Gates with Tinubu
By Amah
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President Bola Tinubu has lauded Bill Gates, Chairman of the Bill Gates Foundation, for inspiring leaders worldwide and consistent philanthropic works across the globe.
The President spoke on Tuesday while conferring the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) award on Gates, citing the co-founder of Microsoft’s support for maternal health, agriculture and infectious disease research.
“Today, I would like to share my happiness and respect and acknowledge one of the greatest human beings in the world,” Tinubu said.
“All I need to say is thank you, Bill Gates, for your indivisible commitment to humanity. It is highly remarkable.
“It is an inspiration to leaders across the world, including the one standing before you.
“I thank you very much. It is a great thing to honour you as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“Nigeria had some ambitious goals for improving health, and three people here today are great champions of that cause.
“Of course, the President is making health a priority. Pate, we’ve worked together to handle great challenges, including the incredible progress on polio.
“Then, Dangote, I got to know, and we have done great work together. So, in the 25 years in Nigeria, we have achieved a lot. As was mentioned, the child death rate has gone down, and that’s because new vaccines were received to boost our efforts. A lot was learnt, and partnerships were built with traditional institutions.”
He added that Nigeria achieved a better result than any other country in getting out the vaccine to young girls.
Gates told Tinubu that he was dedicated to cutting malnutrition and spreading vaccines that could end malaria in Nigeria.
“Some of our goals will seem ambitious; for example, in the next twenty years, we hope to eradicate malaria,” he added and assured on his continued commitment to improving health in Nigeria, aiming to invest his entire wealth in this cause in the next 20 years.
Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Development, had earlier said Gates deserved his honour, considering his long-term involvement in Nigeria’s national development.
“Bill Gates’ friend, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has been working with him to transform lives across the country,” Pate said.
“From that time until now, the Gates Foundation and through other channels have invested more than 2 billion dollars of its capital in various arenas that directly affect our people, whether in health care, agriculture, or the digital economy.
“Importantly, when he came into Northern Nigeria, there were with immunisation, people refusing because of ignorance, and with Mr Gates and Alhaji Aliko, they mobilised the entire traditional ruler’s committee.”
