Rotary International has urged Nigeria not to relent in its commitment to polio vaccination, warning that the country’s polio-free certification could be threatened if global eradication is not achieved.
At a Community Dialogue and Joint Partners Health Outreach in Gwarinpa Village, Abuja, Holger Knaack, Chairman of the Rotary Foundation Board, said Nigeria must continue vaccinating every newborn despite Africa’s polio-free status. “Until the last cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan are eliminated, the risk remains. Polio anywhere is a threat everywhere,” he said.
Knaack also reaffirmed Nigeria’s importance to Rotary’s global health interventions, pointing to three ongoing initiatives: the nationwide polio campaign, the Together for Healthy Families initiative reducing maternal and child deaths, and the Rotary Healthy Community Challenge addressing malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia. He applauded philanthropist Sir Emeka Offor for donating $5 million to strengthen maternal and child health programmes.
Rotary Foundation Trustee, Dr. Ijeoma Pearl Okoro, reported a 28 per cent reduction in maternal and child mortality across four pilot states—Ekiti, Nasarawa, Gombe and the FCT—over the last three years. She said the project would scale up to 10 states next year, emphasising stronger collaboration with communities, traditional leaders and health workers to maintain immunity and awareness.
The Village Head of Gwarinpa, Alhaji Umar Bayaro, assured that his community would continue to support vaccination drives, encouraging residents to utilise services at Oprima Health Care Centre.
For over 30 years, Rotary International has led the global fight to end polio in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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