Int’l Strategic Citizens Alliance Sensitises Public On Pollution, Embarks On Free Medical Outreach

A group under the aegis of International Strategic Citizens Alliance has embarked on awareness campaign on pollution and its dire consequences.

Caption: Founder of International Strategic Citizens Alliance, Engr. Sampson Udeh speaking to the media by a Community Hall, Owerri, Imo State.

The group led by its founder, Engr. Sampson Udeh hammered on the need to sensitise the people at the grassroots level on the dangers of some of their activities around the nature that may turn around to affect them negatively.

Caption: Mrs. Linda Nwahiri, Imo State Coordinator, International Strategic Citizens Alliance during their free medical outreach in Owerri, Imo State

He expressed worries over the incessant washing away of top soils and gully erosions that have affected the people of Imo State economically and socially.

Caption: One of the medical practitioners working with International Strategic Citizens Alliance attending to a patient during their free medical outreach.

He urged the Traditional Institution to rise to the occasion and join hands with their group and relevant agencies to sensitise against bush burning and other archaic farming practices that are destroying the texture of the soil.

He also called on the general public and those saddled with responsibilities of managing refuse to stop dumping plastic containers and other non decomposing materials to the streams and rivers, saying their effect on the aquatic lives is destructive.

He therefore admonished the government at All levels to ensure that refuse managers are closely monitored and supervised.

He said that man’s activities have depleted the ozone layer, thereby causing serious dislocation in whether, food chain and entire ecosystem.

He also called on the governments to monitor the activities of foreign traders who dump all manner of unhealthy and harmful substances in Nigeria’s market and in the territorial waters.

“Beyond refuse, we have problem of Gas flaring, an issue Nigeria as a country must take up as a serious policy thrust.
The harsh environment and the polluted air we take are part of our worries for our health”, he said.

Health Outreach

Speaking on the reason behind the offering of a free medical outreach, Mrs Linda Nwahiri, the Imo State Coordinator of International Strategic Citizens Alliance, she said there is a relationship between climate change and health challenges.

She said that with the effect of climate change on whether and seasons and other consequences, which is not limited to flooding, we now have more mosquitoes in the State. This means malaria and other relevant diseases.

Speaking further, she pointed out that pollution of water and entire ecosystem, organs like heart, kidneys and livers are affected because theses are also sources of our food and drinking water.

“After sensitisation, we offer free medical tests. Engr. Udeh said that they have tested over 150 today and we discover that 70 per cent of them never knew they had high blood pressure while other never also knew they had high blood sugar and respiratory challenges among others

“People are moving around freely not knowing what is wrong with them. They don’t know whether they are hypertensive or have blood sugar among others.

“We advise our people to always check their blood pressure and their diabetic status. People slump and die and nobody knows about yet some would readily blame it on uncles and relations who hate them”, he concluded.