By Yinka Shokunbi
For thirty years, his face adorned the Nigerian Television network and his type of vocabulary was hilarious and not found in any dictionary.
For many who tried to speak like him or imitate him, it was simply not as him. Chief Zebrudaya Okorigwe Nwogbo (alias 4.30), the Powerless Palm Wine Drinker is a popular TV cast whose his real name is Chika Okpala.
He is one of the several star artistes that cut across the Nollywood and Music industry who are being used as malaria ambassadors to promote government’s public private partnership initiative to combat malaria. The world marked the World Malaria Day last Friday.
Tagged, ‘Night Watch’, the initiative by a multinational organisation, Malaria No More, in partnership with Exxon Mobil Foundation and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) is a “Malaria-Free Nigeria: play your part” campaign that will feature anti-malaria messages that will be broadcast by Nigerian celebrities across multiple media platforms throughout the year.
According to the Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan, who represented the Minister at the launch of the campaign in Abuja, the country’s bold efforts to combat the disease, and the government’s sustained commitment to fund and focus on anti-malaria efforts like the Malaria-Free Nigeria campaign is an assurance that in no time malaria would be a thing of the past in the country.
He noted that the federal and state Ministries of Health currently use integrated vector management, including long-lasting insecticidal nets, indoor residential spraying, and environmental management to combat malaria in Nigeria adding, “The Malaria-Free Nigeria campaign will re-emphasise the government strategy and the need to fast track the process of eliminating malaria in Nigeria.”
Chief Executive Officer of Malaria No More, Martin Edlund, said, “Nigeria represents a quarter of Africa’s malaria burden and the initiative is an historic opportunity to save millions of lives and put a significant dent in the global malaria problem.
“This is not an effort that any single sector can take on alone. We must all work together, and businesses like ExxonMobil are leading the way”, said Edlund.
According to the Chairman/Managing Director of ExxonMobil upstream affiliates in Nigeria, Nolan O’Neal, who was represented by Eyinnaya Onakala, “We know all too well the impact malaria can have on the lives of our employees, families and communities in Nigeria, and that’s why we support an array of international efforts and programs like Malaria-Free Nigeria to prevent and treat this disease.”
Speaking on the role of the artistes in the elimination campaign, Okpala told our correspondent, “There is no one who is immune to malaria and because those of us who have become ambassadors for malaria are well known faces among Nigerians, especially in our various professions, we are no doubt the best to take the night messages to the people that everyone must defeat malaria by sleeping under insecticide treated nets, ensure a clean environment where no mosquito larvae breeds as well as make sure a malaria test is carried out before taking medications”.
Other malaria ambassadors include Bez, Chioma Akpotha, Eva Alordiah, Falz the Bad Guy, Femi Kuti, Funke Akindele, I Go Dye, Mikel Obi, Stephen Keshi, Victor Moses, Vincent Enyeama and Waje.
The post Celebrities support FG’s malaria campaign with ‘Night Watch’ appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.