By Asmau Ahmad
The German Government has contributed more than €200 million in the last 20 years in the fight against polio eradication, an official said on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Vincent El-Haidag, KfW Portfolio Manager for the German Government Credit Institute for Reconstruction Mission, stated this when they visited the Family Health Clinic at Garki in Abuja.
He said there has been a partnership between the governments of Germany and Nigeria in the fight against polio eradication.
“We are responsible for the financial cooperation between the government of Germany and government of Nigeria in the fight against polio.
“Germany has been contributing over 200 million euros for the last 20 years, and KfW is facilitating this programme and also giving recommendations to the government of Germany,” he said.
El-Haidag disclosed that the team was in Nigeria to monitor and assess progress made so far in the eradication of polio in the country.
The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) is an international organisation that works together with its partners in developing countries.
“This is in order to identify projects/programmes which promote sustainable development. We were able to see very good examples in ranges of services that addresses basic health needs of children and women.”
He said the example they saw in the Family Health Clinic needed to be duplicated in all the primary health care centres in the country.
El-Haidag advised the government to also duplicate same efforts done in polio eradication in the fight against other disease in the country.
While speaking, Dr. Vatsa Isa-Yahaya, the Acting Director, FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, acknowledged that the team was a mission from Germany and had been supporting Nigeria in polio eradication.
Isa-Yahaya noted that Germany was one of the countries which had been providing the resources which has been supporting in polio eradication.
He said the team members were taken round the facility to see for themselves how the country has made progress with the fund given to Nigeria.
Isa-Yahaya said that from the look of things, they are very happy with what they saw at the Family Health Clinic.
“They (the team) are happy with the progress made in the centre, especially in the areas of immunisation, family planning, antenatal services and COVID-19 vaccination,’’ he said.
Isa-Yahaya called on Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccination as the virus was still in the country
“The vaccination is free and safe, so people should endeavor to take the vaccine,’’ he said.
The Acting Director said the Federal Government was doing a lot in the fight against diseases in the country, and not just waiting for assistance from donors.
