Sokoto — Minister of State for Health, Dr Mohammed Ali Pate says local governments should be held accountable for any polio case recorded in their areas as they are the key to interrupting polio from the nation.

Flagging off the fifth round of the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDS) in Sokoto yesterday, Pate who was represented by Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Ado Muhammad expressed the commitment of the federal government to the total interruption of polio in Nigeria before the end of 2012. He urged state governors to continue to support the presidential task force on polio eradication towards ensuring that their states are declared polio-free, saying governors should ensure all the target children are fully immunized.

In a remark, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar, pledged the continued commitment of the traditional and religious leaders to the ongoing efforts to stop the transmission of polio and urged parents to ensure that their children are fully immunized.

Also speaking, Governor Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko said with the efforts so far taken by the three tiers of government, local and international partners the problem of polio would soon be over.