Monday, October 25, 2010

Ted Turner commits U.S.$1 billion to polio eradication


Chairman, United Nations Foundation, Mr Ted Turner, has committed one billion dollars to the fight against polio and other child killer diseases globally. Turner made the disclosure at the weekend, during a courtesy call to Sultan of Sokoto in his palace in Sokoto.


He told the Sultan that he was in the country to deliver a message to local community leaders that Nigeria must keep up the fight against child killer diseases by continuing to leverage the power of modern vaccine that are key to eradicating polio and reducing measles.


Turner acknowledged that Nigeria has made tremendous progress towards eradicating polio through partnership with community leaders that encourages parents to have their children immunized.


He stressed that the recent progress in stopping polio is a testament to Nigeria's power to accelerate progress in achieving the millennium development goals.


The founder of CNN added that the success recorded so far was as a result of the critical work of Emirs formed by the Sultan to ensure that everyone eligible for a polio vaccination receives one.


He maintained that by building on the success of partnership like these, measles and polio would be eliminated and children protected from other vaccine preventable diseases to achieve millennium development goals.


Responding, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar attributed the success recorded so far to concerted efforts between traditional rulers and community leaders in the sensitisation campaignon the need for parents to allow their children to be immunized.


He maintained that tremendous progress has been made in the reduction of polio and other child killer diseases in the North.


The monarch commended the Foundation in it efforts towards eradicating the scourge in the world, especially Nigeria.


Leadership


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