The atmosphere of Barns Hill Hotel, Awka, Anambra State was entirely different on that Wednesday morning.The main auditorium of the hotel was filled up before noon. The majority of the occupants of the hall were physically challenged persons, most of them sitting on their wheelchairs and others aided by clutches.
It was the second day of the World Polio Day and they were expecting the coming of Sir Emeka Offor, the founder of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, which seeks to alleviate poverty through empowerment and provision of succour to the poor and the needy in the society.
Sir Offor had staged the “Differently Able” Polio Regional Conference for the South-East zone at Barns Hill Hotel, where he had assembled 500 wheelchairs and 100 clutches for distribution to Polio victims in the five states of the South-East.
Each of the five states of the zone of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, got 100 wheelchairs and 20 clutches.
Before coming to Barns Hill Hotel, Sir Offor together with Rotary International leaders and other polio ambassadors in his entourage had paid a courtesy call to Governor Willie Obiano after which he stopped over at Amawbia Health Centre where he helped to immunize children brought out by their mothers to the centre to observe the day.
As soon as the immunization at Amawbia Health centre was completed, he headed for Barns Hill, where the large number of polio survivors was waiting for Offor, who was said to be the highest black donor to the Rotary Foundation, which is committed to the eradication of polio.
When Sir Offor who is also the chairman of the Chrome Group took the stage, the reason behind his resolve for polio eradication was revealed.
Hear him: “Polio was common during my childhood. Scores of my friends and classmates, and their brothers and sisters, fell victim to this dreaded disease. The human toll is enormous, without regard to ethnic background, religion, political persuasion, or economic standing. As a young man, I vowed that I would someday do something significant to end polio in Nigeria. My goal was, then and now, to do all within my power to support polio immunization efforts in Nigeria and throughout the world.
“Last year, I was asked to be Rotary’s Polio Ambassador in Nigeria. As such I work with a team of Rotarian leaders to advocate for polio eradication in Nigeria, including the government of Nigeria, state and local governments where polio eradication efforts are most needed, and with religious and traditional leaders whose support is needed for successful immunization campaigns.
“I am happy at the progress we have made so far: In 2012, Nigeria experienced 122 cases of polio. Last year, there were 53 cases and this year there have been only six documented cases. It is our hope that no more children will become infected and that Nigeria will be declared polio free.”
He disclosed that the six cases in Nigeria were actually caused by the insurgency in the North which made intervention in the zone difficult.
“The fight is not yet over, we must all support this cause and advocate for a polio free life for our children by supporting immunization efforts and educating our communities on the need for proper hygiene.
“We should also support those who have survived this dreadful virus. At the Foundation we see them as ‘Differently Able’, and today I am pleased to announce that we are launching the Differently Able Project throughout Nigeria in the six geopolitical zones between October 2014 and March 2015 to support polio survivors through the distribution of mobile accessories such as wheelchairs and clutches,” he said.
Offor recalled that when he started his Foundation he was giving back to the society, donating to schools, but when he remembered persons killed by Polio, he decided to channel his resources to Polio eradication.
“In 2013, we donated over $2 million. In 2013, we added $1million. We will continue. When it ends in Nigeria and it is in Pakistan, it is not finished. We will continue until it is eradicated globally,” he promised.
He said as Polio Ambassador to Nigeria, he was expected to assist anytime there was an outbreak in any country in the African Continent.
He, however, made it clear that the war against Polio was not about donating money alone, saying that “while donation is about 25 per cent, the job entails more of advocacies.
“You must talk to key stakeholders, religious leaders, political leaders, the people who could put certain legislations to support us. We are also talking about people who could give waivers to Polio survivors.
“These survivors need wheelchairs. The job of legislators is not going on oversight functions alone. You must come and support people with disability. For you with disabilities, in 2015, you must speak with one voice. If you go to ministries and nobody cares, you must make them care,” Offor said.
He said that his Foundation would show commitment to only genuine physically challenged persons who want to be lifted and not those who would wish to take advantage of their disability to extort others.
Speaking, the state Coordinator of Polio Plus, Mr Eloka Chukwudum, said they chose this year’s World Polio Day to honour their son who God has chosen to affect the lives of the survivors by giving them high quality wheelchairs.
“He has reminded us of the poplar Rotary song, ‘to lend a helping hand’. In view of the above, I appeal to all of us blessed with wealth to consider helping the less privileged and to personally impact on their lives.
“We will like everyone to donate to Rotary to help us see to the end of the disease” Chukwudum pleaded.
Also speaking, HRH Ehimetan of Oghara Kingdom, Delta State, said they had expected that by 2005 when Rotary was 100 years, Polio would have been eradicated.
“Rotary is 100 years and polio is not yet eradicated. But today, we have three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, with cases. We have recorded only six cases.
“We never knew that we will have people like Emeka Offor. When we were in Lisbon, I was honoured when Offor was brought out to talk to 20,000 delegates. At that occasion he did something that made me proud when he announced his donation.
“In Sydney, he addressed 20,000 delegates from over 200 countries. He has helped greatly to eradicate Polio. We have also received encouragement from WHO, UNICEF, and United States Agency for Disease Control. We have spent about $1.3 billion on Polio eradication. With determination from all of you, we will succeed,” Ehimetan said.
The district governor noted that ‘Rotary is well organized for the fight against polio’, disclosing that they have the Nigeria Polio Plus Committee, two offices in Lagos and Abuja, three state representatives and three districts in Nigeria.
His words: “We have come together to ensure that the Polio fight is successful. This is the last lap. By December, it is our belief that we will make sure that Nigeria is Polio free. Who will do it? All together, we will surely do it. All of us, we will surely do it. Wherever you are, say that any child between the ages of zero and five should be immunized. That is the way we can make it with the little time left. We will succeed.”
In his contribution, the Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Prof Ahaneku, congratulated the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation for the fight to save humanity.
According to the VC, “Few days ago, Nigeria was certified Ebola free and now we are moving close to being declared Polio free.
“Government and Nigerians had consciousness and we were able to contain Ebola. Here again is Polio and God has sent somebody. God has sent another individual who is to stimulate us and give us a platform to eradicate another disease condition. Only three countries are left. Nigeria is one. If by December, Nigeria is declared Polio free, that will be another wonderful one,” Ahaneku said.
He noted that God has used Sir Offor and would continue to use him to help young men and women to improve themselves, adding that the moment you saved one life, you have helped humanity.
Ahaneku thanked all those who have been helping the physically challenged persons, especially those affected by polio, disclosing that in UNIZIK, they have been assisting the physically challenged persons in recruitment and admission.
Speaking on behalf of polio victims, the Managing Director of Beautiful Gate Industries, a lawyer, Ayuba Gufuwan, whose company manufactured the wheel chairs, expressed gratitude to the Polio Ambassador, Offor, saying that those of them that survived polio should be grateful to God.
“It is a killer disease. All other epidemics, efforts are not geared towards curbing and prevention alone. Here efforts were geared towards prevention, leaving us the survivors out; our generations were abandoned,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Chioma Okoli, thanked their benefactor and Rotary International for the gesture and promised to make use of the lending hand extended to her to better her live.
Earlier, when Governor Obiano received Sir Offor and his entourage, he expressed optimism that his state and the entire country would soon be certified polio-free.
The governor who the Rotary International decorated with the “End Polio Pin” also donated N5 million for the war against polio, saying that he was happy to receive the great polio ambassadors to Anambra State.
Dignitaries who witnessed the distribution of the wheelchairs and clutches included Commissioner for Special Duties, Anambra State, Nobert Obi, who represented Governor Obiano at Barns Hill, the District Governor of Rotary in the eleven states of South-East and South-South, His Royal Highness, Noble Eshemitan, former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Horward Jeter, Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Prof Joe Ahaneku...post by expdonaloaded
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