Fmr diplomat Nnamdi Onochie excited about new malaria vaccine

A former diplomat, Dr. Nnamdi Onochie, said on Sunday that the reported breakthrough in malaria vaccines should convince Nigerians that every problem has an expiration date.

A former diplomat Dr. Nnamdi Onochie,, said on Sunday that the reported breakthrough in malaria vaccines could persuade Nigerians that every issue has a deadline.

In an interview with with Journalists in Abuja, Mr. Onochie said the discovery of a malaria vaccine should serve as a reminder to Nigerians that they should never give up on any challenge or unfavorable condition.

According to him, malaria has been killing millions of people year after year, but the UK Oxford University Parasitology Research Programme’s discovery of a vaccine would bring an end to the scourge.

Citing a news report that says that malaria vaccine with 75 per cent efficacy rate has been found, Onochie said that after decades of contending with malaria, humanity would finally heave a sigh of relief on the disease.

The former envoy to Algeria and the Philippines said “Nigerians should take a lesson from this development and realise that every problem, no matter how long, will eventually get a cure no matter how long it takes.”

He explained that in spite of the ravaging effects of COVID-19, more people in Nigeria and other African countries had died from malaria from year to year more than the number of people who had so far succumbed to COVID-19.

He advised the Federal Government to give more attention to the health sector and ensure that Nigerians, especially children, pregnant women and the elderly, received healthcare free of charge.

He added that “I will insist on full funding of medical programmes to prevent and stop strikes and work stoppages, while encouraging state governments to follow the same path.

“Nigerians should believe in the indivisible oneness of our nation.