Sir Emeka Offor Foundation

Sir Emeka Offor announces another $1M dollar contribution to Rotary International for Polio eradication

Press Release by Rotary International

Sydney, Australia June 3 2014-For the second consecutive year, Nigerian philanthropist and business leader Sir Emeka Offor (affectionately known as Sir Emeka) has donated US$1 million to Rotary’s PolioPlus program, which supports global efforts to eradicate the disease.

Sir Emeka announced his gift today at the organization’s annual convention, which is taking place this week in Sydney, Australia, and has drawn more than 18,000 Rotarians from 150 countries. Last year’s gift was also announced at Rotary’s convention, held in Lisbon.

The eradication effort is a personal commitment for Sir Emeka, who hails from one of the three countries where wild polio has never been stopped (the others are Afghanistan and Pakistan).

 “Polio was common during my childhood in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria,” explained Sir Emeka, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Chrome Group, a Nigerian oil and gas conglomerate. “My friends, classmates, and their siblings all fell victim to this terrible disease.  As a young man, I vowed I would someday do something significant to end polio in Nigeria.”

Sir Emeka has made good on his promise. This new gift brings his total contributions to Rotary to $3.1 million; however, he has done far more than simply donate money to fight polio. Since last year’s contribution, he has been increasingly active as Rotary’s PolioPlus Ambassador in Nigeria. Sir Emeka works with a team of Rotary leaders to liaise with the Government of Nigeria through the federal and state health systems and primary health centers in local government areas where polio eradication efforts are most needed. They also work with religious and traditional leaders whose support is needed for successful immunization campaigns. Furthermore, two months ago, Sir Emeka opened a PolioPlus Ambassador’s Office at no cost to Rotary in Abuja, Nigeria.  This office, which was commissioned by Rotary Trustee Chair Dong Kurn Lee, serves as a hub for Sir Emeka’s PolioPlus ambassadorial activities in Nigeria and supports the work of Rotary’s National PolioPlus Committee.

 “Rotary is proud to be working with a business and humanitarian leader like Sir Emeka Offor,” said Past Rotary Vice President John Germ, who leads the organization’s fundraising efforts for polio eradication. “With Sir Emeka’s support, Nigeria has made significant progress and is closer than ever to eliminating polio within its borders. We are confident we will eliminate this disease from the world and ensure no child ever again has to suffer from its crippling effects. ”

Sir Emeka’s support comes at a critical time for global polio eradication efforts. Nigeria in particular has seen tremendous progress in recent years and is closer than ever to ending the disease. In 2013, the country had only 53 cases of polio, a record low for a nation that, as recently as 2012, was home to more than half the world’s cases. However, conflict and insecurity continue to pose challenges to polio eradication. Sir Emeka’s new gift will help Rotary fund critically-needed immunization activities to ensure the disease is stopped for good.

The $1 million gifts from both 2013 and 2014 are eligible for matching funds under the End Polio Now – Make History Today fundraising campaign, carried out in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Under the agreement, the Gates Foundation will match 2 for 1 every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication, up to $35 million per year. Thus, Sir Emeka’s $2 million in support of PolioPlus leverages $6 million toward polio eradication.

Beyond last year’s $1 million gift, Sir Emeka has previously supported Rotary’s polio eradication work through a $250,000 gift to celebrate World Polio Day, and has also generously contributed to Rotary’s maternal and child health, peace and conflict resolution and educational programs. His gifts make him the largest contributor from Africa in Rotary’s 109 year history.

In addition to his support for Rotary, he is the founder of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, which focuses on poverty alleviation through literacy and education programs in West Africa’s poorest communities.

Offor, Carter Center to jointly fight River Blindness in Nigeria

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Sir Emeka Offor meet in London

LONDON -May 30, 2014-

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation and the Carter Center have strengthened ties to wipe out onchocerciasis (river blindness) disease in Nigeria. The Executive Vice Chair of the Chrome Group and founder of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, Sir Emeka Offor, met for the first time with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, in London recently to discuss their respective organizations’ partnership to eliminate onchocerciasis, which they both agreed is an often neglected disease that causes immense suffering in Nigeria.

During the meeting, the teams explored ways to strengthen their combined efforts to stop the needless suffering caused by the preventable parasitic disease. Nigeria accounts for 40 percent of the world's onchocerciasis.

"Together, the Offor Foundation, The Carter Center, the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health and State Ministries of Health are working to wipe out this disease from seven states in Southeast and South South Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, and Imo states)," the statement said.

Last year, Sir Offor donated a total of $250,000 to The Carter Center. Earlier in the year, a team of field scientists from the Carter Center paid a courtesy visit to Sir Offor’s corporate headquarter in Abuja, where he explained his intentions to support the efforts of the Center towards their continued health work in Nigeria.

There has not been any official statement yet from both organizations as to the outcome of the May 30th meeting in London, but the SEOF views the meeting as very productive and promising for the goal of RB elimination in Nigeria.

Source: Written by Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

Celebrating our children through polio eradication

Written by Lorretta Epuechi

Prior to the establishment of the Children’s Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954, the rights of children were almost non-existent in a lot of countries around the world. Children were subjected to different forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination. They were used as labourers, immersed in armed conflicts, living on the streets; their sufferings were as a result of religion, minority issues or disabilities. Child mortality was prevalent largely due to diseases that were otherwise preventable. While these still occur, there is a new consciousness on the rights of a child.

The 1954 proclamation is aimed at promoting mutual exchange and understanding amongst children, and initiating action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world’s children. In promoting the welfare of children, their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, education and good health are imperative in other to enhance their life’s expectancy and development.

Under the UN Convention of the Rights of a Child, all children have an explicit right to achieve their developmental potential and to sustain the highest possible standard of health; unfortunately a lot of children have been plagued by childhood killer diseases, most being avertable.

Polio is one disease that affects children; it has no cure, but it is preventable. It is caused by a poliovirus infection and accounts for major cases of partial and full paralysis in human beings, especially children. Over the past two decades, tremendous progress has been made towards its eradication. In 1988 when the World Health Assembly established the goal of eradicating the disease, wild polio virus was endemic in 125 countries and about 350, 000 people, majorly young children were paralyzed by polio. Immunization efforts have since reduced the number of cases by up to 99% globally. Presently it remains endemic only in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

In Nigeria today, the Federal Government has committed enormous funds to its “Kick Out Polio” campaign. The goal is to completely eradicate the disease especially in the Northern parts where the disease still retains a foothold due to security challenges; challenges that resulted in the killing of health and aid workers, even the abduction of over 200 school girls.

On March 1^st 2014 at an event that took place in Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (S.E.O.F) in collaboration with Rotary International launched an immunization program where Polio vaccines were administered to children. The founder of S.E.O.F, Sir Emeka Offor who is also Rotary International’s Polio Ambassador (the first from Nigeria) has shown a lot of commitment to the fight against the polio scourge. As part of his efforts to this crusade, he has donated more than a million USD to Rotary International and is still doing more.

During the ceremony, Sir Offor spoke on the ills of Polio and the benefits of immunization. He called on all Nigerians, captains of industries, the Civil Society and Faith Based leaders to support this noble course of ending Polio in Nigeria. In his words “Polio is an ugly monster that everyone, regardless of age, race, tribe, religion or political affiliation should rise up against, to ensure that we secure the future of our children even those yet unborn”.

As we mark the Children’s Day, let us bear in mind that our children are our future and it is our obligation to ensure the preservation of this future.

Sir Emeka Offor extends support to Benola - A Cerebral Palsy Initiative.

 Written by Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

Sir Emeka Offor, on Thursday 22^nd of May, 2014 through the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) donated N500,000 to BENOLA Initiative, a non-profit organization committed to change and progress for persons living with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

The donation was made at a gathering for a public presentation of Benola’s roadmap for Cerebral Palsy in Nigeria. In their presentation, the founders of Benola Initiative, AVM Felix Olufemi Gbadebo and his wife Mrs Alaba Adeyemi Gbadebo sought to; raise awareness about CP, create a credible database for the condition in Nigeria and other African Countries, provide care and support for affected families, engage in capacity building for professionals in the healthcare sector on the use of appropriate technology and, in concert with other stakeholders, engage in advocacy for the rights of every individual living with limitations.

While addressing the guests, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Tunji Funsho, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria National PolioPlus, appraised the significance of the roadmap document on the Nigerian healthcare system. He further affirmed that the document offers a clear direction for effective management of CP in the country, looking at the synergistic roles of government, private and civil society groups.

Rosaline Agiamoh, The Polio Ambassador Representative was at the event to stand in for Sir Offor who could not be present due to prior commitments. Conveying Sir Offor’s goodwill message, she commended the Benola Initiative and expressed that the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation was not only supporting the initiative with funds but also open to partner with the Benola team on other programs. Before handing over the donation, Mrs. Agiamoh reminded the founders that Sir Offor felt touched by their efforts and despite the short notice was moved to supporting the initiative with N500, 000 in bank draft.

Cerebral Palsy, which can affect children before or during birth and up to 3 years, is caused by damage to the motor control centers of a developing brain. It is accompanied with permanent and progressive physical disability. Only about 2% of CP cases are considered genetic. In Nigeria, about 700,000 children are affected with CP, according to a report quoted by Professor Afolabi Lesi, a Paediatrician and Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences at the University of Lagos.

Nigerian children affected by CP are largely at an increased disadvantage when compared to their counterparts in most developed countries due to poor awareness, lack of support and management tools, and due to the shame and cultural stigma associated with the condition. As loving parents, AVM Gbadebo and his wife, having a child with CP did not cause them to hide their faces. They worked tirelessly to provide the necessary support their child needed and are now extending similar assistance to others. Their efforts were applauded by the distinguished Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe, who confirmed that the Benola team has touched “hundreds of lives”.