The Japanese government on Tuesday offered a US$ 7.85 million (about N1.24 billion) grant to the Nigeria government to help it combat the problem of polio in the country.
The Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu who signed and received the grant on behalf of the Federal government, thanked the Japanese government for the kind gesture adding that Japan remains a major donor to the global health sector.
He said that this year, the federal government has increased its commitment against polio with N4.7 billion for eradication effort pointing out that Nigeria will be removed from polio endemic countries by 2013.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ryuichi Shoji who presented the grant said that Japan has been making sustained efforts to fight infectious diseases noting that it has been attempting to eradicate polio in collaboration with UNICEF as well as the government of Nigeria for more than ten years.
He said that Japan’s financial contribution in the fight against polio in Nigeria amounts to more than 7 billion yen (about N14 billion) and that though Nigeria has made significant progress in polio eradication, there is need to redouble efforts to eradicate the disease.
The UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Dr Suomi Sakai said that while Nigeria is making some progress in reducing its high child mortality rate, childhood killer diseases such as measles, tetanus and whooping cough are some of the challenges that needs to be addressed.
The World Health Organisation had last year reported a four-fold increase in polio in Nigeria, saying that about Forty-three cases of the disease were reported in 2011, compared to 11 in 2010.
The organisation insists that curbing the polio virus in Nigeria is the key to eradicating the crippling disease in Africa.
In 2003, northern Muslim leaders opposed vaccinations, claiming they could cause infertility.
Nigeria is one of four countries in the world – along with Pakistan, India and Afghanistan – where polio is still a major health risk.
