Abuja, March 17, 2004

PROTOCOL

It is with a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to our children that I address Executive Governors, our Royal Fathers and top government functionaries here present on the safety of the Oral Polio Vaccine. We have just received and discussed and accepted a joint FGN/JNI Polio Vaccine Safety Verification Report that has given me great relief and some satisfaction. The team led by Shehu of Dikwa and assisted by Prof. Umaru Shehu is composed of officials, scientists, representatives of JNI and a television crew which produced more than seven hours of films.

On coming into office in May 1999, our Administration pledged its total commitment to the Eradication of Poliomyelitis in Nigeria, a goal to which the Federal Ministry of Health, through National Programme on Immunisation (NPI), is charged to accomplish by the target date of December 2004. We were to work in tandem and in collaboration with countries and with the rest of West Africa.

We have made tremendous, progress from 1999 to date and we must admit that we have also faced a few challenges, key among which is the anti-OPV controversy, which started intensely in the year 2003.

As a responsible and responsible government and in consideration of our sworn responsibility to the children of Nigeria, we have taken every possible step to address the expressed concerns and thus have entered into dialogue with individuals and groups to ensure that we reach a resolution in a timely manner and thus attain a polio-free status with other nations of the world.

We have received here today the final report of the Joint GFN/JNI All-Inclusive Final Verification Exercise on the safety of the Oral Polio Vaccine, after the delegation's visits and tests in South Africa, Indonesia and India, as well as after review of all other tests carried out previously within and outside the country.

This report categorically attests to the safety of the OPV and clears it of contamination by the HIV/AIDS Virus, cancerous agents and anti-fertility agents.

It is my belief that this report will finally put to rest our fears and increase our commitment to the Nigerian child, while putting us forward and make us ambassadors to our States and our Nation. As we embark on advocacy campaigns and local mobilisation strategies to reassure our people of the safety and potency of the Oral Polio Vaccine, we will reach all children, 0 - 59 months, with two (2) drops of safe and potent Oral Polio Vaccine during the scheduled National Immunisation Days (NIDs), Sub-National Immunisation Days (SNIDS and responsive mop-up operations in the year 2004.

By our determined and collective efforts, we will definitely surprise the.world by attaining a polio-free Nigeria by the target date. We can do this as we join hands together as responsible and committed guardians of our children's future.

I have confidently made Public declarations of our irrevocable commitment to the global Polio Eradication efforts and, in Nigeria, as we will stand by our dedications, we will not relent until every child is protected from paralysis or death from the wild polio virus.

I have come to see and believe that the period of this controversy has again demonstrated our resolve as a nation to solve issues through dialogue, tolerance and scientific verification where such is called for and with a sense of iudgement that is guided by the principle of right and, in this case, the right of the child.

Again, Nigeria as a strong nation has demonstrated a peculiarity of being careful in all the processes engaged towards the resolution of the safety of Oral Polio Vaccine. To this end, I want to commend all the States and, to name a few, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, Zamfara, Sokoto, etc, who have also shown their cooperation in varying degrees towards the resolution.

In my capacity as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have reassured the United Nations Secretary-General – Mr. Kofi Annan -, the Heads of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), former President Jimmy Carter of the United States of America, the Chairman of the African Union - former President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali -, President Bush and other leaders, who had expressed concern over Nigerian situation for a polio-free nation, of our resolve to meet the global target.

I have sincerely carried out this declaration on behalf of the entire government and people of Nigeria that we have a determined common goal to join other nations of the world to ensure that our children are neither targets nor victims of the wild polio virus. And that Nigeria will not remain a spreader of the virus to other countries. We do this with equal determination to verify, ensure and assure the quality and safety of the vaccines, which we buy through the instrumentality of UN agencies and from the same manufacturers that UN agencies buy for other nations of the world.

Furthermore, from the economic viewpoint, we have allocated a large portion of our meagre resources to this initiative from 1999 to date and it is, therefore, our responsibility to ensure that these funds and the over $30 million Development Partners funds donated globally achieve the target goal. I also believe that if States begin to write their history of polio Eradication, we will note the quantifiable and unquantifiable contributions made by every State and even members of the civil society. All these have economic value for now and the future, as we cannot afford to lose any or all of it. We have travelled so far and we must collectively bind together to reach our goal in assured security and safety. Finally, I want to thank all and each member of the Joint FGN/SNI All-inclusive Verification Delegation for your painstaking undertaking and cooperation with one another to reach the satisfactory Verification Goal attained and urge that this common "spirit’’ (for the interest of our children will continue with us all collectively and individually to ensure that the child's right to safe vaccination and our responsibility to provide it fully is complied with and sustained.

The Vice-President, Governors here present, Distinguished Royal Fathers, the Honourable Minister of Health, Distinguished scientists and all other distinguished leaders here present, I wish to commend our determined efforts, and zeal towards the Final Push of Polio Eradication in Nigeria. We must kick Polio out of Nigeria. It is a worthy legacy for our children. We will not do less.

Once again, I thank all Nigerians who have shown concern, exercised tolerance and restraint while efforts continued to verify the safety of vaccine to full satisfaction. As a country, we have, once again, proved that we can surmount any obstacle and resolve any problem through dialogue, patience, tolerance, goodwill and openness.

Insha Allah, we shall conduct the forthcoming rounds of Supplemental Immunisation Campaigns (NIDs, SNIDs and Mop-ups) with the highest commitment and dedication possible and thereby halt the transmission of the wild polio virus by the end of Year 2004 within Nigeria.