UN Scribe: Nigeria’s Polio Efforts Encouraging

 Ban Ki-Moon

• Commends UNFPA on girl-child education Health ministry
• officials absent at event Hails Dangote’s philanthropic works

Paul Obi in Abuja

United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, has assured Nigeria of global commitment to assist the country mobilise resources to continue to tame poliomyelitis in view of achieving certification by 2017.

On a field visit yesterday to a family health centre at Abuja’s Area 2, Ki-Moon stated that Nigeria’s recent effort acquired status after exiting the list of polio-endemic countries would help in “mobilising the necessary resources and financial support” needed to push through.
“What’s most encouraging at the time is Nigeria has experienced the zero case of polio, exiting the list of endemic countries, but it must maintain the momentum,” Ki-Moon stressed.

This came as Nigeria on July 24 celebrated a whole year without a case of wild poliovirus, leaving behind countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan among nations where the virus is endemic and severe.

Contrary, Nigeria must also go two years without any infection before it will be officially certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a polio-free country.

Ki-Moon, on a second visit to Nigeria during his tenure, was received by the FCT’s health officials from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr Ado Muhammad, said: “It was thought impossible, but Nigeria has done it.”

On immunisation, Muhammad stated that “with the progress, funding will continue and the UN will continue to mobilise global partners...so we can eradicate polio and achieve certification by 2017.”

However, officials of federal ministry of health were conspicuously absent at the event organised by stakeholders in the health sector to receive the UN secretary-general.

It was after Ki-Moon’s departure that the permanent secretary, Mr. Linus Awute, arrived at the venue.

Awute told journalists that the visit would definitely raise the tempo in “seeing that polio is completely eradicated.”

He said: “There are a lot of ambitious programmes we have laid, but the success in carrying out these programmes will depend on the effort of development partners. This visit is guaranteeing that. Those who are aware of this visit are going to be enthused to even do more.”

Meanwhile, Ki-Moon also visited Government Junior Secondary school, Garki, Abuja where he harped on girl-child education.

While commending the contributions of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN scribe said:  “Education for girls is one of the best strategies and when they are able to stay in school they can build a foundation for a better life for themselves and their families.”

The Principal of Government Junior Secondary School, (GJSS), Garki, Mrs. Fatima Mohammed, said Ki-Moon expressed joy with the enrolment of girl-child education in the school, adding that they have a total number and record profile of 1,106 students where 634 were females and 472 were males.

Mohammed said: “the focus of the UN visit to the Junior School is to bring back our girls back to school and this is part of the United Nations initiative of ‘Girl Child Education in and Beyond the Classroom.”

A J.S.S 2 student, Elizabeth Adeniyi said the visit of the United Nations’ Secretary General was a surprise to the whole students, as the visit provided them with the opportunity to ask him all the basic things bordering them on education and self-determination.

Meanwhile, impressed with the philanthropic activities of the Dangote Foundation to improve human condition in Africa and the rest of the world, Ki-Moon yesterday in Abuja commended the Chairman of the Foundation, Aliko Dangote and urged him not to relent because posterity will be kind to him.

Ki-Moon described the philanthropic activities of the foundation as a ‘dedication to humanity’ that is commendable.
Speaking with the Nigeria’s business and philanthropic leaders in Abuja at a meeting hosted by the Dangote Group yesterday, the UN secretary-general said he was impressed by the contributions of Dangote and appealed to other leaders to emulate him to make the world a better place.

He said: “Let me thank Mr. Aliko Dangote, our host for bringing us together. I appreciate the strong support you have given me as a key member of the Steering Committee of my Global Education First Initiative, and your dedication to humanity the Dangote Foundation.”
He added: “Nigeria can spark the race to the top and demonstrate to the region, and to the world that a pathway to sustainable development is possible.”

In his own remark, President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said the Dangote Group would not rest on its oars in the areas of philanthropy because he owes his wealth to the society that has been kind to him.

Dangote, who expressed disgust at the level of poverty in Nigeria especially the fact that more than 60 per cent of the population in the North-west and North-east of Nigeria are in severe poverty, lamented that it was only Nigeria that recorded economic growth without reduction in poverty

He therefore called other investors to join him in changing the lives of Nigerians and the African people and join hands with the United Nations to actualise its various social and economic reform programmes in Africa.

Dangote said his group was supporting the government in growing the real sector of the economy.
“The business community is very supportive of what government is doing and it is our hope that economic growth will recover very soon as a result of these measures,” he said.

He added: “I believe that supporting social and economic change through social investments and interventions that improve the lives of the less fortunate is will make a positive difference in the growth of my nation.”

Speaking, Ms. Amina Muhammad, Special Advisor to the UN Scribe on Post 2015 Development Planning said the UN is collaborating with key stakeholders and the Nigerian Government to stake up it works in the country.

She however added that some of the gains of the UN efforts have been wiped out in the North-east part of the country.