When Polio Vaccine Won Against Polio Virus 4 Goals to 3
To commemorate 2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, polio survivors came together to highlight the urgent need for continued efforts to respond to polio outbreaks and improve routine immunisation in Nigeria.
3 December 2024- It is half-time, and the polio vaccine team is tied 2-2 with the polio virus team in the final of the para-soccer match at the Giginya Memorial Stadium in the extreme northwestern Nigerian state of Sokoto.
The final match culminates a three-week-long tournament of para-soccer, a fast-paced and highly competitive game played among polio survivors—individuals who were struck and left paralysed by the poliomyelitis virus in childhood.
In the final minutes of the game, the Polio Vaccine Team scores a decisive goal against the Polio Virus Team. This winning goal symbolises the triumph of vaccinations against deadly childhood diseases in Sokoto.
The visibly excited captain of the winning team, Mukhtar S. Doki, stated,
Our victory represents the triumph of vaccines over the polio virus and other vaccine-preventable diseases affecting children under five years. The tournament's primary goal is to remind parents and carers to ensure their children receive vaccinations.
Doki emphasised that polio is real and has no cure, urging parents to protect their children from the virus. “The polio vaccine safeguards children from the virus that can cause paralysis or even death. Immunise your children and give them a good start in life, he said.
Abdullahi Abubakar, popularly known as “Dagangang,” the star player of the winning team, echoed similar sentiments: “We are living testimonies that polio is real, and the trusted protection you can give your child against this dreaded virus is vaccination.”
Nigeria is a nation marked by significant divisions along ethnic and religious lines, but football unites everyone. From time immemorial, football has been a powerful unifying force and a unique source of joy for Africans and Nigerians in particular. The Para-Soccer Tournament was organised as part of a strategy to enlighten youth and adults about polio and its effects on children.
Sokoto, much like the rest of northern Nigeria, has been plagued by low levels of routine immunisation and ongoing polio outbreaks. Supported by partners, the State Government of Sokoto has been organising a series of social mobilisation events to encourage parents to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake, in addition to conducting extensive vaccination campaigns.
Earlier, during a rally to commemorate the 2024 World Polio Day, Sokoto State Commissioner of Health Hajiya Asabe Balarabe reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to collaborating with partners to eradicate polio in Sokoto State. Balarabe commended UNICEF and other partners working tirelessly to ensure every child in Sokoto is vaccinated, stating,
By working together, we can eliminate polio in our dear state.
Partnerships include all tiers of government and organisations such as AFENET, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Chigari Foundation, CGPP Nigeria, eHealth, the Dangote Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Rotary, Solina, the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation.
Dr. Shamina Sharmin, UNICEF Acting Chief of Field Office, noted that the match serves as a powerful reminder that the fight against the polio virus is far from over. We are not yet there, and we should not focus solely on the polio campaign; we must also emphasize routine immunization, strengthen healthcare systems, and other interventions. We need to work hand in hand through a multisectoral approach, combining our efforts to reach eligible children,” she advised.
"I am sure the skills of these polio survivors entertained us all," she continued. However, if they had received immunization and protection from the virus, their lives might have been different.
