In his committed effort to join in the
total eradication of Polio globally,
especially in Nigeria, the Executive Vice
Chairman of the Chrome Group, Sir.
Emeka Offor yesterday at the ongoing
2013 Rotary International Convention
in Lisbon, Portugal announced
additional donation of $1 million to
Rotary International.
Currently, Nigeria , Pakistan and
Afghanistan are the countries where
the wild polio virus has never been
stopped.In his presentation yesterday during a
PolioPlus workshop, at the convention,
he told the gathering that a defining
moment for him was when he received
confirmation from Rotary that his initial
$250,000 contribution to PolioPlus was
used immediately in the campaign to
eradicate the terrible disease.
"In Nigeria, we have lost friends to polio
and other dreaded diseases. But polio
should have no place in our world.
Therefore, today I am giving an
additional $1 million to PolioPlus.
"I hope that my giving will inspire
others, with means far greater than
mine, to join the fight to end polio in
Nigeria. Polio can be eradicated in my
country, in my life time, and it will be.
"It is my deepest hope that my financial
contribution and my work with the
Rotary leadership in Nigeria will inspire
all Nigerians to work together to bring
about the final, permanent, and
irreversible eradication of polio"
Offor who is committed to the global
campaign to end Polio especially in
Nigeria while making the announcement
noted that many countries have
prevailed in eradicating polio, adding
that this terrible disease still exists in
Nigeria.
Since the inception of PolioPlus, he
informed that Rotarians have
contributed more than $160 million to
eradication activities in Nigeria.
These funds, he said have supported the
work of our partners, the World Health
Organization and UNICEF in Nigeria.
The gifts, according to him, have also
supported Rotarian volunteers working
to immunize and to raise awareness of
the eradication initiative throughout the
country.
Last December, he said that a team of
Indian Rotarian doctors and volunteers
came to Abuja to carry out nearly 400
surgeries on children with polio, giving
them greater comfort, mobility, and life
opportunities.
"We are utilizing a Rotary model that
was effectively used in India to help
dispel myths and fallacies surrounding
immunizations in the remaining pockets
of those communities where resistance
is evident" he said.
He said that he would further use his
strong friendship with the Nigerian
government to support the eradication
of polio in the country.
"I come from humble beginnings.
Today I have ties all over the world. I
have the ability to help others escape
the poverty and deprivation that I
experienced. This goal drives me each
and every day.
"Considerable effort is being made to
eradicate polio in Nigeria, but at times
progress is slow. In 2011, we had 62
documented cases of polio. In 2012,
that number increased to 122. This year
26 cases have been documented so far.
"The Global Polio Eradication Initiative
has a target date of 2018 for the total
eradication of polio, and we Rotarians
must do all that we can to make that
goal a reality.
"For some time now, we have had
security challenges in parts of
northeastern Nigeria. This state of
affairs has bred widespread public
safety and security concerns
throughout the entire Northern region
and beyond. This environment has
further complicated implementation of
public health activities, including the
campaign to eradicate polio" he said.
Offor who is Aks Foundation Circle
member, Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International said that there still exists a
high level of suspicion about
immunizations, particularly in the north
part of Nigeria.
"Several immunization campaigns for
other diseases in the past, according to
him went badly and caused great harm
to children in some communities.
"This history is a major obstacle to our
efforts to totally eradicate polio today.
Many parents simply refuse
immunizations for their children
because they fear that some evil
motives are at play or even fear
perceived bad side effects.
"An additional problem is reaching the
nomadic and remote populations that
are often strongholds for the disease.
Even in the best of times, Government
capacity to reach these "hidden
populations" is severely limited.
"So with this high-powered support,
when Trustee Chair Wilkinson asked me
to join the Fundraising arm of the
National PolioPlus Committee for Nigeria,
I readily agreed." he explained.
With optimism, he said that Rotary can
continue to encourage Nigeria´s leaders
at all levels to provide critical support for
the polio immunization teams.
According to Offor who is passionate
about empowerment , the National
Emergency Action Plan that has been
established by the government will
continue to play an important role in our
success.
"However, we still have work to do. We
must educate community, political,
religious, and civic leaders on the
importance of this initiative. Their
relevance should not be
underestimated.
"Rotarians in Nigeria are committed to
utilizing our more than 6,000 member
network to support the program." , the
Executive Vice Chairman of the Chrome
Group said.
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