By Alhaji Musa Muhammad
The more you have been infected with kidney failure, the more you will come to the mind of the people: “You are finished”. Others take you as a corpse just walking before its last breath.
Hadejia, the area with a number of such cases, is still facing the problem without knowing its root causes. However, there was a time when one of the presenters (name withheld), during a campaign awareness, warned vegetable/fish farmers to avoid using pesticides and herbicides on direct fruits, for example, eggplants.
He said there was a time when he saw a farmer spraying his eggplant farm and asked him why he was pouring it. The farmer replied yes, I’m spreading it for every fruit to rip simultaneously. The Dr said are you not afraid the chemical will affect the consumers? The farmer replied, ‘I’m not the one who consumed it”.
Efforts have been made by some politicians, especially former senator Ibrahim Hassan, to take urgent action to tackle the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, there is no remarkable feedback about the different gatherings held on the kidney problem in the area.
Community-based organisations have done a lot in organising sensitisation meetings in collaboration with health practitioners, but the community members are still witnessing the increase in the problem.
One thing to be done regarding the kidney problem is the need for the government to take urgent action and mobilise the environment on the causes of the disease.
I must commend the effort and struggle of Dr Isah Billami during his tenure as chairman of Hadejia Ina Mafita to organise a town meeting to learn the solution to the problem. However, there was no positive feedback on the issue.
Our politicians range from the council chairman, members representing Hadejia at the state House of Assembly, senators representing Jigawa Northeast and the Governor at large; your response is highly needed now.
Allah ya kawo mana dauki , Ameem .
Alhaji Musa Muhammad wrote from Hadejia, Jigawa State.