Nigeria’s Day of Shame
By Mike Akpan
Sunday, September 28, 2008
By the size of its population, territory and rich human and natural resources, Nigeria sees itself as a natural leader in Africa. But often times, the country fails to play the leadership role expected of it. For instance, Nigeria has failed to be a leader in resource management. As a result, it is regarded by the international community as a wasteful and corrupt country where majority of the citizens are suffering in the midst of great wealth.
Just as in resource management, Nigeria has also failed to show the expected leadership in democratic practice and that was why the military had been in control of the country’s political saddle for 30 out of the 48 years of its existence as an independent nation. In April 2007, the country organised general elections that failed to meet an acceptable minimum standard in Africa.
On September1, this year, Nigeria was singled out for failing to lead Africa in the global campaign to eradicate polio. The occasion was the 58th session of the World Health Organisation, WHO, conference of the regional committee for Africa in Yaounde, Cameroon. In her opening speech, Dr. Magaret Chan, director-general, WHO, said Nigeria was dragging the entire world backward in the war to eradicate polio. She lamented that while polio virus had been wiped out in other countries of the world, wild polio virus was still present in some states in Nigeria. Chan warned: "African countries and, indeed, the entire world is at risk of polio following the new outbreak of the most dangerous strain of polio in Nigeria which has already spread to neighbouring countries."
As if that was not enough indictment, the report presented to the conference by Dr. Luis Sambo, WHO regional director, completed the disgrace. According to him, Nigeria is the only country in Africa, still battling with the epidemic. In the light of this ugly development, the regional director stressed the need for an urgent and concerted action to stop the spread of wild polio virus currently ravaging some northern states of Nigeria.
As at June this year, there were 379 reported new cases of wild polio virus in Nigeria. Of this number, Kano state had 114 cases, Zamfara state, 55 and Kastina state, 35 cases. There were also 31 reported new cases in Jigawa, 25 in Bauchi, 20 in Kaduna, 17 in Borno and 13 in Sokoto State. Niger, Oyo and Yobe states had 11 cases each while Nasarawa state had six cases reported. Plateau and Taraba states had five reported cases each while Lagos had four. Three cases each were reported in Kebbi, Kwara, and Ogun States and two each in Benue, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Only Adamawa and Gombe States had one case each.
One pertinent question many Nigerians have continued to ask is: Why is it very difficult to kick polio out of Nigeria as other developing countries have successfully done in spite of our annual immunisation campaigns over the years? According to reports, no state in Nigeria has so far achieved 100 percent oral vaccine coverage this year compared to the figures in 2006. Only five states are said to have achieved 80 percent coverage. This unfortunate situation calls for a re-examination of the campaign strategies we have adopted over time.
For instance, how effective are the public enlightenment messages used in the campaign? Through what channels are they reaching the communities? Are the channels credible? The next question to ask is: How committed are the various levels of government to the immunisation campaign? In 2006, the European Union Partnership to Re-inforce Immunisation Efficiency, EU-PRIME, accused Abia State government of persistent lack of commitment to improve oral vaccine coverage in the state. For this reason, Aba Zakari Umar, EU Country co-ordinator in Nigeria, said Abia state had to be removed from the list of beneficiaries of EU-PRIME grant.
Such persistent lack of commitment may not be peculiar to Abia state. Perhaps, such careless attitude on the part of governments is why Dr. Dere Awosika, former co-ordinator, National Programme on Immunisation, NPI, has suggested the passage of a Health Act that will spell out in clear terms the responsibilities of each tier of government in respect of the campaign. He observes that since there is no such law, the NPI is forced to carry out what should normally be the responsibilities of the lower tiers of government.
Apart from spelling out responsibilities, the Act should also make provision for stiff punishment for anybody who sabotages the national effort to eradicate polio in Nigeria and the world. Our leaders must act now to stop the shame.
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