The Niger State Government on Thursday revealed that over N805 million was spent on Routine Polio Immunisation against the Wild Polio Virus across the state in the last seven years.
The Chairman of the State Task Force Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunisation and Deputy Governor, Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto, said during a media briefing to mark the World Polio Eradication Day in Minna that each year, N115 million is released to the committee from a pool of funds to conduct its programmes.
Ibeto explained that the efforts of the committee has yielded fruits over the years due to the political will, oversight and commitment of the state government evident by the flag offs of immunisation programmes that have currently strengthened the immunisation of children.
According to him: “Over 2.4 million children were immunised in the 274 wards of Niger State and it was against this backdrop that the state presently has no case of the Wild Polio Virus as a result of which, an independent panel by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the state with the prize of ‘The most improved state in Routine Immunisation’ in the country.”
Ibeto explained that the state government had to set up a functional State Primary Health Care Development Agency and also came up with a law that provides for criminalisation of refusal of immunisation services by parents or care givers to their children in the state.
He said offenders are liable to a fine of N50,000 only or two years imprisonment or both, adding that the state was the first in the country to criminalise refusal to immunisation by parents.
He added that activities to mark the day are sensitization meetings with traditional, religious, youths and women groups, rallies to create awareness about immunisation at LGAs, compound meetings and mobilisation on routine immunisation, among others.