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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Rotary International said it has spent over $300 million to fight against polio in Nigeria, since the beginning of its global immunisation efforts.
Mark Maloney, chair of the Rotary International Foundation, disclosed this during a visit to the Jahi Primary Health Center in Abuja, yesterday.
Maloney, the first Chair of the Foundation to visit Nigeria, also lauded the significant impact of Rotary International’s maternal and child health initiative, which has been supported by a $2 million programmes of scale grant to the country.
Accompanied by his wife, Gay, and other Rotary officials, Maloney administered polio vaccines to children and distributed souvenirs, while expressing the organisation’s commitment to eradicating polio in the country.
The Rotary boss noted that the specific allocation for 2025 is still under discussion, but that a substantial amount of funding is expected to be approved in the forthcoming meetings, despite the urgent needs in nations such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, where wild polio continues to be a persistent issue.
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Despite Nigeria being declared polio-free in 2020, the emergence of variant poliovirus type 2 continues to pose challenges.
“Rotary can only do so much as a private organization. We encourage the Nigerian government to redouble its efforts to eliminate variant polio completely, freeing its health programs to tackle other pressing issues.
“There’s $50 million that I expect will be allocated at that meeting, but a lot of it has to go to Pakistan and Afghanistan where the wild poliovirus is still endemic, but I think there will be a significant tranche of funds, maybe not tens of millions, I don’t think it will be that big, but a significant amount of money allocated to Nigeria.”
In addition to polio eradication, Rotary International is addressing maternal and child health in Nigeria through a $2 million Programme of Scale grant. The initiative, titled “Healthy families in Nigeria” aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality by encouraging facility-based births.
Maloney praised the programme’s early success, highlighting a district where births in healthcare facilities increased from 11 percent to 33 percent within the first year.
“Though it is too early to measure the impact on mortality rates, the upward trend in medical facility usage indicates progress.”
Maloney’s visit to Nigeria continues with a town hall meeting with Rotarians from across the country and a dinner in his honor. He is also scheduled to visit Lagos to conclude his official trip.
On his part, Joshua Hassan, Past District Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria National Polio Plus Committee, said 92 cases of variant polio-virus type 2 were reported as of December 2024.
The cases were predominantly concentrated in Northwestern states, including Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto.
Hassan compared the variant poliovirus to COVID-19 mutations, emphasising the need for swift responses to outbreaks. “These cases are vaccine-derived or variant strains, and they predominantly affect the northwest region. Our strategy involves swift immunizations to contain and prevent further spread.”
