The District Governor of Rotary International, District 9141, Mr Anthony Woghiren, has urged mothers to become ambassadors in the fight against polio across Nigeria.
Woghiren made the call on Thursday in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, during an immunisation outreach held to commemorate the 2025 World Polio Day at a Primary Health Centre in Kuje.
He said mothers play a vital role in ensuring children between zero and five years received polio immunisation, stressing the importance of increased awareness among women at the grassroots level.
“I have instructed mothers to be our ambassadors, tell their friends and pregnant women that every child must receive immunisation to prevent any form of polio,” Woghiren said.
He noted that Rotary International had long championed the fight against polio to ensure its complete eradication from every part of the world.
According to him, only Afghanistan and Pakistan still report cases of wild poliovirus, while global eradication efforts have achieved a 99.9 per cent success rate.
Woghiren said Rotary’s goal was to achieve total eradication of polio before 2030, recalling that Nigeria was certified free of the wild poliovirus in 2020.
He explained that Rotary continued to implement various programmes aimed at sustaining zero-polio status and preventing any resurgence of the disease in the country.
Rotary, he said, had intensified public sensitisation through social media, community outreach, and awareness campaigns across cities, markets, and rural areas to promote vaccination.
“We need support because we cannot do it alone. We appeal to well-spirited individuals to contribute to the Rotary Polio Fund,” Woghiren said.
He explained that funds raised were used to procure vaccines and supported health workers conducting immunisation exercises nationwide.
Woghiren urged mothers to embrace the programme, warning that refusal to vaccinate could expose their children to the risk of contracting polio.
