The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with UNICEF last Tuesday and Wednesday organized a sensitization workshop for communities in three area councils of AMAC, Kuje and Bwari in the FCT on the avian influenza, popularly called bird flu.

Declaring the seminar open at the Kuje centre, the council chairman, Honourable Danladi Etsu Zhin, said the gradual re-occurrence of the disease in some parts of the country, especially in some area councils in the FCT, was a big concern for every stakeholder.

He said having proper information and knowing the right thing to do is first and foremost the cure to any problem, especially as it has to do with the bird flu disease.

He said: "I want to emphasize here that information is power and ignorance is a disease. If our people are adequately sensitized and educated about the handling of birds in homes and farms, cases of human incidences will be checked. On this strength, I commend the organizers of this workshop and implore you to disseminate all the information available to the people"

In an address, the director of National Orientation Agency, FCT, Mr R. T. Torhee, said the disease which was noticed in two African countries of Egypt and Djibouti in 2003 now plague Nigeria with a record of one human death.

He said the reported cases of the disease in Bwari, Kuje and AMAC in the FCT became worrisome hence government sees the need to collaborate with UNICEF on this seminar to check the spread of the disease

Speaking to City News, the Head of Planning research and statistics NOA who is the front desk officer to UNICEF on the programme, Mrs Mary Tanko, said after the programme, the participants will go back to their various communities and between, now and November, hold community dialogue with their subjects.

"This is a platform whereby the village chiefs and the principals/headmasters will gather all their stakeholders and wards to pass on the knowledge they gain from the seminar. We on our own will pay them visits and monitor everything at the school and community level.

A principal of one of the secondary school who participated who in the exercise said as soon as he goes back to his school, he would organize a talk show for his students in order to sensitize them on the disease.