Owonikoko urges renewed immunisation drive as Rotary unveils three awareness billboards in Abuja
The District Governor of Rotary International District 9127, Mr Sikiru Adetona Owonikoko, has declared that the global war against poliomyelitis is winnable, urging Nigerians to sustain immunisation efforts until the disease is completely eradicated.
Owonikoko said Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign had helped save more than 20 million children from paralysis, demonstrating that polio could be eliminated through sustained commitment, public awareness and widespread immunisation.
He appealed to parents and guardians to ensure that their children receive polio vaccines, while urging Rotarians not to relent in the fight against the disease.
The Rotary governor also called on members of the district to commemorate World Polio Day on October 24 with renewed determination to end polio globally.
He spoke during the unveiling of three polio-awareness billboards at strategic locations in Abuja. The initiative was undertaken by Rotary International District 9127, the Rotary Club of Abuja Metro and friends of the district.
Owonikoko noted that despite significant progress in the global eradication campaign, polio remained endemic in two countries, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and commitment.
“With the commitment of Rotary International since 1985, we have shown that the war against polio is winnable. It is a disease we have proved to the world can be eradicated,” he said.
He urged Rotarians across the district to remain steadfast until polio was completely eradicated worldwide.
“We have saved more than 20 million children from paralysis. As we mark this year’s World Polio Day, we should rededicate ourselves to the immunisation of children,” Owonikoko added.
Also speaking, the President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Metro, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, said the unveiling of the billboards was aimed at raising public awareness about the dangers of polio and the need to sustain efforts towards its eradication.
“What we are doing here is raising awareness about the effects of polio. Communication is 90 per cent of the job,” he said.
Oluwagbemi explained that a lack of awareness about the continued threat posed by the disease could lead to complacency, with potentially serious consequences.
“When people don’t know that an epidemic is still around, they take it easy. When we take it easy, bad things happen. Awareness about the fight against polio is very critical,” he said.
He described the billboards as reminders that the global campaign against polio was not yet over.
“We want to present these billboards as reminders that our work is not yet done until we eradicate the disease completely, such that in the next 100 or 200 years, humanity will talk about it as history, not as something active. Then our job is sorted,” he said.
