In appreciation of his generous donations of $1million towards polio eradication in Nigeria, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Chrome Group, Sir Emeka Offor, has been appointed as Rotary International’s First Polio Ambassador in Nigeria.
In a letter dated July 12, conveying the appointment to offor, signed by Rotary Foundation trustee, Messrs D.K. Lee, and Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, the Foundation said, this was sequel to the Rotary Convention PolioPlus reception held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 25.
The letter read in part: This appointment is made in recognition of your extra-ordinary commitment to the eradication of polio, and your willingness to play a strong leadership role in Rotary’s polio eradication efforts in Nigeria.”
Rotary ended by noting that the eradication of polio is its first priority, adding that Offor’s “generosity, commitment and enthusiasm will help to eliminate this dreaded disease from the surface of the earth.”
The foundation also sent a similar letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, informing him of Offor, who is also the Founder, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, SEOF, of his appointment as a polio ambassador.
The letter, also signed by Lee and Wilkinson, said: “As a Polio Ambassador, Sir Emeka Offor will utilise his professional and personal skills and connections to advocate for activities that support immunisation activities throughout Nigeria and West Africa.
“The message will be clear: polio must be eradicated, and leaders must all collaborate in order for the effort to be successful.”
Also similar notification letters were sent to the Secreatry of the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim; the ministers of Health, and Culture and Tourism, Prof. Christain Chukwu, and Chief Edem Duke, respectively.
In Anyim’s letter, Rotary disclosed that as an ambassador, Offor “will represent Rotarians in his outreach to leaders in Nigeria and throughout Africa, asking for their urgent engagement in the polio eradication effort.”
It added that: “We have made tremendous progress in the fight against polio in Nigeria, but we cannot afford to slow our efforts now.”
To Chukwu, the letter indicated that Offor planned “to meet with Nigerian leaders and to perhaps expand those conversations with leaders in other polio affected countries throughout Africa.”
While to Duke, the letter noted that Offor’s “outreach will not only allow him to discuss the requirements for polio eradication on the African continent, but also encourage opportunities for increased collaboration and enhanced cultural exchange.”
The letters urged all the respective recipients to support and collaborate with the polio ambassador to ensure a successful eradication of the disease in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
In a separate letter thanking Offor for the $1 million to PolioPlus, the Vice Chair, International PolioPlus Committee, Mr. John F. Germ, said the contribution “helped to launch the new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation challenge, and as such was leveraged with an additional US$2 million, resulting in a cumulative impact of US$3 million toward the eradication of polio in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
He added that “The announcement of an additional US$100,000 corporate gift plus air time on your radio station network was a welcome surprise. This corporate gift will also be leveraged by the Gates Foundation, and the media coverage on the polio eradication activities will help to set the stage for success.”
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