Nigeria and Germany on Thursday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to spend 35 million euro on the fifth phase of the polio eradication programme in Nigeria.

 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri signed the MoU on behalf of the Federal Government, while Mr Klemens Moenkes, charge d’Affaires of the German Embassy, signed on behalf of the European country.

 

Onwuliri said that the signing of the MoU would facilitate the release of funds from the KFW Development Bank of Germany.

 

 The minister recalled that in 2012, the German government had signed an agreement with Nigeria where 17 million euro was spent in an earlier phase of the polio eradication programme.

 

The agreement we are signing here today is expected to facilitate the release of 35.5 million euro by KFW of Germany to assist Nigeria combat the scourge and transmission of polio as well as bridge the critical resource gap in our fight against polio.

 

In November last year my colleague signed an agreement worth 17.5 million euro with KFW to finance three critical components of the polio eradication initiative programme: the immunisation plus days (IPDs); standard operations, acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), surveillance; and technical assistance.

 

It is important to note that with the signing of this agreement today, the total assistance of the German government to Nigeria through KFW will exceed 88 million euro,`` Onwuliri stated.

 

While highlighting the financial challenges to the eradication of polio in the country, the minister acknowledged the additional five million euro provided by the German government to address security challenges in the execution of the project.

 

She said: ``We recognise the additional five million euro committed by the German Government for the adaptation of relevant security measures in view if the risks to the Nigeria polio programme in the Northern part of the country.``

 

She assured of the government's resolve to eradicate polio by 2015 and called on all Nigerians to cooperate in achieving the goal.

 

In his address, Klemens Moenkes, said that the German government was committed to ensuring that polio was eradicated globally. He said that out of the total of 37 million euro provide by the German Government, 32 million euro would be used for the implementation of the programme. He said that children less than five years of age were the main target of the programme adding that the operational costs for the implementation of the emergency plan would be covered.

 

Dr Ado Mohammad, the Executive Secretary, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), commended the German government for its sustained fight against polio in Nigeria.

 

Mohammad recalled the efforts made so far by both countries in addressing the elimination of the polio virus.

 

Between 2003 and 2012, we had four phases of intervention; for 2003 to 2012, we had 40 million euro strictly for OPV. Then in phase four, which was November last year, we had support of 15 million euro for operational cost. The current phase which is phase five makes allowance for 31.5 million euro, and that is strictly for operations. Between now and 2015, we have almost 245 million dollars funding gap, so the 31.5 million euro that is coming from the German government will bridge part of this gap,`` he said.

 

The NPHCDA chief said that WHO, UNICEF and the National Planning Commission were the organisations managing the funds while the NPHCDA was responsible for the implementation of the projects. He also said that Nigeria had reduced the polio virus by more than 50 per cent since 2012.

 

He said: ``We have also been able to restrict the polio virus in Nigeria to discreet challenged areas of Borno, Yobe and the North Eastern part of the country and Kano. Nigeria only transmits polio virus 1 now; we have not seen a single case of polio virus type 3 in the last 10 months which means we are making good progress. If no case of polio virus type three is detected in the next two months, Nigeria has technically stopped transmission of type three polio virus. These are signs that tell if a country is about to stop transmission of the polio virus.``

 

He added that as part of the polio emergency plan, routine immunisation had increased from 51 per cent in 2012 to 78 per cent. He added that routine immunisation and quality campaigns would sustain the programme in affected areas and ensure elimination of the virus by 2015.

 

Mohammad noted that insecurity was a major challenge to the polio eradication programme.

 

He said that since the declaration of the state of emergency in parts of the North East zone of the country by President Goodluck Jonathan, access to such areas had increased. He added that the agency was working with relevant stakeholders to enhance sensitisation of the public to the need for poilo eradication.

 

Also speaking, Mr Wolfgang Weth, the Programme Manager, KFW Development Bank of Germany, said that Nigeria received a substantial amount out of the 100 million euro global funds for the eradication of polio.

 

Weth said that the grant went to Nigeria owing to the federal government's commitment to the polio eradication programme in the country.

 

NAN