Ned Nwoko reveals solution to malaria menace, power problems

Former federal lawmaker and philanthropist, Mr Ned Nwoko, has advocated investment in vaccine research; in order to tackle malaria in Africa. 

Fielding questions from journalists Wednesday in Abuja, Nwoko said the Ned Nwoko Foundation has been engaging professors and scientists within and outside Nigeria on funding such researches.

He said: "There are vaccines for almost every other ailment. For instance, there is a vaccine for chicken pox, so why not malaria? What causes malaria? Is it not mosquitoes? Mosquitoes  breed in very dirty environments. If we have clean environment, there will be less mosquitoes.

"Malaria can be eradicated by managing wastes properly. Waste management is critical to the eradication of malaria in Africa and Nigeria in particular. All wastes from homes, streets, offices, have to be collected properly and taken to recycling centres. There must be recycling centres in every area and every part of Nigeria.

"I am proposing to have recycling plants in every senatorial districts in the country. There are 109 senatorial districts in Nigeria. Those plants will have three functions. The first one is the recycling of the basic items like papers, plastic, bottles and everything else recycle-able.

"You can imagine the number of jobs that can be created from that alone, from the collection to the recycling plant. The second would be composite items. There are food items that could be transformed into fertilizers, manures for farmers.

"The third component of this plant is to generate power. We are crying in Nigeria that we have no light. Nigeria is currently producing about 4,000 megawatts. If we go along with what I am proposing, it means that those plants can produce 200 megawatts. When you multiply that by 109 senatorial districts, you get about 21,000 megawatts. That will be the solution to Nigeria's power problems."