The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has applauded Nigeria for eradicating polio, describing it as the country’s greatest achievement in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, Nature News reports.
This assertion was made by the Head of UNICEF, Kaduna Field Office, Dr Zakari Adam, on Tuesday in Ilorin during the 2020 End of Year Review and Planning Meeting in Kwara.
The UNICEF boss, who also oversees Kaduna, Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger states, said that the success was huge, adding that the humanitarian aid organisation would focus on how to record more achievements in 2021.
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“The Year 2020 was not a waste, despite the lockdown; we recorded success in Nigeria as the country is now declared polio free. Our focus now is to improve on the achievement come 2021,” he said.
Speaking on the ongoing meeting of the UNICEF and Kwara government officials, Adam said the meeting was to review the activities of the organisation in 2020 with a view to planning ahead of the 2021.
“We are not here for a jamboree. We are coming together to review and plan for next action. Children mostly are our target. We can see Kwara is more than ready to benefit more and support UNICEF. UNICEF is not discriminatory against any state, every state has equal right to benefit from UNICEF’s programmes. Just get ready and let us save our children and society at large.
“We want to do more for our children in the area of Health, Nutrition, Education and other important aspects needed to be touched. It is everybody’s responsibility to join the train to save children,” the UNICEF chief said.
He however, called on pregnant women to visit hospital regularly for ante-natal consultation and stop self-medication.
