Nigeria could now do with more physically fit youths in the national sport of football after Polio Virus was formally declared eradicated in the country.
On August 24, Africa was certified Polio-free after Nigeria, the last country on the continent to report cases, had not seen an instance since 2016.
Executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, said the fight against Polio was slowed down by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast of Nigeria.
“We could not access kids behind the enemy lines,” he said.
“When the kids started coming out then it became obvious that there was still transmission going on in Borno around the Lake Chad region.
“But beyond all of that, there was insecurity as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency, that is what created many communities that were inaccessible.”
Shuaib said besides the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the financial and technological contributions of Aliko Dangote and Bill Gates made it possible to eradicate the Polio Virus in Nigeria.
It is estimated that 40% of people with disabilities in the country are Polio survivors and most of them live in abject poverty.
Para-soccer played by disabled survivors of the Polio Virus has since been founded in Nigeria and even played at the country’s sports festival.
