Mr Gordon Mclnally, the President, Rotary International President is expected in Nigeria on a three-day working visit from March 15 to March 17, an official has.
Prof. Emmanuel Lufadeju, the Co-coordinator, Rotary International Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the visit, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
He said that Mclnally may likely have audience with President Bola Tinubu to discuss on assistance on disease control and child and maternal health during the visit.
He expressed optimism that the visit would enhance existing ties between the Federal Government and the Rotary International.
‘’The visit is to cement the already existing bond between the federal government, the WHO, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and other stakeholders.
”Nigeria is the awardee of the 2nd ‘Programme of Scale (PoS)’ a 2 million dollar grant, for the improvement of maternal and child health code named; ‘Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria’.
“Recently, a new grant amounting to 14 million dollars was given by Rotary, through the WHO to the Government of Nigeria to enable WHO provide technical assistance on polio surveillance.
“The grant was also a support to avert a resurgence of wild polio as well as to eradicate the Circulating Variant Poliovirus Type 2 (CVPVD2) in the country,” Lufadeju said.
He added that another 7 million dollars was to be donated by Rotary to UNICEF for eradication and disease prevention in Nigeria.
Lufadeju said that Nigeria was a priority nation to Rotary International, because it was a priority country in Africa and indeed in the world.
He said Nigeria had four rotary districts which are expected to increase to six by July 1, 2024 because of the phenomenal growth in its membership.
This, he said, would make Nigeria the country with the highest number of districts in Africa as well as the highest contribution in humanitarian giving in the Africa Zone.
”The country is duly recognised by being given the longest duration of Rotary International President’s visit in his Africa Hope Tour,” he added. (NAN)
By Emmanuel Mogbede
