Buhari Receives Award For Polio Eradication
- Jumai
- Mar 10, 2016
- 1 min read
President Muhammadu Buhari has been recognized by Rotary for his personal commitment into polio eradication in Nigeria. Buhari has received Polio Eradication Champion Award on March 9, Wednesday, in acknowledgment of his government’s efforts to keep Nigeria polio-free.
President Buhari immediately after assuming office in July 2015, showed his personal commitment to finishing polio by publically immunizing his young granddaughter. In September, the leader of the nation launched polio immunization campaigns in his hometown of Daura, Katsina, by vaccinating local children.
The Rotary announced this in a statement, that reads in part: “Progress against polio in Nigeria, while a tremendous achievement, remains fragile. The country must ensure high-quality polio campaigns and surveillance activity for at least another two years, or risk the return of this disease,” said Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran. “President Buhari and the Nigerian government have shown they are equal to this challenge, maintaining strong commitment and public support for polio immunization in the face of zero cases.''
The organisation launched the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 1995 to appreciate leaders and others who have made noteworthy contributions to the global eradication of the virus.
The World Health Organization removed Nigeria from its list of polio-endemic countries in 2015 after the country went one year without reporting a case of the disease. The last reported case of polio in Nigeria was July 24, 2014, in Kano state. The government of Nigeria has invested more than $112 million in its own polio eradication activities.
