BEVERLY HILLS, CA, NOVEMBER 03, (THEWILL) – A northern group, Arewa Coalition for Save The Child Initiative, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to postpone the planned visit of polio eradication advocate, Bill Gates, to Nigeria.
The postponement, according to the group, becomes necessary in order to avoid a repeat of the event which resulted in deadly attacks on polio immunisation health workers in Kano early this year,
The group, , in a petition to the president, expressed fears that the intended publicity and fanfare that would be accorded the visit of Bill Gates would endanger the lives of more polio workers in the north.
Co-ordinator of the coalition, Mohammed Dahiru, said though, the planned visit has good intention , the timing was wrong. He therefore urged the president to “cancel this visit because it may heighten tension and create fear amongst the administrators of the vaccines on children.”
The petition also stated: “You would recall that in February this year ten health workers on polio immunisation round were shot dead in Kano while three were killed in Borno State. The dreaded Boko Haram sect issued a statement claiming and justifying this irresponsible act.
“Subsequently , the exercise was suspended for one month. This reversed the drive, gains and successes recorded in previous years. It was a major setback. Besides, Boko Haram, in claiming responsibility for the attack on the revered Emir of Kano also cited, among other reasons, his support for immunisation of children in his emirate. Thank Almighty Allah, the monarch survived.
“Thereafter, Borno and Yobe States have witnessed attacks on schools and the killing of children therein, highway ambush and massive killings, isolated but deadly attacks on villages and border settlements. There are volumes of cases, though the security forces have tried to contain and repel some.
“All these have ripple effects on immunisation and the eradication of polio in the country. The emerging scenario now calls for a change of tactics. And this is where we differ on the planned visit of Bill Gates to Nigeria.”
The group said it acknowledged the enormous contributions of Bill Gates to the eradication of polio and other diseases in Nigeria but advised that his planned visit on a polio mission with its attendant publicity and hype might negate the gains achieved through ‘unpublicised approach than fanfare and drum-beat.’
About the Author
