FG To Deworm 1 Million Pupils Nationwide – Minister 

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development (MHADMSD) claims that it will deworm one million students as part of a school feeding programme to promote their health.

News Agency of Nigeria

Dr. Umar Bindir, the National Coordinator of the National Social Investments Programme (NSIP), stated this on Monday in Abuja during a five-day “Planning Meeting and Development of Information Education Communication (IEC) Materials.”

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development as part of its NSIP, according to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN).

One of the meeting’s goals, according to NAN, was to examine and harmonise integrated IEC materials on schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis with the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program, among other things.

Bindir, who was represented by Safiya Sani, the ministry’s Deputy Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, emphasised the importance of deworming the students in order to enhance their health.

“As we are feeding them, there is also the need for us to deworm them so that the food could work properly in their system in order to improve their health conditions.

“We will be doing this regularly because some of the food items might have some chemical agents or germs in them. So if we deworm them, they will be healthier, while their brains will function better,” he said.

Bindir stated that the deworming exercise would be for students in primary school, particularly those in public schools, and that it would not be limited to those who benefited from the home-grown school nutrition programme.

According to him, the national home-grown school feeding programme is part of the Federal Government’s National Social Investment Program, and it aims to provide one free, nutritious meal every school day for students in primary one through three in public schools.

He explained that, in keeping with its multi-sectoral orientation, the NHGSFP had incorporated auxiliary school health and nutrition initiatives in its efforts to maximise the health advantages of free school meals for students.

“The main objective of this five-day interaction is to outline the modalities for the deworming exercise, which include: sensitising the partners and ensuring their commitment.

”It will also develop and harmonise the IEC materials and reporting template for the nationwide exercise,” he said.

Bindir, as a result, urged all government and non-government parties to work together to achieve the exercise’s goals and assure its success.

Dr. Nse Akpan, the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), noted that deworming a kid was crucial to his or her growth.

She emphasised that any youngster who is deficient in any vital vitamin or nutrient will struggle in school.

“If a child is not well-dewormed, no matter how you feed that child, he/she will still surfer malnutrition,” Akpan said.