Lagos — Nigeria is one of the four countries where poliomyelitis, a killer disease, still exists in the world. Other countries include Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Currently, the country has about 350,000 cases in seven states of the federation with potentials to spread to other states. But at a stakeholders' summit in Lagos last week, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola canvassed efforts to kick the plague out of Nigeria.

Unlike many of its victims, he survived poliomyelitis by dint of providence. But Mr. Adeboye Abioye lost his fitness to poliomyelitis when he was a toddler. He now depends on the crutches. Abioye simply agreed to the belief that most polio victims were not immunised; a reason widely attributed to the spread of the disease. For him, poor expertise is another factor responsible for polio transmission.

Abioye recounted his experience at the stakeholders' summit held at the Adeyemo Bero Auditorium, Ikeja recently. The summit brought religious leaders, traditional rulers, herbal specialists, proprietors and proprietresses of crèches, nursery and primary schools, orthodox health specialists, parents and market women together to brainstorm on the challenge of poliomyelitis and how it can be kicked out of the country.

Sharing his experience at the summit, Abioye said his parents were aware of the danger of poliomyelitis. He said he underwent normal treatment on time, but was infected with polio virus for a reason he attributed to poor health expertise in a hospital where his parents took him to. He said poor expertise "is a key challenge to polio eradication in the country. It goes beyond immunisation, though it contributes."

He simply said it would be a grave error on the part of government to assume that polio transmission "is due to the fact that most parents do take their children for immunisation. It is true that there is an erroneous belief that polio vaccine kill manhood and that for religious reason, most parents in the northern part of Nigeria are opposed to the immunisation programme. But the truth remains that poor expertise is also a problem."

Like Abioye, Mr. Gbenga Kuye also shared his harrowing experience. He grew up with his clutches. He neither blamed his parents nor the government for what he suffered in the cold hands of poliomyelitis. Rather, he urged the stakeholders to team up in the fight against poliomyelitis. According to him, polio is not only a health issue, but also social problem. It is an environmental problem. It is a political problem.

For this reason, Kuye described polio as not only devastating but destructive. He said polio "is a disease that not only kills the body, but also kills the spirit of those that fall victims of the plague. This is why it becomes the duty of the stakeholders to fight the last battle against polio." He thus charged them to spread the news with vigour that polio is evil and that they should immunise their children against the disease.

When relayed, the above testimonies gingered up all the stakeholders at the summit. And consequently there was consensus among the stakeholders on the need to use the instrument of public enlightment and education in the fight against poliomyelitis if the country must be rid of the plague. This signals, however, a new beginning in the polio campaign and perhaps an end to the scourge of pains and suffering the plague has brought upon several thousands of families in the country.

This is why the governor said: "For countries that have eradicated polio, the strategies employed did not require rocket science. Much had to do with a well articulated plan, support from partners and the will to fully implement the plans, especially through the involvement of all relevant stakeholders...have articulated a plan which starts today. We have support from illustrious and committed parties. We have demonstrated a will to change what we do not like and from the faces I see here today. Everybody is ready to get involved to get the plague out."

With the commitment already shown by the administration which ensured the decongestion of Oshodi, the governor explained, the protection of the environment as well as the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, the people will rise again to extricate themselves from the plum that causes pain to the whole world. He therefore appealed to traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, politicians, captains of industries, parents, care givers and other relevant stakeholders to join hands with the administration in achieving the objective of kicking Polio out of the state and the country.

"We are the standard bearers for fighting and kicking polio out of Nigeria. I urge everyone to embrace it since the service is not only free in public health facilities, they are also safe and effective," Fashola said. He said parents have a major role to play in the quest to stop Polio because they made the choice of bringing the children to the world and must always ensure that such children must grow up without pains and stigma that come with the Polio attack.

He added that "the population dynamics of Lagos State which encourages daily influx into the State "is such that nothing should be left to chance with regards to polio eradication as the virus stands a great risk of being perpetually imported into the state. The need to increase the herd immunity is therefore paramount".

On the question that polio vaccine can kill manhood, Fashola urged parents, proprietors and proprietresses of crèches, nursery and primary schools to depart from such belief with a determination to debunk the fears, rumours and misrepresentations concerning polio vaccination and indeed all other approved vaccinations. He promised that government would consider all the suggestions and advices such as the intensification of enlightenment campaigns to reach some inhabitants of riverine areas who often refuse to submit to immunisation of their children.

Acknowledged that the country is confronted with enormous challenges, the governor explained that the population dynamics of Lagos State which encourages daily influx into the State is such that nothing "should be left to chance with regards to polio eradication as the virus stands a great risk of being perpetually imported into the State. The need to increase the herd immunity is therefore paramount".

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris said the meeting was convened to solicit proactive and definite manner in order to ensure that polio "is kicked out of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general. This is the bottom line of this stakeholders' summit organised to garner views on how best the plague can become a thing of history." He regretted that in spite of efforts by the state in ensuring total immunisation, it still recorded four outbreaks of wild polio virus between January and April 2009, while three cases were observed between November and December 2008.

He explained that the implication is that many children "are still been missed from the immunisation programme. He promised that the government would consider all the suggestions and advices such as the intensification of enlightenment campaigns to reach some inhabitants of riverine areas who often refuse to submit to immunisation of their children.

Chairman of Conference of Local Government Chairmen in Lagos State, Mr. James Faleke called for the assistance of all royal fathers to talk to some of their subjects who are sometimes very stubborn and refuse to allow their children take immunisation. In response, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, who spoke on behalf of all traditional rulers in the state, assured of the success of the campaign and asserted that just as the campaign against smallpox succeeded in kicking out smallpox in Nigeria, the campaign against polio would succeed.