By Chioma Obinna
Worried by the continued rise in incidences of malaria, no fewer than 300 Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets, LLINs, were distributed among residents of Otto, Iddo area of Lagos by staff of the Nigeria Bottling Company, NBC, as part of activities to mark the 2011 Health & Safety Week.

The  week which began  with a walk tagged, “Walk for Life 2011” from the Leventies building at Iddo to the palace of Oba of Oloto of Otto, Iddo and mainland, Oba Odewale Odesanya also provided opportunity to educate the residents on the need to clean the environment.

Addressing the residents, Employee Relations Manager, NBC, Mr. Olamide Omotoye said:  “It’s part of giving back to the society which has given us a lot. It has given us the work, market and a conducive environment within which to operate. This is a little token from us to the environment and we are saying thank you to the community”

Omotoye explained that the Health & Safety Week focused on malaria because it is a disease that is common in communities like Otto.

He said provision of nets as well as creating massive awareness on the disease would save more lives.  “We believe that when we save lives, we also save resources. We don’t want to lose people; infant mortality is very high in Nigeria.  “A significant proportion of it is attributable to malaria. We want to reverse the trend and by providing these we are saving not only the elderly but also the younger ones.

So, as many lives that we are able to save, the better for us and the better for Nigeria.”In her lecture on Burden of Malaria, the Medical Manager, Clearline, Health Management Organisation,Dr. Dosumu Oluwatosin who lamented that education and enlightenment is the key to preventing malaria  regretted that although the disease is one of the oldest diseases known to man, about two million people die of it every year.

Responding, Oba Odewale Odesanya who spoke through an interpreter, commended NBC for the gesture assuring them that the nets will be put to good use.