Bauchi came alive on Thursday as hundreds of residents, health workers, and partners took to the streets to mark the 2025 World Polio Day — a powerful reminder that the end of the once-dreaded disease is within reach.
Leading the call for renewed commitment, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, reaffirmed the state government’s determination to sustain the global fight against polio.
Represented by the State Incident Manager at the Emergency Operations Centre, Dr. Rilwanu said decades of collaboration, innovation, and tireless work by frontline health workers had brought the world to the threshold of eradicating the virus.
“Polio remains a threat in some parts of the world,” he cautioned, urging governments and partners to stay vigilant through strong surveillance, swift response to outbreaks, and strengthened routine immunization.
He described the vision of a polio-free world as not just a moral obligation but also a lasting investment in the health and safety of future generations.
For UNICEF’s Social Behaviour Change Manager, Mr. Panchanan Achari, World Polio Day is both a celebration of progress and a moment of reflection. He emphasized that every vaccine dose represents hope — protecting children not only from polio but from other preventable diseases as well.
Achari praised the participation of U-Reporters, noting that the voices of young people are inspiring communities and governments to sustain the campaign until polio is completely wiped out.
He also called for the integration of immunization with nutrition, WASH, and maternal health programmes to improve the wellbeing of children in underserved areas.
Rotary Club of Bauchi Central President, Mr. Adeyemi Adekunle, reaffirmed Rotary’s legacy of service in health, sanitation, peacebuilding, and child welfare. He said the road walk was organized to celebrate polio survivors and to remind the world that the fight must continue until no child is left behind.
“Rotary will continue to stand with polio survivors and work toward a polio-free world,” he assured.
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