation that houses almost all the countries of the world.
“It really is a major responsibility and we and all countries of the world must support you because global peace is absolutely crucial in the world today.
“A world that faces so many challenges and your vision for your mandate addresses all those challenges.
“You have put forward as your programme for the year quality education. That is absolutely key and a major priority for us in Nigeria, and I would say indeed the global front.
“Peace and security is a prerequisite for a prosperous world, climate action and inclusion, poverty eradication, and zero hunger.
“Your vision is one that this country and this government identify with, and it also responds to our priorities as a government.
“So, we will work hand-in-hand with you to achieve those goals,’’ Onyeama said.
Nigeria News Agency reports that Muhammad-Bande is in Nigeria on a five-day visit which is his first as the 74th President of the UNGA.
In the course of his visit, he would participate in the meeting of the Stakeholder Group on Ageing Africa (SGA Africa).
(Edited By: Emmanuel Yashim)
(NAN)
President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, will on Wednesday begin a five-day official visit to Nigeria.
His spokesperson, Ms Reem Abaza, said in a statement on Monday that the PGA was travelling to his home country to participate in a meeting of the Stakeholder Group on Ageing Africa (SGA Africa).
SGA Africa is a coalition of civil society organisations on ageing, human right institutes and Institutes on ageing in the continent.
It is a platform for stakeholders to work “on multi-levels as members of the UN ECA African Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism group to achieve SDGs Agenda 2030 and AU Agenda 2063’’.
The meeting, according to Abaza, is the region’s expert conference on the human rights situation of older persons for the purpose of strengthening the protection of their rights.
The Nigeria News Agency reports that this would be Muhammad-Bande’s first official visit to Nigeria since assumption of office as President of the 74th Session of the GA on Sept. 17.
During the visit, he is expected to “highlight his priorities for the 74th Session’’, according to the spokesperson.
Muhammad-Bande will also mobilise support for multilateralism and rule-based systems “as the most potent avenues for fostering dialogue and proffering solution to global problems’’.
He also expected to underscore the importance of international cooperation in sensitising national governments on the human rights situation of older persons in Africa.
“The PGA will also seize the opportunity of his visit to thank the government and people of Nigeria for their support prior to and after his election and inauguration as President of the 74th Session of the GA.
“The President will also interact with women’s groups and members of civil society organisations.
“During his visit, Muhammad-Bande will meet with H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria and other senior government officials including H.E. Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Pauline Talen, Minister of Women Affairs.
“The President of the General Assembly will also visit the recently reconstructed UN house,’’ Abaza said, adding that he will depart Nigeria on Nov. 25.
Edited by Wale Ojetimi
President of the United Nations General Assembly, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, says poverty is beyond lack of access to food, shelter, healthcare and sanitation.
He stated this in a message on Thursday to mark the 2019 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
According to him, poverty includes “a persistent feeling of distress and hopelessness, declining self-esteem, social exclusion, and exclusion from decision-making structures, and unequal access to justice”.
“We have the means to eradicate poverty; it is simply a matter of getting the policies right.
“We must address the underlying causes of poverty within and across countries,” Muhammad-Bande said.
He identified the drivers of poverty as corruption, conflict, cross-border crime, extreme climate changes, and a shortfall in financing for development.
He urged member states to rededicate themselves to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development geared towards poverty eradication.
Muhammad-Bande, however, noted that the world had made progress in lifting people out of poverty.
“Today, there are fewer people living in slums; and more people than ever before, have access to electricity but 10 per cent of our population lives in extreme poverty.
“This year, the International Day focuses on Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty.
“Poverty disproportionately affects children. One out of five children in the world today lives in poverty,” he stated.
The UNGA president identified specific measures to be taken to end poverty including equal access education, which he said had the potential to chart a course out of poverty for children.
“If economic growth is to be sustainable, it must be inclusive. Investing in women’s empowerment is a direct investment into the development of societies.
“Deepening inequalities are detrimental to economic growth and social cohesion.
“We have, through Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, agreed on the ambitious Goal of eradicating poverty.
“We will soon enter into the Decade of Implementation. My role is to mobilise stronger commitment to action to lift people out of poverty.
“We must mobilise resources to raise the $2.6 trillion required to reduce inequalities to promote conflict prevention and sustain peace
“I am confident that by striving together, we will succeed in delivering for all. We should get on with this critically important task,” he said. (NAN)
ARU/YEE
Edited by Emmanuel Yashim
President of the United Nations General Assembly, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, says poverty is beyond lack of access to food, shelter, healthcare and sanitation.
He stated this in a message on Thursday to mark the 2019 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
According to him, poverty includes “a persistent feeling of distress and hopelessness, declining self-esteem, social exclusion, and exclusion from decision-making structures, and unequal access to justice”.
“We have the means to eradicate poverty; it is simply a matter of getting the policies right.
“We must address the underlying causes of poverty within and across countries,” Muhammad-Bande said.
He identified the drivers of poverty as corruption, conflict, cross-border crime, extreme climate changes, and a shortfall in financing for development.
He urged member states to rededicate themselves to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development geared towards poverty eradication.
Muhammad-Bande, however, noted that the world had made progress in lifting people out of poverty.
“Today, there are fewer people living in slums; and more people than ever before, have access to electricity but 10 per cent of our population lives in extreme poverty.
“This year, the International Day focuses on Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty.
“Poverty disproportionately affects children. One out of five children in the world today lives in poverty,” he stated.
The UNGA president identified specific measures to be taken to end poverty including equal access education, which he said had the potential to chart a course out of poverty for children.
“If economic growth is to be sustainable, it must be inclusive. Investing in women’s empowerment is a direct investment into the development of societies.
“Deepening inequalities are detrimental to economic growth and social cohesion.
“We have, through Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, agreed on the ambitious Goal of eradicating poverty.
“We will soon enter into the Decade of Implementation. My role is to mobilise stronger commitment to action to lift people out of poverty.
“We must mobilise resources to raise the $2.6 trillion required to reduce inequalities to promote conflict prevention and sustain peace
“I am confident that by striving together, we will succeed in delivering for all. We should get on with this critically important task,” he said. (NAN)
ARU/YEE
Edited by Emmanuel Yashim
