Kebbi, UNICEF take polio campaign to state schools

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi

The Kebbi State government, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other developmental partners have taken the campaign against the polio virus to the pupils of schools in the state.

The state government, in collaboration with UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other developmental partners, gathered pupils from five different schools in the state to educate them through lectures, drama and quiz competitions on the killer disease, which was held at the Emergency Response Office, Birnin Kebbi.

Addressing the participants, the state’s Health Promotion Officer of the Kebbi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KBPHDA), Alhaji Yusuf Umar Sauwa, explained that the purpose of the competition was to capture the pupils young, especially to instil the knowledge of how to eradicate the virus at their tender age.

According to him, “Let me commend you for your brilliant performances here today. The purpose of organising this event is to capture you earlier on the ways to eradicate polio from the state and Nigeria. This will be an eye-opener for all the schools, colleges, mothers and parents, so that they too can put more efforts into how to solve the transmission of the virus.

“Let me also commend the efforts of our traditional rulers and community leaders on their efforts to ensure adequate polio vaccination across the state. We are going to continue to battle this virus through vaccination of our children so that the next generation would be more healthy than this generation.”

During the quiz competition, five schools, including Erasmus Academy, Malala Quarters Model Primary School, Genius Learners Tree Academy, NYSC Primary School and GGDSS Tudun Wada, which slug it out, emerged with various cash prizes and certificates from the development partners.

While addressing the participants, Mubarak Yakubu Saleh, the SOLINA State Team Leader (CSTL), Kebbi State, commended the brilliant performance of the school pupils and stressed that health issues are now everybody’s business.

“We need to come together for health care-related issues like eradication of polio and mental health problems. From now on, you are the polio eradication ambassadors. When you leave this place, start discussing the polio eradication and vaccines with your friends and neighbours on how to do the right things. Polio is the disease that must be eradicated through your responses.”