FEC approves $150m World Bank loan for polio eradication

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the acquisition of $150 million World Bank credit facility to support polio eradication in Nigeria.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, made this known while briefing newsmen after the weekly FEC meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.

She said that the proposed credit facility would be the third additional financing that would build upon previous investments.

The minister said previous investments had paid off by putting Nigeria on the verge of polio eradication. She, however, noted that the objective of the project was to further assist the Federal Government with the facility as part of global polio eradication moves.

“The objective of the project is to assist the Federal Government to achieve and sustain at least 80 per cent coverage in oral polio vaccine immunisation in every state in the country and improve routine immunisation.

“The project will be coordinated by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency at the federal level and implemented in the 12 lagging states, including Adamawa, Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.’’

According to her, the project will aid the implementation of national and state level Polio Immunisation campaigns and support the procurement of vaccines for routine immunisation.

“It is important to know that Nigeria is making significant progress on polio eradication.

“The country has officially interrupted the transmission of wild polio virus with no recorded cases in the past 21 months and if there are no cases by July 2019, Nigeria will be certified polio free.

“The proposed project will provide financial support to the government’s efforts in eradicating polio,’’ she said.