Dangote, Gates, Others Rejoice Nigeria’s Poliovirus-free Status

Billionaire philanthropists Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote have praised
the declaration of Nigeria by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as
being polio-free.

WHO on Tuesday confirmed Nigeria and the entire Africa polio-free.

The WHO Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) stated the major
the milestone was achieved four years after the last recorded cases of
wild polio in the country.

In a tweet, Gates said that the remarkable achievement was a step
closer to global polio eradication.

“Today, we move one step closer toward a world without polio. This is
an incredible milestone that’s worth celebrating. It is also an
important reminder of what can be accomplished when we work together
toward a common goal,” he wrote on his Twitter handle @BillGates.

In his remarks, Africa’s richest man, Dangote, said that the
polio-free status of Africa is an indication that the battle to end polio
globally is possible.

“Today we celebrate a polio-free Africa, the result of decades of
vaccination, hard work, collaboration. Tomorrow we get back to work,
to ensure wild polio does not come back. Together, we all can
#EndPolio globally,” he tweeted.

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, tweeted via
his official Twitter handle @antonioguterres, that the declaration
filled him with optimism that so much could be achieved through global
efforts.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Board Chair, Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization (GAVI), felicitated with President Muhammadu Buhari
and his predecessors.

Dr. Olubusuyi Adewumi, A virologist at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, lauded the historic achievement and stated that Africa had indeed successfully eradicated the wild poliovirus.