Press Releases

Fashola Rallies Lagos To Kick Out Polio

Aug 8, 2009 - Stakeholders including traditional rulers, community leaders, health workers and traditional birth attendants and victims of Polio attack on Saturday gathered at a Town Hall meeting attended by Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) to brainstorm on the Polio Eradication Initiative, agreeing that there is a need to ensure that the disease is kicked out of Lagos.

The Stakeholders who gathered at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa as part of a demonstration of a commitment by the Lagos State Governor with his 35 States counterparts to kick Polio out of Nigeria recommended multi various ways through which the disease could be kicked out of Nigeria.

They called for an improvement in hygienic level among the people and the sustenance of efforts to get to areas that have not been reached by the immunization efforts in the past.

Speaking at the event, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said today should represent the date that the entire residents of Lagos and other Nigerians resolved to sound the death knell of Polio in Nigeria.

Governor Fashola said it is totally unacceptable that despite the potentials of the country, it could still be part of the four countries in the world namely Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria who are according to their initials are causing PAIN to the world.

He added that the only way to go about it is through interruption of endemic transmission of the Polio virus by immunization.

Said he: “For countries that have eradicated polio, the strategies employed did not require rocket science. Much had to do with a well articulated plan, support from partners and the will to fully implement the plans, especially through the involvement of all relevant stakeholders”.

“We have articulated a plan which starts today; we have support from illustrious and committed parties. We have demonstrated a will to change what we do not like and from the faces I see here today, everybody is ready to get involved”, Governor Fashola added.

Governor Fashola said with the commitment already shown by the administration which ensured the decongestion of Oshodi , protection of the environment as well as the introduction of the BRT bus system, the people will rise again to extricate themselves from the plum that causes pain to the whole world.

He added that parents have a major role to play in the quest to stop Polio because they made the choice of bringing the children to the world and must always ensure that such children must grow up without pains and stigma that come with the Polio attack.

He promised that very soon anyone who wishes to learn about Polio in Nigeria would have no choice but have to go to the museum to learn about the disease as it would have become a thing of the past here.

Governor Fashola explained that there is a huge economic reason for wiping out polio from Nigeria because domestic growth in an economy is achieved by a mixture of local and international capital and investment will only increase in safe and disease free environment.

He also appealed to traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, politicians, captains of industries, parents, care givers and other relevant persons to join hands with the administration in achieving the objective of kicking Polio out of the state and the country.

Governor Fashola said Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas should serve as the standard bearers for fighting and kicking polio out of Nigeria, urging everyone to embrace it since the service is not only free in public health facilities, they are also safe and effective.

“The population dynamics of Lagos State which encourages daily influx into the State is such that nothing should be left to chance with regards to polio eradication as the virus stands a great risk of being perpetually imported into the State. The need to increase the herd immunity is therefore paramount”.

He urged everyone to depart from the event with a determination to debunk the fears, rumours and misrepresentations concerning polio vaccination and indeed all other approved vaccinations.

He promised that the government would consider all the suggestions and advices such as the intensification of enlightenment campaigns to reach some inhabitants of riverine areas who often refuse to submit to immunization of their children.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris said the meeting was convened to solicit the help of everyone in a proactive and definite manner in order to ensure that polio is kicked out of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general.

He said it was regrettable that in spite of efforts of the state in ensuring total immunization, the state still recorded 4 outbreaks of wild polio virus between January and April 2009 while three cases were observed between November and December 2008, adding that the implication is that many children are still been missed.

Dr Idris said part of the characteristic displayed by the children is that they were all less than two years old and four out of them were born out of Lagos, but came in when they were over a year old although unvaccinated at state of origin.

Chairman of Conference of Local Government Chairmen in Lagos State, Mr James Faleke called for the assistance of all royal fathers to talk to some of their subjects who are sometimes very stubborn and refuse to allow their children take immunization.

Also speaking the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I prayed for the success of the campaign and asserted that just as the campaign against smallpox succeeded in kicking out smallpox in Nigeria, the campaign against polio would also succeed

In his goodwill message, the Executive Director of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muhammed Ali Pate congratulated the Lagos State Governor for his efforts and support for health agencies in putting an end to the scourge of polio Lagos State.

In his goodwill message, the World Health Organization representative in Nigeria, Dr Peter Eriki commended Governor Fashola for demonstrating the way forward in the fight against polio, adding that the body has also supported the Government with about 358Million on the polio eradication campaign.

In a testimonial, a victim of Polio, Mr Gbenga Kuye described polio as not only devastating but destructive, saying it is a disease that not only kills the body but also kills the spirit.

He charged everyone to spread the news with vigour that polio is evil and that everyone must immunize his or her child against the disease.

The Governor also encouraged participants at the meeting to feel free to send in their suggestions and observation on the polio issue to him and health authorities.

The event was attended by a former Deputy Governor, Alhaja Lateefat Okunnu, members of the State Executive Council, health officials and personnel from all the 57 Local Government areas of the state.