In a bid to avert incidents of Lassa
fever and other vector-borne diseases in Lagos State, a non-governmental
organisation, Phosguard Fumigant Limited, in partnership with the state
government, has introduced a bounty, ‘Kill rats, make money.’
Under the project, rodents in the state
will be bought by the NGO after they had been killed using hi-tech
chemicals and equipment that would make their decomposing bodies
non-infectious, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The Chief Executive Officer of the
company, Mr. Oluwasegun Benson, on Sunday, said the bounty would help to
get rid of rats in the state.
“We will buy at least 20 rats for a yet-to-be determined amount. In Lagos now, it is operation kill rats and make money.
“A rat has 28 days gestation period and
in the past years, there has not been any solid structure on ground to
curb them from infecting humans with diseases.
“We are already approaching an epidemic
with Lassa fever and we must be proactive and find a more coordinated
approach to control them. It is war against rodents and pests in Lagos
State,’’ he said.
Benson said the company was collaborating with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to either incinerate or bury the rats.
“Everything is going to be water-tight
as we are not just going to kill the rats, we are going to collect them
using our trained and well-kitted personnel,’’ he added.
He said the project would commence in
October, adding that it had the capacity to create about 200 or 300
jobs, particularly for youths.