The Minister of Health, Dr Halliru Alhassan on New Year day stated that Nigeria is polio-free and will be certified so in January, 2015.

Alhassan disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto in a review of all that transpired in the ministry of health in 2014

He said; “This is because only six cases of the wild polio virus were recorded in the last six months in Kano and Jigawa states.

” This feat is a remarkable departure from the nearly 52 WPV cases the country recorded during the same period under review in 2013.

“With this happy development, we are optimistic that Nigeria will be completing the six months required to be declared polio-free by this month,” the minister said.

” The country has indeed made tremendous progress in ensuring the total eradication of polio and it would be sustained.

” The Federal Government would sustain these successes; we have eradicated Ebola and Guinea worm, and polio is on the verge of becoming history in Nigeria,” Alhassan added.