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Chairman of The Rotary Foundation, Mr. Holger Knaack, has declared that Nigeria is firmly on the right path to completely kicking out the wild poliovirus from the country. Knaack who made this declaration on Thursday during a health outreach programme at the Government Secondary School, Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja, highlighted the nation’s significant progress, noting the absence of new indigenous cases. The former Rotary International president said that the county is definitely on the right track because they have not seen a single case of wild polio virus in Nigeria in the last five years, which, according to him, underscores a major milestone in the decades-long fight against the disease. While celebrating Nigeria’s and Africa’s victory over the wild poliovirus five years ago, the Rotary chief issued a global warning, emphasising that as long as the virus exists anywhere, children everywhere remain at risk. “As long as there are cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, we must continue vaccinating children. Our children are not safe. Our goal is to kick polio out of this world. “So all of us have to make sure that no child ever will be crippled again. That is why we have to continue to vaccinate against polio. And Rotary sticks to its promise here,” he said. While explaining his visit to Nigeria, Knaack outlined three major Rotary initiatives being implemented in the country, which are the ongoing polio vigilance, the ‘Together for Healthy Families’ programme focusing on reducing maternal and child mortality, and the upcoming ‘Rotary Healthy Community Challenge’ to combat malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia. He specifically commended Nigerian Rotarians and a key donor, Sir Emeka Offor, for their pivotal roles. “Probably you know that Sir Emeka Offor is supporting our program here with $5 million. And this is outstanding. Such contributions are an investment into global health.” Knaack urged continued advocacy for immunisation, saying, “It all starts with communication and awareness. I challenge each of you here today to educate your community members about the importance of immunisation against polio.” He stressed the critical role of traditional leaders in promoting awareness, emphasising their influence as custodians of community health decisions. Also, a Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, Mrs Ijeoma Pel Okoro, provided data on the success of their maternal and child health interventions, saying that the outreach is yielding positive results. “We have reduced maternal and child mortality by over 28 percent. And this is our third year in the project. It is actually our desire that by the time we are done, no mother or no child will perish,” she said. Okoro stressed the importance of community cooperation and traditional rulers in achieving these health goals, calling on the media and the public to play a more active role in sustaining awareness to prevent a resurgence of polio. “Polio anywhere is polio everywhere. Because we know how we are, we are totally nomadic in nature. So let us continue to preach this fight until we eradicate polio from the face of the earth,” she said.
