By Francis Onyeukwu
Anambra residents who benefited from the free Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) distributed by an NGO, Malaria Consortium, have called on government to use technology in dispensing future benefits of democracy.
Thet beneficiaries spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in the various communities, including Adazi-Nnukwu, Obelendu, Akwaeze, Urum, Nibo, Awka, Amawbia, Mgbaku, and Agulu.
The visit was to fact-check how the ITNs distribution was executed across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
Malaria Consortium, an International NGO, had embarked on free distribution of 3.8 million ITNs across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, a measure aimed at eliminating the malaria scourge.
The nets were shared on a door-to-door basis to every household by trained personnel.
The donation of the ITN came from GiveWell Open Philanthropic Funding, with support from Anambra State Government and National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP).
Mrs Grace Onukwube from Mgbaku said, she was surprised and happy to receive four nets for her household, in spite of having nobody in government.
“When the distributors entered our compound and said they came to share nets, I expressed mixed feelings within me.
“First I was frightened that the people were on a mission unknown and I told them that I didn’t belong to any political party and why me.
“They told me that the gesture was donation from an NGO; they asked me certain questions like how many children I had, number of people consistently sleeping in the house every night.
” I saw them documenting my response, using a device in form of phone and they said it was for efficiency and accountability.
“It was after the distributors had left that I realized the device they used was to document that my household has been registered and given free nets. I saw sincerity in their work ” Onukwube said.
She therefore encouraged governments at all levels to emulate Malaria Consortium by adopting technological devices in sharing certain democracy dividends.
Mrs Uju Okwa, Linus Ndukwe and Vitus Okafor from Obelendu, Akwaeze and Urum communities corroborated the views of Onukwube, saying that the seamless distribution was a departure from old order.
“We have had previous cases of mass distribution of materials by governments, but none has gotten to many like the ITNs mass campaign by Malaria Consortium and the difference is due to the use of the device. It checkmated primitive diversions.
“The field workers were afraid that the device could expose any misconduct regarding the distribution; for that reason, most of them respected their rules of engagement,” Okafor said.
Mr. Ahmed Ologolo, Malaria Consortium Consultant for the ITNs Campaign in Anambra, said the device deployed was one of the best ways to ensure accountability and efficiency for mass distribution in large settlements.
“The device has a technology application on it, it was used to capture the data of each household visited, their names, family size to determine number of nets to be given to the households.
“It enabled the team to ensure health talk was given to the households on the use and care for nets.
“Other function is that it gives us real time data for tracking and reducing fraudulent activity in the field, because we can track, trace and capture the mobilisation of households,” Ologolo said.(NAN)
