ABUJA – (Federal Ministry of Health Report) – The Federal Ministry of Health has renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Unilever Nigeria PLC to reach over five million Nigerian children towards improving their Oral Health Education by year 2020. The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole (Prof) represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Abdulaziz M. Abdullahi made this known recently in Abuja during the press briefing organised to commemorate the 2018 Oral Health Week with the theme: “Strengthening and Fostering Collaborations to Improve the Oral Health of Nigerians”.
The Minister noted that the Ministry had earlier signed an MOU with Unilever Nigeria during the 2016 National Oral Health Week, adding that since 2016 till date, about 4.5 million Nigerian school children have been reached on Oral Health Education and Oral Health Behavioural Change Programmes in Abia, Lagos, Rivers, Ondo, Delta and Enugu States.
“Today, the MOU would be renewed to reach out to other school children in more States of the federation,’’ he added.
Isaac Adewole informed that the Dentistry Division in collaboration with the Non-Communicable Diseases Division would
incorporate an oral health component into the National Steps Survey on Non-Communicable Diseases, pointing out that the survey was aimed at getting a more recent National Data on Oral Diseases in Nigeria.
In his welcome address at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz M Abduallahi represented by the Director of Hospital Services in the Ministry, Joseph Amedu (Dr) said that the National Oral Health Week is celebrated annually, being institutionalized in the National Oral Health Policy as one of the veritable strategies to promote and raise awareness on oral health nation-wide.
While delivering his remarks, the Regional Sales Director of Unilever Nigeria, David Ebah said that from the inception of the partnership, the company has reached five million children, maintaining that the children were from over 5,000 public and private schools in 19 States of the federation.
“We are determined to reach other five million children to improve their lives by 2020. This is part of our Global Oral Care Social
Mission Agenda which is to improve the oral health of 100 million people by 2020,” he informed.
Presenting his Goodwill message, the Chief Executive Officer of Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation, Seidu Bello (Dr) commended the Federal Government’s commitment to improving Oral Health in the Country. He also reiterated the commitment of the foundation to collaboration with the Government and key stakeholders towards offering free cleft and facial deformity surgeries across the country. According to him, the foundation has provided over 1,027 free surgeries in the past eight years across Nigeria.
