Abuja, 20 October 2016 - Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire has restated the Federal Government’s resolve to continue providing effective leadership and mobilizing political and financial support by state governments in the north east to immediately stop the resurgence of the wild polio virus (WPV) circulation in areas at risk of re-infection.

The Minister who made the disclosure when he led a High Level Advocacy Team (HILAT) on a visit to Adamawa and Taraba States on 13 and 15 October, 2016, noted that although the detection of WPVs in Borno state is a disturbing phenomenon, it is also a wake-up call for Nigeria to redouble its efforts and finally rid the country of the paralytic disease.

Since the detection of the first two cases in August this year, the Federal Government with support from partners has conducted three rounds of campaigns in Borno and its neighboring states to contain the transmission of the virus. Two additional rounds have also been scheduled to be implemented before the end of the year in Borno and the rest of the northern states.

During his interactions with the two Governors, Dr Ehanire stated that “while there are concerns that Adamawa and Taraba states may be at risk of contracting polio virus because of their common borders with Borno and Cameroun Republic, the Federal government is very optimistic that the states can protect themselves by taking necessary steps to ensure the fortification of their borders”.

He further requested the Governors  as a matter of urgency,  facilitate the timely release of counterpart funding to support immunization activities in their states and tasked both of them to direct local government area (LGA) chairmen to provide the necessary oversight to polio immunization campaign activities  through  LGA task force committees in their respective localities by chairing and participating in review meetings.

Governors’ assurance of political commitment

Speaking separately to the Minister of State for Health and his entourage, both governors assured the high level team of their commitments towards building required resilience and protecting their borders against importation.

In Adamawa, Governor Muhammadu Bindo Jibrilla explained that although the state is facing serious security challenges particularly in Madagali and Michika LGAs, it will study the requests made by the federal government with a view to improving the immunization situation in the state. He also informed the delegation that the state is at the moment rehabilitating four secondary health facilities in its bid to improve the provision of health care services to its citizens.

Similarly the  Taraba state, Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, who was represented by the Deputy Governor Alhaji Haruna Manu disclosed that 96 million naira had so far been disbursed as counterpart funding to support immunization activities in the state with 41 million naira released upfront for the planned  rounds of polio outbreak response campaigns activities in 2016. 

He directed the LGA council chairmen to provide the needed oversight and the Commissioner for Health to monitor compliance. He assured the HiLAT, that within the state government’s agenda of ‘one PHC per senatorial district’, the Governor has prioritized health including making one primary healthcare facility per senatorial district fully functional by end of the year.

Meeting with traditional allies of polio eradication

While meeting with the traditional rulers in the two states, Dr Ehanire restated the importance of traditional institutions in the successes that have been recorded towards polio eradication. He however solicited for more support through provision of detailed local knowledge on access to communities for successful implementation of immunization activities and in addressing other community health concerns.

The Lamido of Adamawa who is the paramount traditional ruler in the state, Dr Mohammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha said traditional rulers in his domain have been sensitized on the need to ensure all eligible migrant and children at border areas are fully immunized.

“We are keeping our eyes on our neighboring countries because we don’t know if their children coming through the borders are protected”, Dr Barkindo said.

In Taraba, the Emir of Muri Alhaji Abbas Tafida charged all health workers to discharge their responsibilities with diligence and transparency by ensuring all children in the states are fully immunized. “I am a father of a polio child and I do not want any parent to experience what we went through” the Emir of Muri disclosed.

Interaction with LGA Chairmen

The HILAT led by Dr Ehanire also met with all the chairmen of LGA councils in the two states. The Honorable Minister reiterated the important role of LGA chairmen in providing the necessary oversight function by ensuring that they chair review meetings during polio campaigns, chair Council Task force meetings on immunization and ensure active participation alongside their ward councilors in the supervision of immunization activities in their localities.

Responding on behalf of their counterparts, the chairmen of the umbrella body, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the two states pledged to step up their efforts in providing needed leadership towards ensuring successful implementation of quality immunization activities. The Taraba ALGON Chairman Mr Steven Ibrahim Agya succinctly summarized their position when he stated that “we are the foot soldiers of the government and the implementers of government policies, we therefore commit to provide the much needed atmosphere for the health workers to do their job”.

The minister who was accompanied on the HiLAT to Adamawa and Taraba by members of the National Assembly Committee on Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency and development partners including WHO and Rotary International, also met with Commissioners for Health in the two states.

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01 The Governor of Adamawa State Senator Bindo Muhammad Jibrilla conversing with Dr Rex Mpazanje of WHO  at the Government House Yola, Adamawa state

02 Dr Rex Mpazanje of WHO (second right), Vice Chair, House of Representative  Committee on Health Services,  Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Minister of State  and other dignitaries  at the   Taraba Government House

03 A cross section of Taraba state LGA Chairmen during HiLAT visit led by Minister of State for Health