To this effect, the former U.S. President, Mr Jimmy Carter, and Offor signed an agreement between the Carter Centre and Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) for a partnership to eliminate the disease from seven states in Nigeria.
At the ceremony, Offor presented the cheque for the sum to Carter.
Carter said the money from SEOF would extend the reach of the Centre's work in the Southeast and South South of Nigeria and help reach the goal of eliminating river blindness from the world’s most endemic country, Nigeria, by 2020.
Carter said it would also accelerate river blindness elimination throughout Nigeria at a pivotal time.
''The 10 million dollars multi-year commitment of Sir Offor is the largest from an individual African donor in the Carter Centre history.
''The new resources will fund two-thirds of the Carter Centre's expanded interventions against river blindness in Nigeria to meet the five-year target to eliminate the disease nationwide," Carter said.
On his part, Offor said: ''I am deeply honoured to work closely with the Carter Centre to help eliminate river blindness.
''Nigeria has more cases of the disease than any other country in the world.
''Yet, we know that with adequate resources, hard work and perseverance, we can defeat this terrible neglected disease that can steal a person's ability to see the beauty of the world in which we live in, enjoy full and active life," he said,
He said that it was estimated that up to 31 million Nigerians needed treatment to prevent unnecessary suffering caused by the ancient disease.
He said the grant would support activities to expedite elimination of river blindness in Nigeria, the world’s most endemic country for the parasitic disease.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Carter Centre is in a partnership with Nigeria to reduce the prevalence of neglected diseases, such as river blindness.
For nearly two decades, the centre has assisted the Ministry of Health in nine states to fight river blindness through community-based health education and mass drug administration of Mectizan®, a microfilarial drug donated by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck.
Until recently, the scientific community widely believed that river blindness could not be eliminated with drugs and health education alone in Africa.
Since its inception in 1996, the Carter Centre’s River Blindness Programme has improved coverage, increased the population it assists.
In February 2013, the Federal Minister of Health of Nigeria announced the country’s bold goal of nationwide elimination of river blindness by 2020
Since the late-1990s, Offor established SEOF, a non-profit, charity, with a vision to reduce poverty and create life-improving economic opportunities for those residing in Nigeria’s most marginalised communities through education, health, and empowerment.
(NAN)
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