Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate Tuesday said Rotary International’s grant of $14,037,787 to Nigeria will assist the nation to eradicate all variants of polio by 2030.
The grant which was presented to the minister in Abuja, he noted, emanates from a comprehensive, sector-wide strategy aimed at revitalising the nation’s health sector—a direct outcome of the compact forged between the federal government and its development partners.
Pate spoke during the presentation of grants to the minister following the approval of $14,037,787 to strengthen polio surveillance and in recognition of the strides made by the country over the years in ending the disease.
Chairman, Nigeria National Polio Plus Committee (NNPPC), Joshua Hassan, in his speech said the Rotary Foundation Trustees, at their January 2023 meeting, approved a grant of US$2,675,000.00 to support polio eradication in Nigeria through WHO Nigeria for surveillance.
Hassan, who was a past District Governor of Rotary Nigeria, while making the presentation, said an additional grant of $4,514,785 was approved in October 2023 while on the 10th of January 2024, another grant of $ 6,848,002 was approved, totaling $14,037,787.
“These are all one-year grants, which must be fully expended between 31st March 2024 and 2025,” he said while pledging further technical support for the country.
In his response, Pate, who expressed his delight at the grant noted that since the country has been certified polio free, the new grant would go a long way towards efforts to eliminate the poliovirus variant that has been recorded in some parts of the country.
Pate, expressing his satisfaction with the grant, highlighted that despite the country’s certification as polio-free, the new funding will significantly contribute to endeavors aimed at eradicating the recorded poliovirus variant in parts of the country.
He expressed gratitude for Rotary’s gesture, characterising it as aligned with the federal government’s comprehensive sector-wide approach to revitalizsing the nation’s health sector while he acknowledged the organisation’s contributions to the ongoing efforts in disease eradication.
He also assured the donor that the grant would be put to good
use and for the purpose it was meant for.
Speaking via zoom, Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, applauded Rotary and pledged the organisation’s commitment to diligently oversee the utilization of the grant.
