Tinubu Receives Rotary President, Commits To Eradicating Polio

President Bola Tinubu has said the federal government will continue to partner reputable organisations such as Rotary International in ongoing efforts to eradicate all forms of polio and reduce the prevalence of maternal and infant mortality in the country.

Tinubu, who received Rotary International President, Gordon Mclnally, his wife, Heather; Rotary’s Polio Ambassador to Nigeria, Sir Emeka Offor and other notable Rotarians yesterday at the State House in Abuja, commended the organisation for its various interventions in the country’s health sector, including a new grant of $14 million to enable the World Health Organization (WHO) provide technical assistance to the government of Nigeria on polio surveillance.

The president declared that it is a national obligation for the government to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians, support their advancement, and ensure that they are not hindered by any form of disease.

The president of Rotary International, Gordon McInally, asked Nigeria to be vigilant to ensure that polio does not find its way back into the country. 

He said in no too distant future the entire world would be certified polio-free. 

He said although about 30 years ago, about 350,000 cases of polio were globally recorded every year, but in 2023, it reduced to 12 cases. 

He said Rotary International had launched another  $3m programme of scale for safe child births in Nigeria for the benefit of women. 

Nigeria was declared wild-polio free in June, 2019 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region.

McInally said he was at the State House to thank President Tinubu for all the support the Rotary International had received from the Nigerian government.

He said: “One of the principal reasons for coming to see your president was to say thank you to him for everything that Nigeria has done in the field of polio eradication. 

“We’re very excited that worldwide we are about to complete the polio eradication campaign and of course, polio was certified free from Nigeria five years ago in 2019. 

“But we have to remain vigilant. We cannot afford to let our guards down, we have to make sure that we continue the work to ensure that polio does not come back to places like Nigeria, to places in Africa, to places in other parts of the world as well.” 

 McInally gave insights into the efforts of Rotary International on polio Eradication worldwide.