SENATE PLEDGES SUPPORT TOWARDS ENDING THE OUTBREAK OF MENINGITIS

 The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki has pledged the commitment of the Senate to end the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) which has claimed the lives of over 300 Nigerians since January 2017. Doctor Saraki made the pledge while interacting with newsmen in Abuja.

While commending the Ministry of Health and all other stakeholders for their support in ensuring that the disease does not cause more preventable deaths, Senator Saraki gave an assurance that the legislative chamber would speedily approve any request sent by the executive to end the disease in the country.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Primary Health Chaired by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa is meeting with the Health Ministry and other stakeholders to examine the cause of the outbreak and also fashion out a way to stop the current problem and prevent a recurrence. Also from Abuja we got a report urging parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children and wards in order to prevent them from being recruited by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

According to the Federal Government, the terrorist group has now resorted to targeting vulnerable individuals, including foreign students, using financial inducements to recruit them into the organisation. In a statement, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, cited the recent recruitment of 27 medical students of the University of Medical Sciences and Technology, UMST, Sudan into ISIS as an example of the new strategy being used by the organisation to recruit more members.