By Ruth Oketunde
Mr Christopher Maikalangu, Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has called on traditional rulers, elected and supervisory councillors, women leaders and other stakeholders to join supervise the polio immunisation exercise in the council.
Maikalangu made the call while inauhurating the Polio Eradication Campaign at the Garki Chief Palace, in Abuja.
Maikalangu, represented by Mr Ja’afaru Gwagwa, Council Secretary, also urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the polio immunisation exercise and allow their children to take part in it.
“Our children will be given fractional inactivated polio vaccines and oral polio vaccines, these initiatives are geared towards kicking out polio out of our area council and to also protect our children.
“AMAC constitute 55 per cent of FCT population in recent time and due to influx of people into the council on a daily basis, we generate heavy load of waste within our communities and our facilities are overstretched.
“Consequently, we have been embarking on sensitisation campaign on the values of clean environment and dangers of communicable diseases.
“I call on our people at the grassroot to imbibe the culture of good personal hygiene, desist from open defecation and indiscriminate waste disposal, as these are likely to cause polio to our children and jeopardise their future,” he said.
He also called on residents to avoid unhealthy practices which are capable of affecting the health and wellbeing of children.
Earlier in his message, Dr Walter Mulombo, Country Representative, World Health Organisation, said he was encouraged by success of the immunisation campaign that has so far started in FCT.
He said that the overall success of the campaign was however dependent on AMAC, considering the fact that the area council had about 60 per cent of the children to be immunized.
He said that the introduction of the Fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (FIPV), Oral Polio Vaccines and other routine immunization, was very crucial to the health of the children.
He however enjoined the people at the grassroot to ensure they support the campaign to achieve maximum success.
Also speaking, the Chief of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga-Kupi represented by Mr Lazarus Nyaholo, appreciated the area council, WHO and other stakeholders for bringing the campaign to the people at rural communities.
He reiterated the committment of the traditional rulers in ensuring its success by mobilising their subjects to bring out their children for the immunisation.(NAN)