Bill Gates To Help Eradicate Polio In Nigeria; Bags National Award

The Polio scourge may soon be a thing of the past in the most populous black nation of the world as Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates has vowed to help end the scourge of polio in Nigeria. He said this while speaking yesterday in Abuja at a Stakeholders’ forum on Polio

“This is my fourth visit to Nigeria and every year I come, I see us get closer to our goal of polio eradication,” Gates said

President Goodluck Jonathan, Aliko Dangote (Africa’s richest man), the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’Ad Abubakar and other dignitaries werw in attendance at the forum

“I have decided to be in partnership with you and I will be excited when we reach this milestone and (there is) no more polio in the country”, Gates concluded.

Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan commended the Microsoft founder for his commitment to help Africa solve its health problems. He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fighting the scorge

“There is no reason we should not eradicate polio by 2014. Let me assure you that the federal government is totally committed to eradicating polio,” Jonathan said.

Jonathan went on to announce the conferment of one of the nation’s most prestigious honours, the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), on Gates in appreciation for his humanitarian gesture towards Africa’s most populous nation

You may wish to know that Polio is caused by a highly infectious virus that invades the nervous system through the mouth and can cause irreversible paralysis within a matter of hours.