The Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has asked the federal government to hold all local government chairmen responsible for new polio cases in their vicinity.

This was contained in the 7th Report of May 2013 of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an independent advisory body of the United Nations on polio eradication.

According to the report, Nigeria can succeed in its polio eradication efforts if local government chairmen are committed to the programme and truly concerned about the welfare of children in their areas.

The report reads in part: "It is quite clear to all observers that in the majority of Nigeria's 774 LGAs, major improvements are being achieved. However, the contrast with the relatively small number of LGAs where performance has stagnated could not be starker."

Commending Nigeria's presidential task force on polio eradication, the report stated that a list of poor performing LGAs was on display in the Abuja Emergency Operations Centre, and that the indicted chairmen should be monitored closely.

It advised that the indicted chairmen should continue to receive weekly, if not daily telephone calls from the state and federal levels during which they should present key performance data and the corrective actions being implemented.

The report added that ahead of its next meeting, the IMB would ask for a list of all LGAs who have failed to improve their performance.