Abuja, 27 February 2008 -- WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan on Saturday ended her first official visit to Nigeria expressing optimism that polio can be kicked out of the country this year with the government and partners keeping up their hard work and commitment. She praised the commitment of Nigeria’s traditional and religious leaders to polio eradication, and pledged WHO’s support to make it happen in 2008

“I am encouraged by the commitment of traditional leaders to help Nigeria become the first of the remaining four polo-endemic countries to eradicate the disease,” Dr Chan said at a news conference Friday in Abuja. “You have my personal commitment and I can assure you of the full commitment of WHO to support you in your efforts to improve the health of the people of Nigeria.”

Dr Chan praised “the technical excellence” of the country’s health workforce at all levels, as well as progress made in several areas of health -- including polio eradication, HIV/AIDS, and transparency in reporting outbreaks of avian influenza and other diseases. She however expressed concern about the high maternal and child death rates in Nigeria; morbidity and mortality due to malaria and tuberculosis; lack of access by many Nigerians to even the most basic health services, and the emergence of “hidden killers” such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other noncommunicable diseases.

“The challenge, therefore, is to capture the political commitment of the leaders, the technical excellence of health staff, the support of donors and UN agencies and translate economic progress into social progress… and better heath for Nigerians,” the WHO Director-General said.

During her visit, Dr Chan met with Nigerian President Umar Yar’Adua; the First Lady Mrs Turai Yar’Adua; Senior health officials including Health Minister Prof. Adenike Grange and Commissioners of Health from Nigeria’s 36 States; Federal lawmakers serving on the national assembly committees on health and the Senior Adviser to the President on MDGs.

At her meeting with the lawmakers, Dr Chan made a special plea to them to speed up the passage of Nigeria’s proposed National Health Bill which is expected to help align health and health-related activities of the three tiers of Government in the Nigerian federation.

Prior to the flag off of the nation wide Immunization Plus Days at  Jikowyi, in the Federal Capital Territory, the WHO Director-General also met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, a prominent and influential religious leader in the north of the country. She requested the Sultan to assist in reinforcing the immunization message, and in reaching communities, which, in the past,  had been particularly wary of oral polio vaccines. The Sultan, who has been active in championing cause of immunisation promised not to relent in his efforts.

Dr Chan was accompanied on her visit to Nigeria by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, the WHO Assistant Director General  for Health Security and Environment  and Representative of the Director-General for Polio Eradication, Dr David Heymann, the Special Assistant to the Director-General, Dr. Ian Smith and the WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Peter Eriki.

For more information contact:

Dr Peter Eriki, WHO Representative in  Nigeria;

Mobile: +234-8039795150l:

Catrien Wijkerslooth;

Mobile: +234-8039795148

Samuel Ajibola (in Brazaville):

Mobile +242-6537022