UNICEF seeks Rivers’ counterpart funding to tackle infant, maternal mortality

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Rivers State office, has asked the state government to settle its outstanding counterpart funding for 2016, to enable the UN agency tackle infant and maternal mortalities in the state and implement the year’s programmes.

Mortality rates, infant (per 1,000 live births in Nigeria was last measured at 71.50 in 2014,) according to the World Bank.
Preventable or treatable infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles and HIV/AIDS account for more than 70 percent of the estimated 1 million under-five deaths in Nigeria. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of morbidity and mortality of a large proportion of children under-five in Nigeria.

Wilbroad Ngambi, head of UNICEF in Rivers State the newly established office of the agency, would coordinate activities in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Bayelsa states.

He said UNICEF would continue to partner Rivers government to enhance the living standard of the people
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said that the state government would implement strategic programmes to reduce infant and maternal mortalities in the state.

Governor Wike spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt on Tuesday when he received Ngambi and UNICEF team, saying that the current percentage of infant and maternal deaths remain unacceptable.

He said there was the need to address the issue, with a view to reducing it to the barest minimum, adding that his administration gave priority attention to health issues, especially when the health of children and women was involved.

The governor noted that the state government would release the necessary counterpart funds to UNICEF to enable the organisation implement relevant programmes that would improve the living condition of the people.

He said: “We will collaborate with UNICEF to improve the living condition of our people, especially in the area of reducing infant and maternal mortality.”

The governor directed the Ministries of Water Resources and Environment to work with UNICEF to assess the communities that would benefit from the water and sanitation projects.