Sunday Ani
On Saturday, October 26, 2019, the Rotary Club of Amuwo, District 9110, joined millions of people across the world to celebrate this year’s World Polio Day. Although, the celebration was held worldwide on October 24, the Club decided to celebrate it on October 26.
As early as 7am, members of the Club had gathered at the Federal Housing Authority Sports Field on 23 Road, Festac Town, Lagos, wearing red fez caps with the inscription, “End polio now,” as well as red and yellow T-shirts also with inscriptions, “End polio now and keep polio at zero level,” respectively.
To lighten the day’s event up was a musical band that accompanied them as they walked from the field all the way to Alakija junction on Lagos – Badagry Expressway, from where they proceeded along the expressway to Agboju Market. As they walked about with two persons bearing a banner in front of the surging group, signaling what was happening, immunizing children against polio along the way and at the Agboju Market, the band played melodious tunes to create awareness about the day’s event. They stopped at Agboju Market where a couple of children aged 0 to five were immunized. From there, they proceeded back to where they took off, enroute 22 Road, as parents trooped out with their children for immunisation.
On the event, the Club’s president, Francis Ogugua said the idea was to create awareness about polio because in the last three years, there has not been any case of the virus in Nigeria. “We decided to create awareness because polio anywhere is polio everywhere. We are here to create awareness about polio, make noise about our achievements on polio, and immunise some kids within the age bracket of 0 to 5 years. We have the vaccine here with us. From here, we will go through the major roads, stop at Agboju Market where we can find mothers with kids and get those kids immunized free of charge,” he said.
He said the event was tagged, ‘Walk for polio,’ because they were walking to create awareness about the close eradication of the virus and to urge parents to immunize their kids. “It is very important because no parent will want their children to grow up deformed; no parent in his or her right senses will allow that. And this immunisation doesn’t cost a dime; it is completely free of charge. That is basically what we want to do here – create awareness and immunise children.”
He said it has been an annual event for the Amuwo Rotary Club, adding that they have invested so much in terms of finance and human resources towards polio eradication. “We normally have a day set aside for polio every year. Rotary International took it upon itself to celebrate it and we have been able to put in so much in terms of finance and human resources towards polio eradication. And we are very close to it. I think Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where we still have polio cases in the world. Nigeria is very close to being polio free because in the last three years, Nigeria has not had any polio virus and if it remains like this for the next one year, Nigeria will be taken off the list of polio infected countries,” he assured