Anambra state government has inaugurated a State Task Force on
Immunization, STFI, to enforce compliance with immunization
activities, and maintain the polio free status of the state.


The inauguration of the committee is in line with the federal government’s directive as a way of making the fight against Polio Myelitis more active.

It would be recalled that President Mohammadu Buhari earlier this year
inaugurated the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, PTFoPE,
at Abuja, with Governor Willie Obiano as a members.

The twenty-six man committee which has the state Deputy Governor, Dr.
Nkem Okeke as its Chairman, and the Executive Secretary, Anambra state
Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Chioma Ezenyimulu as the
Secretary, has the Commissioners for Local Government Affairs and
Ministry of Health, Local Government Chairmen, Chairman, Anambra state
Traditional Rulers Council, Obi Nnameka Achebe, and Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Health as members.

Representatives of World Health Organization, UNICEF, National
Orientation Agency, Faith Based organizations, the media, immunization
partner agencies in the state, and representative of security agencies
are also members of the committee.

Inaugurating the group, Governor Willie Obiano represented by his
Deputy, Dr. Okeke while describing Polio as one of the deadly diseases
his administration will not allow into the state said that his
government will do the needful in providing all necessary support to
the committee to ensure their pro-activeness in the fight against the
infectious disease caused by the poliovirus.

Governor Obiano however charged members of the committee to endeavour
to play their own part as expected, in order to help in fast tracking
the certification of Nigeria as a polio free nation.

Earlier in a presentation, the Secretary of the Committee, Dr.
Ezenyimulu enumerated some of the responsibilities of the members
which include development of work-plans and budgets for improved state
Polio immunization and monitoring activities among others.

Dr. Ezenyimulu said that Anambra state came first in the last year’s
immunization exercise, and has not recorded any case of polio in the
last thirteen years. 

On his part, a representative of the World Health Organization, and
state Coordinator of WHO, Dr. Chukwumuanya Igboekwu represented by Dr. Edward Okeke while rating Nigeria high in the fight against Polio,
disclosed that independent group of experts, the Africa Regional
Certification Committee, ARCC, will be visiting Nigeria next month for
examination of the country’s documentation on Polio free status for
certification. 

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