On Wednesday, the National Economic Council (NEC) set up a committee to eradicate the circulating polioviruses in Nigeria.
The country, on August 25, 2020, was declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus by the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for polio eradication.
After the declaration, there have been outbreaks of variant poliovirus (cVPV2) and mutant poliovirus type 2 (cMPV2), which have started as a result of immunity gaps in children.
The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Ali Pete, who spoke to a state house correspondent after the NEC meeting on Wednesday, noted that the committee will be chaired by the governor of Gombe, who will assist in the achievement of government objectives in total dedication of the polio virus.
According to the minister, the National Economic Council had passed a which led to the eradication of the polio virus in the country but explained that some state were still few cases. According to him the resent spread have affected five states.
The minister also noted that NEC has constituted a task force, which is chaired by the governor of Gombe state and includes the governors of Kano, Zamafara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina.
The committee also includes the coordinating minister of health and social welfare of Nigeria, the director-general of the Primary HealthCare Agency, the NEC secretariat, representatives of UNICEF and WHO, the special assistant to the president on NEC, and representatives of the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
The minister disclosed that the committee would present a monthly report on the efforts to eradicate the polio virus immunisation and revitalise the primary healthcare system in the county.
The minister also noted that NEC has resolved to establish a food and nutrition security task force at the federal government level and replicate it in by the states. He noted that the committee would help the government in the eradication of the challenge of acute malnutrition in the country.
He also noted that the the committee will ensure the allocation of resources in the 2025 budget circle at the federal level while the states will be encouraged to actg in the same line to help in the improvement of nutrition in the country.
The minister disclosed that the government intend to deliver its intervention in a multi-sectoral way that will help in the improvement of children nutrition with the long-term plan of driving prosperity.
The minister also noted that the development partners will conduct their operations at the state and federal levels with the aim of coordinating and mobilizing resources to add to the resources made available to the government at different levels.
He noted that the government will distribute multiple micronutrient supplements free to people around the country, with a population of 1.3 million doses already distributed. He noted that the distribution will help pregnant women for six months while the baby in the womb will also benefit.
The distribution, according to the minister, is being done in collaboration with the state governments.
