By Henry Umoru
ABUJA: A pest control expert, Mr Bamidele Abiru, has called for intensified efforts to control mosquito breeding and prevent malaria-related deaths in Nigeria.
Abiru made the call during a medical outreach at Gosa Community in the Federal Capital Territory, organised under the auspices of Greenbox Facilities Limited to commemorate World Mosquito Day.
He said between 600,000 and 700,000 people die from malaria annually in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria accounting for between 180,000 and 200,000 deaths.
According to him, Nigeria bears one of the world’s heaviest malaria burdens, accounting for approximately 27 per cent of global malaria cases and more than 30 per cent of malaria deaths worldwide.
Abiru warned that mosquitoes remained one of the deadliest threats to human health and urged residents to prevent them from breeding and gaining access to homes.
He said: “Most people do not know that mosquitoes are among the deadliest killers of humans. Between 600,000 and 700,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa die from malaria every year.”
To reduce the scourge, Abiru urged residents of Gosa to maintain clean and hygienic surroundings and adopt preventive measures against mosquito breeding and transmission.
“To prevent the breeding and spread of mosquitoes and, by extension, malaria in our various neighbourhoods, we must eliminate stagnant water, clear overgrown vegetation and maintain clean surroundings,” he said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr Nnena Ogbulafor, urged Nigerians to protect their environment and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
Ogbulafor, who was represented by Mr Henry Odume, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer in the Integrated Vector Management Unit, said malaria prevalence in the FCT declined from 18.8 per cent in 2021 to 7.9 per cent in 2025.
She said sustained environmental management and other preventive measures remained critical to further reducing malaria transmission in the country.
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