The Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery wants polio to be totally eradicated in the country.
The committee, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, recently converged in Kaduna for its second quarter review meeting with a view to ensuring that the wild poliovirus is eradicated in Nigeria.
Speaking at the meeting, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who was represented by the Emir of Bade, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, said reported cases of polio reduced from 800 to 100 when traditional leaders were involved in the campaign.
He said 40 years ago, polio was taken care of by the traditional council, stressing that now that the agency had included traditional institution in the campaign, a lot have been achieved.
He added that when they came on board, over 800 cases of polio where being recorded and in just one year they drastically reduced the case to less than 100 and today, they have achieved two years without any child being paralyzed by polio in the country.
NPHCDA Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Faisal Shuiabu, said it was unprecedented that for over two years, no child in Nigeria had been paralyzed by the wild polio virus.
He added that this a huge improvement in the health indices of the country and if this persist, for the next 12 months, then the country will be declared by the world health organization (WHO) as a polio free nation.
He, however, noted that due to the insurgency in the northeast, Nigeria had not been able to eradicate polio.
Earlier, the Shehu of Bama, Kyari Ibn Umar El-Kanemi, urged the committee to put in more efforts on advocacy, mobilization and resolution of any outstanding case of refusals.