Africa’s richest man and Chairman Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has been appointed the Chairman of the newly inaugurated National End Malaria Council (NMEC), by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The National End Malaria Council (NMEC), is a body established by President Muhammadu Buhari to eliminate the scourge of malaria in the country.
The Council was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Banquet Hall, Aso-Rock Villa, Abuja.
The Council members are: Shehu Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Vice President on Political and Economic Affairs, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Sen. Yahaya Oloriegbe, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Hon. Abubakar Dahiru, Chairman, House Committee on AIDS, TB and Malaria, Dr. Ehanire, Hon. Ekumankama, Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary, Federal Minister of Health.
Others include, Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Board of Directors, UBA, Folorunsho Alakija, CEO, Rose of Sharon Group, Herbert Wigwe, CEO, Access Bank, Femi Otedola, CEO Forte Oil, Hajiya Lami Lau, President, National Council of Women Societies, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Alhaja Rafiyat Sanni, National Amira, Federation of Muslim Women Nigeria (FOWAN) and Dr. Perpetua Uhomoibhi, NEMC Secretariat/National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP).
While inaugurating the 16-member Council, President Buhari projected that the successful implementation of the Council’s agenda and savings from the estimated economic burden of the disease would save Nigeria about N687 billion in 2022 and N2 trillion by 2030.
The President also told the Council that beyond improving the quality of life, health and well-being of Nigerians, the concerted strategy to tackle malaria had both public health as well as socio-economic benefits for Nigeria.
In his acceptance speech, Dangote, said the new function was in tandem with his current roles as the Nigerian Ambassador for Malaria, his role on the Global End Malaria Council, and with the work that his Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation is doing to mobilise the private sector to support malaria control in Nigeria in particular, and Africa at large.
