THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar 111, has appealed to parents to allow their children to be immunised with the polio vaccine because it is safe to be vaccinated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abubakar made the appeal in Sokoto on Sunday at the launch of audio and video songs on polio, organised by the Rima FM Listeners' Friendship Association, Sokoto.
The Sultan, who was represented by the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama'ila Mera, also said intensive researches had been conducted on the vaccine and it was found to be very safe.
"We wouldn't have accepted it if the vaccine is not safe. NAFDAC also certifies all the batches of the vaccine imported into the country," he said.
In his speech, Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State commended the association for the gesture. "The effort will help in further sensitising Nigerians on the dangers of polio and the need to eradicate it," the governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Arzika Tureta, said.
Wamakko, who also noted the efforts of the Northern Traditional Leaders' Committee (NTLC) on Polio and Routine Immunisation, urged the group to sustain the tempo.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Ali Pate, who spoke through Alhaji Ado Abdullahi, reiterated Federal Government's commitment to wiping out polio from the country.
Pate, however, cautioned against politicising the campaign against polio by some Nigerians and commended NTLC for its sustained efforts.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Mohammed, expressed delight that no polio case has been recorded in the state this year.
Mohammed, who spoke through Shehu Abdulganiyu, said the agency was making frantic efforts, together with all the stakeholders, to fully eradicate polio from Nigeria.
Chairman of the association, Alhaji Nasiru Labaran, explained that the songs were produced with a view to further sensitising Nigerians on the dangers of polio.
The association conferred on Wamakko a merit award for his contributions to the success of the association's activities. Other recipients of awards at the occasion were the Sultan, Pate and the chairmen of Silame, Yabo, Tureta and Rabah local councils, among others.
The Guardian