$250 million Was Spent on Health, Education and Improving the lives of the poor in Nigeria in 2016 by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The sum of $250 million was spent last year in Nigeria by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on health, education and improving the lives of the poor. These were told to News Agency of Nigeria by Dr Mairo Mandara, the foundation’s representatives for Nigeria.

Speaking on the 2017 annual letter sent by Gates foundation to the world, Dr Mandara said that the foundation had affected 122 million children’s lives since 1990.

Also, the mortality in children within the age of five caused by pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria had decreased across sub-Saharan Africa.

Speaking on contraceptives, she stated that 27 percent of women now use contraception in sub-Saharan Africa, in which Nigeria is 15 percent of the figure.

In addition, she said that poverty rates has decreased by 28 percent has reported by United Nation (UN) since 1990.

According to her, “Five years ago, we spent about $35 million; but last year alone, we spent 250 million dollars because the needs were high and we had to spend the money.”

“This year we will see a little increase in what we were doing; we do not say this is the amount of money we will spend in Nigeria.”

“We see the need and then address the need based increasingly on partnership with the government; we look at what the government is trying to put on its own scale and then partner with them.”

Read Also, Melinda and Gates foundation to provides modern contraceptives to over 120 million peoples.

“In Nigeria, we have witnessed a 49 per cent reduction in under age five mortality between 1990 and 2016.

“Also in Nigeria, percentage of children who receive vaccine against Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and HIV increased to 56 per cent in 2016.”

“Mr Gates has started a giving programme called `The Giving Pledge’ where he goes to his billionaire friends to convince them to give half of their wealth to charity upon their death.

“They can choose whatever area they want to invest in but it has to be for the cause of improving the lives of others and so the billionaires are already coming out massively to support other people.”

“What is crucial is that our own multi-millionaires in Nigeria need to get up-to-speed in investing in critical strategic areas that improve the lives of poor people particularly health, education and poverty reduction.”

She said that wealthy Nigerians should support humanity by helping to improves lives of the poor and bridging the gaps of poverty. She also said that millions of wealthy persons had starts supporting it.