AG CHARGES STAFFERS ON REGULAR MEDICAL CHECK UP

The Accountant General/Permanent Secretary, Treasury, Mr. Babatunde Aregbesola has charged members of staff to take routine medical checks seriously as their health is the greatest asset.

Speaking during the organised health talk and routine medical checks for the staff, the Accountant General emphasised the importance of health consciousness in the workplace, urging staff to be deliberate about their choice of lifestyle.

“Your health is your greatest asset, and you must be intentional about how you live. A little discipline today can make the difference between life and an untimely death tomorrow,” he said.

Mr. Aregbesola explained that the initiative was part of the agency’s commitment to the welfare of its staff, adding that maintaining a healthy workforce was key to efficiency and long-term productivity.

Delivering a health talk on Sudden Death: Causes and Prevention, a Consultant at the State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Yomibo Shofolahan explained that conditions such as cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and aortic rupture were often behind cases of Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome.

Dr. Shofolahan noted that, while these events may appear sudden, many were triggered by underlying health issues that could have been detected and managed with regular checkups and healthy habits.

She listed several preventive measures to include, a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol and routine medical screenings, noting that these simple lifestyle choices could have a profound impact on long-term health, if everyone take personal responsibility for their well-being.

Speaking on behalf of other participants, Ms. Oluwatobi Idowu appreciated the Accountant General’s Office for organising the health programme, noting that the session was both enlightening and timely as it had opened her eyes to the importance of proactive health management.

Highpoint of the event was the free medical screenings for staff, which included blood pressure checks, blood sugar tests, eye examinations, and one-on-one medical consultation.

OGSG TARGET OVER TWO MILLION FOR VACCINATION

 Parents /caregivers have been admonish to avail their children of vaccination towards maintaining a polio-free status and bringing vaccine-preventable disease to zero level in the State.

Commissioner for Health, Dr.Tomi Coker gave the charge at the official Flag-off Ceremony of the second round of the year 2025 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs)/Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, in Sabo, Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State. 

Dr.Coker said that the programme was aimed at targeting 2 million under-5 children for Oral Polio vaccine, girls aged 9 years for the Human papillomavirus vaccine, to prevent cervical cancer as well as distribution of Multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) to pregnant women across the 236 wards of the State, saying that, Ogun State had successfully implemented the first round of the NIPDs, with two million, twelve thousand, five hundred and forty-six (2,012,546) children of ages 0 to 5 years being vaccinated with two drops of the novel oral polio vaccine, given the coverage of 99.1percent. 

   She added that Nigeria’s fight against poliomyelitis had recorded tremendous success as there had been no recorded case of wild poliovirus since 2016, revealing that to sustain this polio-free status, over 280 million 

doses of vaccines would be administered annually in the country.

    According to the Commissioner, "all hands must remain on deck as we are not yet out of the woods; our surveillance shows that there are outbreaks of the Circulating Variant of Poliomyelitis in some parts of the country."

She emphasised that the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration had prioritised the health of the citizens by providing quality healthcare, improving maternal health as well as reducing child mortality as the administration strongly believes that women and children should have access to quality healthcare delivery in both rural and urban centres of the State.

In his address, the Executive Chairman, of Sagamu Local Government, Ogbeni Afolabi Odulate, represented by his Vice, Alhaji Isiaka Salami, said that the National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) was a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening routine immunisation and reaching every child with life-saving vaccines.

He said that the government’s commitment to improving child health outcomes was evident in its efforts to increase immunisation coverage and reduce vaccine-preventable diseases.

  Speaking, the Executive Secretary Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Elijah Ogunsola said that the government, in collaboration with its development partners, would intensify efforts at ensuring that every eligible child was reached during the exercise, he stressed that parents with a girl of 9 years of age should ensure they get vaccinated with the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, stressing that the vaccine was safe, effective and free.

In their goodwill messages, representatives of the Development Partners, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, UNICEF and the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, appreciated the efforts of the State Government at maintaining No-Case of polio in the last five years due to its pro-active intervention and identifying and vaccinating susceptible population against Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, promising their continuous support to the State.

In his message, Ologijo of Ogijo, Oba Kazeem Gbadamosi, lauded the initiative and implored the citizens of the State to get their children vaccinated to prevent diseases.