Nigeria spends N9.8bn on polio eradication in 3yrs

The Nigerian government has said a total sum of N9.8bn was spent to ensure the successful eradication of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in the country within the last three years.

The Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at an event to mark three years without a case of WPV in Nigeria.

Shuaib noted that the last case of polio was recorded in Borno State on August 22, 2016.

He said, “We recall the seeming success between 2014 and 2016 in the fight against the Wild Polio Virus that was truncated by the resurgence in August 2016.

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“President Muhammadu Buhari immediately released N9.8bn and charged the (polio eradication) programme to look for more viruses and contain the outbreak within the shortest time. The result is what we are marking today; three years of being WPV-free.

“Following achievement of three years without WPV, Nigeria has commenced the process of documentation towards the final certification by the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC)”

He added that Nigeria was awaiting the certification of the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) to be declared polio free.

“This process involves a detailed assemblage and review of surveillance, routine immunisation and supplementary immunisation activities data by the National Certification Committee before submission to ARCC in March, 2020. If ARCC is satisfied with Nigeria’s documentation, the country will be certified Wild Polio free,” he said.

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