Admin l Thursday, August 16, 2018
YENEGOA , Nigeria – The Bayelsa State government has told women to key into its safe motherhood initiative to enjoy the abundant benefits of the programme. Apart from registering and receiving free ante-natal care, the government said enrolees of the safe mother initiative would get free insecticide treated mosquito nets, HIV/AIDS screening, tetanus injection and routine immunization.
Other benefits include, free diagnostic tests where necessary as well as a monthly incentive of N3,000 from point of registration into the programme up until two months after delivery. These were some of the fall-outs of an orientation programme organised by theState Ministry of Health for members of the Sensitisation Committee on safe motherhood.
Speaking at the orientation programme, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Ebiakpo Agbedi, said the task of the sensitisation committee was basically that of advocacy and sharing information. He added that the whole essence of the safe motherhood initiative is to drastically reduce the infant and maternal mortality rate in the state and promote good health of mother and child.
In her remarks, the Director in charge of Reproductive Health in the ministry, Mrs. Happiness Mass said some of the reasons for the high infant and maternal mortality rate include infection of the newborn, especially around the stump of the umbilical chord and excessive bleeding during child birth. She added that the state Ministry of Health is collaborating with relevant stake holders and will adopt a flexible approach to the routine immunization of children.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager of one the development partners, “Saving One Million Lives for Result”, Dr. Ebikapaye Okoyen said other benefits of enrolling in the safe motherhood initiative include a N2,000 package for enrollees at point of registration and immediately after delivery as well as a delivery kit after child birth.
Okoyen disclosed that the delivery kit includes, among other things, a pack of baby wipe, baby soap, dettol, jelly, cotton wool, sanitary pad, baby towel, mucus extractor and some relevant medications.
Chairman of the sensitisation committee, Chris Odi, who is the Director of Information in the state Information ministry said in addition to reaching the various communities in the state to spread the safe motherhood message, using the local dialects of the people, the committee will produce jingles and also deploy town criers in the villages to ensure the message gets to the target audience.
One of the participants, Gibson Gbalimore said the orientation programme was very enriching, adding that everything he had learnt about safe motherhood will greatly assist in the course of the assignment of the committee. The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson had while inaugurating the committee last week charged them to carry out a door to door campaign of the Safe Motherhood Initiative.
While emphasizing the importance and enormous work of the committee, Iworiso-Markson had announced that a radio programme that will be done in pidgin English on the state owned station has been set up to further drive the safe motherhood message home. Following the orientation programme for members of the sensitisation committee, the committee is set to swing into action.
ELECTION IS NOT WAR, BAYELSA GOVT TELLS POLITICIANS
The Bayelsa State Government has said it would work with security agencies to ensure that the state remains safe and peaceful throughout the electioneering period in the 2019 general elections. The government therefore appealed to all aspirants not to hit up the polity with unecessary political activities but to play by the rules of the game. The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson stated this during a live online interview programme, “Knowing Bayelsa”.
The programme which is one of the novelty of the Bayelsa New Media has been generating massive reactions and followership since it commenced this week. Iworiso-Markson while commending the Bayelsa New Media team for the initiative said the state has been peaceful and it will be a sad commentary if as a result of political activities, the existing peace is disrupted.
While giving an overview of the Restoration Government’s performance in the last six years, he said it is not in doubt that it has made remarkable achievements in virtually all the sectors.He attributed the success story of the government to the quality leadership on display by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, noting that the governor came prepared to deliver the goods to Bayelsans.
The Commissioner said, “After six years, the footprints are there for all to see. We have made sustained progress to change the narrative of the state from how and when we met it. There is no doubt that we will be leaving a lasting legacy that is impressionable.
“Let me say here that this is because of the kind of leadership we have in Governor Seriake Dickson. A man who is so passionate about development, so concerned about the lives of his people and with the right capacity to make things work. I am very humbled to have been working with him in the last six years”.
Iworiso-Markson promised that most of the ongoing projects in the state will be completed by the Restoration Government and the rest would be almost at finishing stages before the end of the administration.
“We will ensure the completion of projects like the Sagbama/Ekeremor road, of course you know that the airport is almost complete and ready for inauguration. The projects we can’t complete definitely the next government will take it up from there but they will be at advanced stage”, he stated.
Speaking on the 1,000 employment opportunity recently created by Dickson, Iworiso-Markson said more of such opportunities will be created after the first phase. He advised those who have been shortlisted for the examination to do their best to ensure they come out tops and be among the 1,000 to be finally selected.
The government spokesman maintained that the recruitment process has been very transperent and the recent launching of the website by the State Civil Service Commission gave it more credibility. He also pointed out that the government has created limitless opportunities for youths of the state as part of deliberate effort to engage them meaningfully and keep them away from social vices but urged them to be more innovative.
“These days it is not strange to see people earn fat salaries because of their ideas and innovations. So it is time for youths of Bayelsa to think and create things that will bring financial prosperity for them. There are people whose ideas have made them very rich. The Bill Gates and Mark Zukerberg of this world.
“Look at Uber for example it is someone that started it. We don’t have that kind of thing in Bayelsa. So starting something similar here can change the story of someone. Some people have 3 cars wasting away in their garage, if you put that to use, you will see the returns. So things like that are what our youths should think towards”. he said.
