5 reasons why Jonathan won’t be forgotten

RED CARD TO POLIO

One of the least celebrated achievements of the Jonathan administration is the eradication of polio in Nigeria. Prior to Jonathan’s entry, thousands of children, particularly those of northern descent, succumbed to polio paralysis and some death.

Jonathan, interested in the eradication of avoidable paralysis in the country, set up the presidential task force on polio eradication (PTFoPE) in 2012, to oversee the implementation of the 2014 national polio eradication emergency plan with the national emergency operations centre (EOC).

Nigeria recorded tremendous success in 2013 with at least 58% reduction in the number of wild polio virus type 1 (WPV1) cases compared to 2012. By 2014, only six cases of polio were recorded in Nigeria, with the last in July 2014, a month short of PTFoPE’s target for June 2014.

Bill Gates, Microsoft boss and an advocate against polio, tagged the Nigerian polio victory one of his favourite stories of 2014.

“One of my favourite stories of 2014: In just one year, Nigeria went from 50 polio cases to six. Good news you may have missed in 2014, Nigeria had a pretty good year,” he wrote on Twitter.

Though Nigeria has not been officially declared polio-free, the country has not reported a single new case since in 11 months. Cheery, isn’t it?