By Allen P. Lablah in Sanniquellie, Liberia
The Mayor of Sanniquellie, the provincial capital of Liberia’s northeastern Nimba County is imposing a Seven Thousand Liberian dollars fine on anyone who will misuse the insecticide-treated mosquito net for fishing purpose.
A major campaign was last week launched in Liberia by First Lady Clar Weah to eliminate the spread of Malaria through the distribution and use of mosquito net, which is said to be one of the most effective ways to prevent Malaria.
“Recent statistics shows that the disease is responsible for forty-two percent of out-patient attendance and thirty-nine percent of inpatients deaths. This statistics leaves no room for complacency over the gains made, instead it challenges us to do better and bring down the threat of malaria,” said the Liberian First Lady.
The newly appointed City Mayor of Sanniquellie said gone are the days when citizens willfully misuse the mosquito net for fishing, thus wasting government and her partners’ resources.
Mayor Kamara said her office will deploy a community monitoring task force to crackdown on individuals who will wrongly use the net, instead of its intended purpose.
She indicated that community dwellers are getting infected with the deadly Malaria disease, because they are not using the mosquito net and as such she vowed not to compromise with anyone misusing the net.
‘’We are not joking with the government pro poor agenda we will prosecute citizens especially fisherwomen if they are caught fishing with the mosquito nets,’’ she asserted.
Mayor Kamara maintained that citizens must understand that her action is not to risk their life but rather to protect them from malaria infection.
Buttressing her statement was Yealu W. Yealu, Sanniquellie-Mah, the new Administrative District Commissioner who also warned citizens to desist from misusing the mosquito net.
Mr. Yealu declared his commitment to monitoring the usage of the nets by citizens in Sanniquellie –Mah District.
The two local government officials in Nimba are expected to shortly be inducted into their respective offices by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Government.
They made the statement earlier this week at a day-long Stakeholders coordination meeting for the insecticide-treated mosquito net distribution organized by Plan Liberia in collaboration with the Nimba County Health Team.
The meeting was held at the Dr. Collins S. Bowah Conference room at the George Way Hospital Compound in Sanniquellie City.