Residents of Lagos and Ogun states yesterday defied the heavy downpour of rain that fell in the early hours of the day to participate in the partnership on advocacy against polio held at the border town between both states.
The two governors, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun who spoke at the polio eradication advocacy campaign programme held at Ogijo in Ishagamu Local Government Area of Ogun state, charged the Nigerian youths to join government and organizations in the fight against polio mellitus.
The Lagos state governor on his part said though surveillance indicators had given the clue that both states are free from polio , the state deemed it fit to partner on eradication of polio because both states serve as immigration arteries to other parts of the country.
According to him, the two states had decided to consolidate on the success of polio eradication efforts recorded in the last three years, saying such periodic war against the scourge is vital.
Fashola who likened the fight against polio to war against poverty, added that if the states are able to fight polio, it would protect the? children against? debilitating ailment and poverty.
He urged the residents to cooperate with the states government by ensuring that their wards are immunized, saying the war against polio must won totally in the country to remove it from the list of backward countries that are not polio free.
In his address the Ogun state governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun said the programme tagged “Youths Against Polio “ is to sensitize the youths on the need to kick out polio , urging the teeming youths to use their talents , energies and within their means to achieve the set objectives.
Amosun reiterated the need for the youths to use all other means known to them to wage war against the spread of the virus to delist Nigeria from the countries with cases of polio affirmed that the time to achieve that is now.
The governor specifically charged the youths to use social networks such as facebook, twiter, among others to further spread the polio eradication message.
He lamented that the Federal Government has neglected the roads leading to that axis of the state, pointing out that the state government had written several letters to the presidency to reminding them of the need to rehabilitate the road.