The health minister and polio eradication by Olugbenga Kuye

Polio Eradication in Nigeria Remains a Pipe Dream

I WAS elated as I listened to the screening of the would-be Chief Medical Adviser to the Federation and Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Christian Chukwu; my heart filled with unquenchable joy and I was extremely happy as I watched him talk on the floor of the upper chamber of our legislative house in the capital city of Nigeria.

He told the the lawmakers that he would ensure polio eradication within one year of assuming office as the nation’s number one physician. I want to agree with the honourable Health Minister that his dream is a lofty one but achievable. It is possible to take the name of our dear country out of the four countries causing pain in the very heart of the global community.

These four countries have endemic polio – that is unbroken occurrence of wild polio cases year-in-year-out. And they include Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and unfortunately our dear country, Nigeria. Hence they bear the acronym of ‘PAIN’ countries.

Polio is a health issue. Polio is a multifaceted social problem. Polio is a hydra-headed monster which needs daring men to fight and to conquer. I have said to a crop of friends that wild polio cases would be a forgotten issue in Nigeria within one year. I told them that we now have a physician who is ready to go all out to fight and to defeat the monster.

But as I went about sharing my joy of the imminent death of the last poliovirus in Nigeria, I heard a loud and sharp voice within my heart which said, ‘Gbenga, don’t fool yourself, polio eradication is not a one-man affair; you may still be living in a fool’s paradise’. Then I came to myself and almost spoke aloud, ‘yes my mind is right, polio eradication anywhere and at any time must be a team work. And our Minister is but one man. With him alone, no matter how zealous he is about it, this goal will be a mirage.

But we need one man – only one man with political power and passion to drive the rest of us. Thank God we have found him in the passionate Rotarian.’

Don’t allow anybody to say polio in Nigeria is only a health issue. It is more than that. It is also a security issue. The nature of our population and the strategic location of our country make Nigeria a risk factor to the rest of the world if we still have polio endemic.

Knowing the type and enormity of the problem we have to contend with in polio will make it easy for us to device the techniques and methods to solve it. From the view of the honourable minister of health, polio is seen as a health problem. But from the view of Polio Rescue Association (PRASS), polio is seen as a multifaceted problem – health, educational, economic, security, social, etc. And tackling it from only one direction may not achieve the desired result.

Taking polio from the Ministry of Health view is vital to eliminating the dreaded wild poliovirus, the single largest virus responsible for the deformity and incapacitation of children and young adults in Africa. It is the first giant step to rid our country of endemic polio.

But if this must be achieved, there must be unprecedented team work; the governments at the states and local levels must be actively involved in such a way as they never were. Participation of Non-Governmental Organisations with strong passion for polio eradication must be on the increase. Seminars, talks, lectures, dramas and other enlightenment programmes must be intensified to create more awareness on the ills of polio not only as a health problem but also as a socio-economic problem. Local governments in Nigeria must change their attitude and catch the vision and be ready to make this dream a reality. The reason for the emphasis on local governments is because polio eradication in Nigeria is seen as a primary health care function.

Another point that is germane to building a formidable team against poliomyelitis is the involvement of polio survivors in the crusade. Polio survivors wear the shoes and know where they pinch. They know the pains of suffering from polio from their personal experiences and wouldn’t want such pains to be replicated in other innocent children. Besides, parents, guardians and other stakeholders would be convinced to take the issue of immunisation seriously when they see and hear (from the horse’s mouth) what will become of their wards/children if they reject immunisation.

Because of their passion, position and experience, governments all over the world have empowered polio survivors to be at the forefront and vanguard of polio eradication campaigns. For example, the British Polio Fellowship (BPF) is a major advocacy group in the United Kingdom while Polio Survivors and Associates (PSA) is a strong force in polio eradication in United States of America. If we have to ensure good riddance of wild polio cases and the attendant vices in Nigeria, it cannot be otherwise, Polio Rescue Association (PRASS) is determined to work with government at all levels and with other corporate bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations to END POLIO NOW in Nigeria.

I share in your optimism that polio will be eradicated soon. I believe in you knowing your involvement in the past in the fight against polio. I now counsel you to be bold and courageous to do this one thing – remove Nigeria from the group of nations causing PAINS to the entire international community and posterity will remember you as a great man.

• Kuye, a Polio survivor and Coordinator of the anti-polio outfit, Polio Rescue Association, lives in Lagos