The Rotary International President, Gordon Mclnally, would be on a three-day working visit to Nigeria from Friday with a fresh donation of US$7 million for eradication and disease prevention.
The latest grant is in addition to the US$14 million given by Rotary about two months ago, through the WHO to Nigeria, for technical assistance on polio surveillance.
Nigeria is also an awardee of Rotary’s US$2 million US dollar grant for the improvement of Maternal and Child Health
There were indications that Mclnally may have an audience with President Bola Tinubu on other areas of assistance on disease control, child and maternal health.
According to a statement by the Coordinator of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Prof. Emmanuel Dolapo Lufadeju and the Co- coordinator, Dr. Goddy Nnadi, the visit will enhance the ties between the Federal Government and the Rotary International.
The statement said: “Rotary International is a Non-Governmental foremost Humanitarian Organization with over 1.5m members worldwide. It enjoys diplomatic status and has sat at the United Nations as an observer since 1948. The organization has been instrumental to the eradication of Polio in Nigeria.
“This visit is to cement the already existing bond between the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and other stakeholders.
“Nigeria is the awardee of the 2nd ‘’Programme of Scale (PoS), a US$2 million US dollar grant, for the improvement of Maternal and Child Health code named – “Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria.
“Also, recently, a new grant amounting to US$14million was given by Rotary, through the WHO to the Government of Nigeria, to enable WHO provide technical assistance on polio surveillance .
‘The grant was also a support to avert a resurgence of wild polio as well as to eradicate the Circulating Variant Poliovirus Type 2 (CVPVD2) in the country (CVPVD2).
“Another US$7 million is to be donated by Rotary to UNICEF for Eradication and disease prevention in Nigeria.
“It is important to note that Rotarians are actively involved in the implementation of all Rotary projects in Nigeria, working closely with the Federal Ministry of health, the State Ministries of Health and other national and international partners.”
