Jema’a Decries Lack Of Standard Media, Says It Is Responsible For Under Development Of Zone

By Longtong Ibrahim

Kaduna (Nigeria) – The Interim Management Committee Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna state (North-west Nigeria) Bege Katuka Ayuba, has attributed the under development in southern Kaduna to lack of a standard community media outfit that will sensitize the indigenous communities on developmental issues especially on health.

According to him, residents of the Zone received transmission signals from Plateau state radio where major issues aired are those that concern the state not them.

Ayuba made this known when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), who paid him a visit at the Council Secretariat recently.

The chairman who was represented by his vice, John Kanufi, said the media serves an important role in educating the people on issues that affects them, giving them more knowledge on what is happening around them – the good, the bad and the ugly.

According to him, health serves as the engine to everything of human activities, as such, issues that concern health needs to be taken serious and spread across, saying, without good health, life remains static.

He added that, the idea of Child birth spacing (CBS) needs to be circulated to people living even in the bush like the Fulani’s who always have their transistor radio, saying,  “such people cannot be reach without a good booster station in the region.”

While commending NURHI for its program and involvement with both religious and traditional leaders, Ayuba, pledged the council’s support to NURHI’s program, saying, “We want to see that health programs is at the top in Jema’a.”

He also called on the Kaduna state government and private sector to intervene by establishing a media house where major issues will be communicated to the people for development to take place.

Earlier in his remarks, Kaduna State Team Leader of NURHI, Kabir Abdullahi, said the aim of their visit was to inform the council of NURHI Phase II project which will cover Jema’a, commencing in October. He also sought for the support of the council to Family Planning (FP) programs so as to ensure women have access to the services.

He explained that, the success of phase I project in few Local government areas in the last five years has led to an expansion to eight more LGAs including Jema’a in its phase II project.

While soliciting for the release of two million Naira allocated funds for FP in the state’s budget for local government, Abdullahi explained that, in Kaduna state at least not less than five women dies daily as a result of pregnancy related complications; noting, if the funds are release, it would help in health education  of women and getting consumables at the hospitals, thereby increasing more access.

He said, embracing CBS is the cheapest way of reducing maternal and child mortality because research evidence has shown that it can reduce mortality by 40 percent.

“We do capacity building and ensure that we create an enabling environment as well as advocate for the release of resources allocated for FP programs so that services becomes accessible and affordable for women.,” he said.