This is coming just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal promised that the facilitated loan to fight the killer diseases would be monitored to ensure that it is well utilised.
The Speaker, who made the pledge when Mr Gates and Alhaji Dangote paid him a courtesy call at the National Assembly said that the relevant committees in the National Assembly will oversee the proper implementation of the funds and the resources that are mainly meant for fighting polio.
Mr Gates had earlier told the Speaker that, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dangote Group in conjunction with JICA have initiated a new loan conversion mechanism for Nigeria, totaling $ 50 million to provide critical support for polio eradication and other child-killer diseases.
According to the Speaker, “I listened to your address particularly on JICA loan and I assure you that the House of Representatives will do all that is required of us to ensure that when that proposal is forwarded to the National Assembly, we will will pass it so Nigeria can assess the loan that will support obtaining the vaccines that will advance the drive for the eradication of polio. We will try also in our committees in the National Assembly to oversee the proper implementation of the funds and the resources that are mainly meant for those projects.”
Mr Gates while addressing the Speaker said, “Improving immunization is a big priority to us. And the opportunities of getting vaccines to the whole of Nigeria, including some new vaccines, which would be used to fight diarrhoea would be there.”
Mr Gates also added that the foundation was committed to saving lives in Nigeria and other parts of the world by fighting against child mortality and helping out in areas of financial technologies application and Agriculture.
Jonathan honours Bill Gates with CFR
President Jonathan has commended the roles played by the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates as well as his partner in Nigeria, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, in the effort to rid the country of polio virus.
He noted that Gates was not only leading the effort in the eradication of polio, but was also assisting Nigeria in the area of agriculture.
The President therefore conferred on him the National Award of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in recognition of his assistance to the country.
In his remark, Mr Gates who was visiting Nigeria for the fourth time in connection with the fight against polio, expressed delight that the country was getting closer to eradicating it and commended the President as well as the traditional institutions for their efforts.
However, he noted that a lot of problems still remained in the fight as some states do not pick up the best vaccines while others do not release money as and when due for the implementation of the campaign.
Jonathan wants polio eradication as election campaign issue
Ahead of the 2015 general election, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday urged politicians to make the total eradication of polio as part of their election campaign in the overall effort to ensure that the virus is totally eliminated in the country.
Speaking at a Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication award ceremony at the Presidential Villa, he said that he would not want the next administration to inherit polio when it takes over government.
The President, who regretted that election campaign had interfered with the effort to eliminate the disease in the past, appealed for commitment on the part of stakeholders to ensure that the target to eliminate it by next year was achieved.
He said: “I charge you all to be so committed especially as elections are coming up. In fact, from the analysis I was briefed now, I was surprised that in 2011, there was some relapse attributed to the election, that during the campaigns and elections, we the politicians think more about winning the election and forget about other things.
“I think and charge you all that we must work together to make sure that during 2014 and 2015 elections, we do not create any kind of gaps in commitment to eradicate polio.
“Local governments and states that have polio, it should be a part of our campaign. It should rather be a part of our campaign instead of our election leading the process. It should rather be that our elections will even enhance our commitment to total eradication of polio,” he stated.
The President regretted that Nigeria has been accused of exporting polio to other countries, noting that everyone in the country should be ashamed of that.
Giving a progress report on the fight against the disease in the country, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, noted that Kano, Borno and Yobe states were of major concern in the effort to eliminate the disease, but he reported that on a national scale, the transmission of the disease was reduced by about 52 per cent in the last one year.
“For the first time, one full month has gone without a report of Type 3 infection,” he stated.
The Minister noted that challenges remained including reaching inaccessible children due to security challenges, transparency in the process and other reasons impeding the smooth implementation of the campaign.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, in his remark at the occasion, commended President Jonathan for his commitment to eradicate the disease in spite of the challenges he has faced, warning other politicians not to politicise the campaign.
He also urged politicians to make polio a part of their campaign issue as he noted that it would enable the people to vote for them.
The royal father pointed out that traditional rulers were committed to the eradication of the disease because “our main concern is the welfare of the people. No father will watch his child crippled forever and refused to do anything.”
Six governors received the prize of “Best Performing Governor” in the six geo-political zones for their fight against the disease.
They include Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko (South West) who was also named the overall best governor in the country, Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke (South South), Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada (North Central), Anambra State governor Peter Obi (South East), Borno governor Kashim Shettima (North East) and Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari (North West).
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State was selected for the award of the most improved state last year while Northern District Heads Council got an award of recognition for their efforts.
Culled from The Nigerian Tribune.
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