The Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee (NNPPC) of Rotary International Thursday recognised the key contributions of major stakeholders in Nigeria’s battle against polio disease by awarding field workers who were at the forefront of the struggle.
The Chairman of NNPPC, Joshua Hassan, a past District Governor of the international humanitarian organisation, said while it was impossible to celebrate or reward everyone who has made significant contributions to the eradication in Nigeria, the National Polio Field Workers Award held in Kano, attempted to encourage all those willing to put “just that little extra into getting the job done”.
He explained that the selection of the awardees was done by those involved in the process starting from the ward level to the local government level and then the state level and involved all the partners for each of the three categories of Immunization, town announcer and community leader.
Hassan added that while Nigeria had been certified polio-free, the recommendation from the Expert Review Committee was that there was a need for sustained effort from the government and partners to continue funding support for in-between-round activities, including a partnership with and engagement with security forces to reach security-compromised areas across the country.
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On her part, Jennifer Jones, the President of Rotary International, who was represented by Ijeoma Okoro, a past District Governor of the organisation, who put the success rate at 99.9%, stressed that as long as there is polio anywhere in the world, every child is still at risk.
She urged all stakeholders and partners not to relent so as to attain the 100% success target.
Daily Trust reports that there were three awardees each from Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Sokoto States while a posthumous award was given to the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.
A special recognition award was given to Ayuba Burki Gufwan, a lawyer and polio survivor, who co-runs Foundation-Wheelchairs for Nigeria which has built and given away more than 14,000 wheelchairs across the country.
