The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) celebrates with Nigerians for the delisting of the country as polio endemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), following the fact that there has been no single reported case of wild polio virus attack since July 2014.
The party said the feat did not come by chance, but through a concerted fight against the virus by the former President Goodluck Jonathan PDP-led administration, with the support of the Nigerian people and non-governmental agencies.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Tuesday said the party is happy to note that polio was eradicated in Nigeria by its government as promised by former President Jonathan, who had at the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia, pledged that his administration would end the polio challenge in three years time, a target which was met in 2014, when the last case was recorded.
The PDP recalled that its government in 2012 declared polio a national health emergency resulting in the establishment of Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication (PTFoPE), which effectively coordinated strategic efforts at all levels of health administration, at the national, state and local government levels, through special Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) across the country.
The party also celebrated the commitment of health workers at all levels, state governments, volunteers, community and faith based organizations, the media and other critical stakeholders for their efforts in tackling the health challenge.
In the same vein, it thanked various non-governmental bodies including, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), among others for their support towards the eradication of polio in Nigeria.
The party therefore urged the Federal Government and all relevant health institutions in the country.
Meanwhile, The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the PDP family nationwide mourns the death of one of Nigeria’s foremost technocrats, Mr. Gamaliel Offoritsenere Onosode.
The PDP is indeed deeply saddened by the loss of this great Nigerian, a highly respected statesman and organized corporate administrator who made immense contributions towards the economic and political development of our dear nation.