Director, Public Affairs Department, National Population
Commission, Mr Mohamed Isah, has urged Nigerians to always obtain
death certificates for their deceased ones.
Isah gave the advice during an interview with the News Agency of
Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.
He explained that death certificate was another platform of
updating the country’s population, saying that it is as important
as birth certificate.
He said the certificate provides demographic records to the
commission, which it analyses and disseminates as data for public
consumption.
According to him, death certificate is important because it
states the cause of death as well as age and time the death
occurred.
Isah noted that it also helped in informing the populace that a
particular cause of death was endemic.
“With the information gathered, we can tell Nigerians that a
particular ailment has been causing deaths.
“It can also help the government plan as well as intervene in
order to prevent future deaths.
“Death certificate also gives a next of kin the right to get or
collect the deceased entitlements,” he said.
Isah further said that death certificate also helps in gathering
information on infants and maternal mortality, epidemics and
endemics as well as keep track of diseases.
The director explained that when the practice of collection of
death certificate becomes a norm, it would no longer be necessary
to conduct census, because the records would have been up to date
at any particular material time.
“Nigerians find it difficult to collect death certificate if
there is nothing to inherit from the deceased.
“But it is not about inheritance; the information gathered from
cause of death is key.
“Like in Kaltungo town in Gombe State, snake bite is a major
cause of death in that town and with that information, government
was able to intervene,” he added.
Isah, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to always obtain a death
certificate to assist the commission in its statutory role of data
collation and analysis.
(NAN)
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EFCC
EFCC Arrests Health Officials over E-yellow Fever Travel
Card Racketeering
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal
Office, on Tuesday May 14, 2019 arrested four officials of Port
Health Service of the Federal Ministry of Health, Benin City, the
Edo State capital over e-yellow fever travel card racketeering.
They were arrested in a sting operation, sequel to a petition in
which the petitioner alleged that her aged mother who was to travel
to Europe visited the Benin Office of Port Health Service to
procure the e-yellow fever travel card, but rather than lead her
through the proper procedure, she was convinced to pay N10,000 to
obtain the card instantly.
However, trouble began at the time of boarding her flight at the
Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, when it was
discovered that her e-yellow card did not have the Remita Retrieval
Receipt Reference Identity.
She was subsequently compelled to get a proper one at the
airport with the sum of N2000.
Based on the petition, the Benin Zonal Office of the EFCC sent
two operatives to Port Health Service office in Benin, who
pretended to have genuinely requested for e-yellow fever card.
Unaware that they were EFCC operatives, the Port Health Service
staff requested for N7000 as payment for each card. On payment of
the amount, the EFCC operatives were issued with the cards
instantly. The e-yellow fever travel card is officially N2000.
The illicit transaction made EFCC operatives swoop on Port
Health Service office on Tuesday morning arresting four of its
official.
The arrested officials will be arraigned in court as soon as
investigations are completed.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
May 17, 2019