STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF INTERRUPTION OF WILD POLIOVIRUS TRANSMISSION IN NIGERIA

1. Today, July 24, 2016 marks two years since the last case of wild poliovirus was reported in Nigeria. I congratulate all stakeholders that have made this historic achievement possible and those who have worked tirelessly to maintain the effort and permanently halt new polio cases in the country.

2. The next major milestone for us as a country is the certification of polio-free status in 2017 by the World Health Organisation. This administration remains firm in its commitment towards making this a reality by continuing to support in every way possible, routine immunization and the revitalization of primary health care system.

3. As a nation, we are cooperating with international, public and private partners to ensure that in our lifetime our children do not suffer from this crippling disease again. We recognize the power of global partnership to achieve a polio-free world and Nigeria will continue to honour its commitment to ensure that this disease is wiped off the face of the earth for good.

WHO: More than 120 health workers have died of Ebola

The World Health Organisation said that more than 240 health workers working on the Ebola epidemic have contracted the disease and around half of those infected workers have died. 

More than 120 health workers have died of Ebola across west Africa, the World Health Organization said on Monday, claiming the epidemic had affected an "unprecedented number of medical staff".

In a statement, the WHO said more than 240 health care workers working in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone have developed the disease with "more than 120" succumbing to the epidemic.

Lagos State clears 61 people monitored for possible Ebola infection

Sixty-one people placed under observation by the Nigerian authorities for possible Ebola infection have been cleared and are not at risk of contracting the disease.

 The 61 persons were cleared after 21 days since they had primary or secondary contact with the index case, the Liberian Patrick Sawyer who died of Ebola in Lagos.

 Lagos State Governor, Babtunde Fashola, disclosed this during a broadcast to the people of the state on the level of preparedness and efforts taken by the government to curtail the spread of the virus in the state. 

“Last week we cleared a total of 61 contacts after the 21 days surveillance which is the known lifespan of the virus. These people were not sick. 

DORA AKUNYILI: A TALE OF NIGERIA – A POT-POURI OF ‘THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY'

When Mrs Dora Nkem Akunyili was the Zonal Secretary (South-east) of the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund in 1998, Nigerian doctors gave her what many of her family members considered to be a health scare. They said she had a growth and needed surgery. Akunyili, then 44, decided to travel to the United States, first to get a second opinion and then undergo the prescribed surgery. The bill for the medical trip was $17,000, including $12,000 for the surgery. During pre-surgery check-up in the US, the doctors told her the Nigerian doctors had made a wrong diagnosis and that she did not need any surgery. It was said to be a minor issue that medication would solve. She thanked the doctors and, to their surprise, said she was going to return the money meant for the surgery to PTF. That was strange. Nigerian government officials had devised a way of making sure such monies were not returned to the treasury. The hospital informed the PTF, under the leadership of Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, about one honest Nigerian they had found. Buhari, himself a straightforward person, was very impressed. He wrote a letter to Akunyili commending her honesty. NAFDAC then came 2001.

President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to appoint a director-general for the National Agency for Drug and Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and asked for the recommendation of an honest Nigerian pharmacist. Akunyili’s name promptly came up. Someone who had heard about her PTF record recommended her. There was a little problem, a Nigerian problem. Objections were raised that the minister of health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, was an Igbo from Anambra State and NAFDAC, being a powerful agency under the ministry, should not be headed by another Igbo from Anambra. It was also argued that the market for fake and substandard products were controlled by the Igbo, with Onitsha – also in Anambra State – a major centre for the illicit business. She was going to protect “her people”, the antagonists said. Obasanjo, stubborn to the cause, ignored the observations and appointed her. She went on to do a credible job and ended up as one of the most outstanding public officers in Nigeria’s history, celebrated locally and globally. She had lost a sister to fake drugs, and that was perhaps the impetus she needed to go on the offensive.