24092020 - BLACK WEDNESDAY: 30 killed in Kogi petrol tanker explosion

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 — 37
Don’t let me die, kidney patient
sends SOS to Nigerians
... Begs Wike, Amaechi, others for N4.6m lifeline
By Emmanuel Elebeke
& Alice Ekpang
F ORTY-YEAR-OLD
Adibe Kelechi
Ephraim is seriously ill
and fast deteriorating in
health.
He urgently needs N4.6
million to balance the
N9.6 million required to
carry out a kidney
transplant if he is to ever
stand on his feet again.
Ephraim, a native of
Umuagbai Ndoki in
Oyingbo in Rivers State
has been suffering from
kidney failure for over
two years, and it has taken
a huge toll on him
financially.
Narrating his ordeal,
Ephraim, a father of four,
was a student of the
Nigerian Aviation College
(NACAT), Zaria where he
spent a year out of his two
years course before the
ailment struck.
“First, I studied
computer science at the
University of Port
Harcourt. I furthered my
training programme with
the Nigeria College of
Aviation Technology
Adibe Kelechi Ephraim undergoing dilaysis
(NACAT) Zaria, where I
had ambition of
becoming the first
commercial pilot from
my Local Government,
but it is unfortunate that
along the line I
developed kidney
failure.
‘‘Since 24th of June
2016 till to date, I have
been on constant dialysis
three times a week. I
spend N150,000 every
week for dialysis to stay
alive and this has taken a
huge toll on me
financially.
‘‘I was admitted at the
Garki General Hospital
for over six months and
was later moved to
Asokoro General
Hospital where I have
gone through series of
dialysis which has
depleted my funds
completely due to the
cost of treatment and has
rendered me completely
empty.
‘‘I have not urinated for
the past three years, it
has been God and friends
that have been helping
me and sustaining me to
do the dialysis.
‘‘I am passionately
appealing to Nigerians,
my governor, Nyesom
Wike, the Minister of
Transport, Chibuike
Amechi; Jim Ovia; Tony
Elumelu; the Senate
President, Ahmed Lawal,
the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila, and the
Ooni of Ife, some of whom
I have written for
assistance to undergo
kidney transplant.’’
Ephraim, who vowed to
return to school to
realize his dreams after
treatment said he had
written over 50 appeal
letters to no avail.
Some of those he wrote
to include: Gov. Nyesom
Wike, legislators
representing his
constituency at the
National Assembly, the
Transport Minister, his
Church (Dunamis), where
he served as a worker;
RCCC; Living Faith; Christ
Embassy; the Senate
President, his Deputy and
Speaker House of
Representatives among
others. He also appealed
to other good spirited
Nigerians to come to his
rescue, saying ‘‘it would
be the greatest leap in my
life and to my family if I
can do the transplant’’.
If you are touched
by Ephraim’s story ,
please send your
donation to Ephraim
Kelechi Adibe, Zenith
Bank 2085344585 or
call 08037894822.
SFH tasks Nasarawa State
on adolescent SRH issues
...As 2000 unintended pregnancies
averted, 300 STIs managed
By Sola Ogundipe
TOWARDS promoting
the fortunes of Sexual
and Reproductive Health,
SRH, issues of adolescents
and young persons, the
Nasarawa State
government has been
called upon to intensify
focus on funding and
response to Gender Based
Violence, GBV, teenage
p r e g n a n c y ,
contraception, among
other issues affecting
adolescents and young
people in the State.
The call came recently
as 2,000 unplanned
pregnancies were averted
even as over 300 Sexually
Transmitted Infections,
STIs, were syndromically
managed by adolescent
girls during the COVID-19
lockdown from March till
August 2020 in the State.
Making the call for more
funding commitment to
support state-wide
availability of
contraceptives and
increased access to other
SRH commodities and
services, the Programme
Assistant, Adolescents
360 Project in Nasarawa
State, Samuel Ombs,
advocated for
domestication of the
various adaptations of the
Matasa Matan Arewa,
MMA, project in order to
meet up the SRH needs of
adolescents and women of
reproductive age within
the state.
Speaking in Lafia during
a media roundtable
organised by the
Nasarawa State Primary
Healthcare Development
Board in collaboration
with and the Society for
Family Health/A360
Project, Ombs stated that
during the two years of the
project intervention,a
total of 7,537 sexually
active adolescent girls in
the State adopted at least
one contraceptive
method, out of which 525
girls returned for
continuity of their
preferred method.
In his presentation
entitled: “Meaningful
Youth Engagement in
Adolescents and Young
People’s Sexual
Reproductive Health
Services and COVID -19”,
Ombs stated that 1,106
girls had no need of a
contraceptive, while 101
girls were confirmed
pregnant, even as over
500 girls were
syndromically treated for
Sexually Tested
Infections, STI.
During the two years of
intervention, 10,032
adolescents girls most of
who are married, were
reached with SRH services
and commodities
including contraceptives.
“COVID-19 pandemic
brought a lot of challenges
such as ban on group
meetings, restriction of
movement and local
transportation, palpable
fear of being infected. This
led to the closure of public
PHCs occasioned by the
health workers strike in
the state due to a cut in
pay.”
Ombs remarked that
regardless of the fact that
the COVID-19 pandemic
brought a lot of
challenges,
strategies adopted by
the MMA project to
ensure continuity of ASRH
services
Also speaking at the
roundtable, Synderila
Bulus, a Young Designer,
A360 Project, Nasarawa
State said the
interventions put in place
by the A360 Project,
Family helped avert
2,000 unplanned
pregnancies and
syndromic management
of over 300 STIs.
Bulus, in a presentation
entitled: “Reaching
Adolescent and Young
Persons with essential life
building skills and SRH
Services in COVID-19:
Rapid Adaptations to
Ensure Adolescents and
Young Persons are
Empowered to Achieve
Their Future Dreams”,
argued that by providing
the live text-based
WhatsApp Love Family
and Health, LFH, class run
by providers, as well as
weekly sms to girls who
received services for
support continuation, the
adaptations enabled
A360 reach and engage
with girls during the
lockdown and the health
workers strike which led to
the closure of PHCs across
the state.
“By this, we have been
able to avert over 2,000
unplanned pregnancies
and syndromically
managed over 300 STIs
cases from March till
August. As COVID-19
continues to heighten the
vulnerabilities of people
groups, especially women
and girls. A360 continues
to adapt to ensure girls
have access to the SRH
information and services
they need to achieve their
life goals and raise healthy
families.”
Further, Bulus observed
that even as COVID-19
continues to heighten the
vulnerabilities of people
groups, especially women
and girls, A360 continues
to adapt to ensure girls
have access to the SRH
information and services
they need to achieve their
life goals and raise healthy
families.