Rotary Extends Polio Campaign
The Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi in the industrial area of Port Harcourt takes polio immunization campaign to Obio Cottage Hospital, which elicits commendation from residents and beneficiaries
By Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
In a renewed effort to ensure that polio is finally eradicated and no child between ages 0-5 is affected in Nigeria, members of the Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi, District 9141, on Friday, October 22, 2026, embarked on a polio immunization exercise in line with Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus.
The exercise, which took place at the Obio Cottage Hospital, Rumuobiakani, Port Harcourt, witnessed a large turnout of nursing mothers who came forward with their babies to receive oral polio vaccines.
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the event, the President of Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi, District 9141, Rotarian Okezie Emekekwue, said the club decided to support the hospital in the fight against polio by immunizing children and also donating a brand new Mobile Mega Speaker for public awareness.
“Yes, we are aware that in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Nigeria polio-free. But as long as we live in a global village, it takes just one person with polio to put the whole world at risk. That is why Nigerians will not stop fighting polio until the wild polio virus is eradicated everywhere in the world,” he said.
The President advised nursing mothers not to relent but to intensify efforts in ensuring their babies are properly immunized, adding, “Indeed, I am calling on nursing mothers to take polio immunization very seriously. The intake of oral vaccines will not only help to fight polio but also protect babies against other infectious diseases that may affect their health and growth.”
Corroborating him, a Past District Governor and member of Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi, Rotarian Chinedu Ikegwuani, stressed the need for every nursing mother to remain committed to immunizing her baby, noting that polio has not been given the final blow.
“There are two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, that are still endemic. It is only when these two countries are declared free by the WHO that every country can be said to be truly polio-free. Let me tell you, it is just a flight by one infected person that can resurrect polio in a country that has been given a clean bill of health. That is why Nigeria is not taking anything for granted in the fight against polio, which is not incurable but very preventable,” he stated.
Ikegwuani encouraged nursing mothers not to be deterred but to take their babies to the nearest hospital for proper immunization to avoid premature death or paralysis.
Responding after receiving the Mobile Mega Speaker on behalf of the hospital, the Head of Department, Immunization Unit of the Clinic, Mrs. Joy Iwokpo, expressed joy and thanked the visiting Rotarians for the gesture.
“Unarguably, the Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi has always been coming to support us in the bid to eradicate polio in Nigeria. I can assure them that the management of the hospital will judiciously and carefully make use of the system,” she said.
The visibly elated HOD prayed to God to bless and replenish the Rotarians a hundredfold.
