Amobi Ogah, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, has urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency on malaria.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 2023 World Mosquito Day, Ogah described it as a deadly parasite with potential to inflict woes on the citizenry.

He said the World Mosquito Day is commemorated on August 20 globally and the theme for 2023 is “Fighting the World’s Deadliest killer -the Mosquito.“

The purpose is to increase public awareness about the causes of malaria and how it could be prevented, he added that considering the threat malaria posed to humanity, every effort must be geared towards eradicating one of the deadliest killer mosquitoes. The chairman stated this in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

Ogah said: “The House Committee on HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control is not unmindful of the challenges being faced by Nigerians in the fight against these ailments especially in the fight against the control of Malaria in the country which appear to defile solutions.

”The committee will work with relevant stakeholders in the fight against malaria in ensuring that monies budgeted for are used for the purpose for which they are made.

According to the World Health Organization, Four African countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria top this list with 31.3%, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 12.6%, Tanzania (4.1%) and Niger (3.9%).

Nigeria is a country in need of protection from malaria. Its death toll from the disease makes up nearly a third of the world’s 619,000 malaria deaths a year.”