10 October 2004  --Nigerians have been urged to stay indoors from 6.00 am till 1.00 pm on Saturday, 9th October 2004, to enable vaccination teams immunize children below five years of age with Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), as they move from house to house during the forthcoming four-day National Immunization Days (NIDs) which starts on that day.

The call was made in Kano by President Olusegun Obasanjo while flagging off this year's synchronized NIDs for West and Central African countries. For the exercise, tagged "Final Push to Polio Eradication" to succeed, President Obasanjo called on State Governors, Local Government Chairmen, traditional and religious leaders and indeed all Nigerians to rise to the challenge as it is "our collective responsibility". According to him, "let us receive vaccination teams into our homes, churches and mosques and make our children available for the immunization".

President Obasanjo asked for the commitment of members of the National Council of Women's Societies and the media, through the Nigerian Union of Journalists, to create awareness on the importance of the exercise and mobilize the people.

President Obasanjo who is also the Chairman of the African Union commended the efforts of the West and Central African sub-Region in eradicating polio. He urged officials of the Customs Department to collaborate with immunization teams, especially at the borders. During the synchronized cross-border NIDs, an estimated 80 million children across 23 West and Central African countries would be immunized.

Also speaking at the occasion, the African Union Commission Chairman, Professor Alpha Omar Konare reinforced the importance of collective responsibility and issued a challenge to all Africans to ensure that all children are immunized during the upcoming NIDs. "From today, I challenge us all - African leaders, country leaders, religious and traditional leaders, international partners, media, health workers, teachers, vaccinators, and most importantly parents - to join forces together for the healthy future of African children", he said.

Rofessor Konare expressed gratitude to all the polio partners, especially WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International for their contribution to polio eradication on the continent. Noting that we have the resources, Prof. Konare said he believed that with commitment, Africa would meet the target date for polio eradication.

In his speech, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, Nigerian Minister of Health remarked that his Ministry and the National Programme on Immunization (NPI) have continued to implement all strategies and plans for polio eradication so as to ensure that the country wins the race and on time too. He said the polio eradication initiative had continued to provide structures to strengthen routine immunization in the country. To ensure that the final push to polio eradication is achieved, Professor Lambo admonished that quality must be achieved in the forthcoming and subsequent NIDs rounds. "Let us ensure that every eligible child is immunized with OPV. Let us spare a thought for the rights of the child", he said.

The Sultan of Sokoto, represented by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and a representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria made statements of support for polio eradication at the event. The Sultan said that traditional rulers would continue to play unequalled role in polio eradication through advocacy and community mobilization as well as ensure quality NIDs, "so that our children can achieve their dreams".

The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development System in Nigeria, Mr. Tegegnework Gettu, who gave a goodwill message on behalf of the UN, said that polio eradication is a step towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Noting that an unimmunized child is a risk to all children everywhere, Mr. Gettu said every child 0 - 59 months must be reached, to ensure that polio is kicked out of Nigeria, Africa and indeed the entire world.

He said for supplemental immunization and Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance to succeed, Governments and communities must provide logistics and constantly monitor the activities. He advised that the efforts put in polio eradication should be extended to other diseases such as malaria and measles.

Goodwill messages were also given by the President of Rotary International, the Head of European Commission Delegation to Nigeria (on behalf of EPI ICC Partners) and the President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria.

President Obasanjo led other dignitaries to immunize children, to formally flag-off the synchronized NIDs for West and Central African countries. The Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau immunized his one-year old daughter at the event.

For more information, please contact 
Mr. Austine Oghide, NPO/HIP, WHO, 443, Herbert Macaulay Road, Yaba Lagos. 
Tel: (234) 1 5453662-3; 2903276-7; 7737092-3, 08034022390. 
Fax: (234) 1 5821616 
E-mail: oghidea [at] who-nigeria.org (oghidea[at]who-nigeria[dot]org)