NGO tasks Kano LGs on polio eradication

The co-ordinator of Kano State chapter of Journalists Against Polio (JAP), Alhaji Mohammed Abdu Zango, has said the fight against polio across the 18 high-risk local government areas of the state may not yield results unless stakeholders, especially the concerned local government areas, are prepared to discharge their moral and financial obligations.He said it was unfortunate that local government officials in some high-risk areas failed to deposit their counterpart funding to balance the N250,000 the state government agreed to remit in each of the local governments which deposited such an amount.He said Kumbotso was among the 18 high-risk polio local governments, explaining further that the local government recorded the highest polio viruses among the 44 local government areas, explaining that because of the efforts, the scourge was drastically reduced.Making the observation in Kumbotso Local Government Area, when he visited the interim management officer of the local government, Alhaji Haladu Ishaq, he added because of laxity, some local governments were failing to conduct an all round immunisation in the state.The chairman said journalists have recognized the need for sensitisation and enlightening of the generality of Nigerians on the need for polio eradication, saying the launch of immunization campaign was not enough for Nigerians to eradicate the scourge.Alhaji Zango said when the immunisation campaign was launched in 2008, there were taskforces and social mobilisation committees across the nation, but because many things were lagging behind, the fight against polio and other killer diseases did not get the expected results.Earlier , the Manager, NPI Kumbotso Local Government, Alhaji Auwalu Mohammed, noted that the present leadership in the local government had approved the counter part funding and the funds will be released.According to him, the village head in the area had solicited for the assistance of local government to intensify efforts in his area towards awareness program because people in his domain still don't seem to accept the immunization exercise.He however said there was improvement in the immunization exercise in Kumbotso, explaining that the last exercise recorded 239 children who were vaccinated against 154 and 228 previously vaccinated.The Interim Management Officer of the local government, Alhaji Haladu Ishaq, said the local government will support agencies and NGOs partaking in activities in polio eradication, saying that since he assumed office, there were several efforts towards supporting the immunization programme in the area.
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