Nigeria's War on Polio

Six years ago, Muslims in northern Nigeria formed a boycott of polio vaccinations because they claimed they were a Western plot to infect them with AIDS. The number of crippled children doubled in result of this. Now, after another tripling of polio cases, an anti-polio group is rising to clear the country of this disease. People crowd the streets to urge parents to get their children vaccinated at one of the hundreds of provided vaccination centers. This movement has increased the number of vaccinated by 26%. There is a fear that polio could be spread to surrounding countries, destroying their multibillion dollar plan to wipe the disease from the globe.


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This relates to what we have been learning in class because of different views on society by different religions. Some Muslims do not support getting children immunized, whereas others track down kids who have no recieved the vaccination. Getting rid of polio in Nigeria is important because it could easily spread around the globe, crippling many.

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Nigerian children branded as witches

Hundreds of children are being thrown out of their homes in the Niger Delta region and tortured for being "witches." The belief in witchcraft is not new in Nigeria, but children have never been the targets. Self-proclaimed pastors get paid for the extreme "exorcism" on the children. There is a huge number of fake evangelists that know very well that there is nothing wrong with the kids they brand. Some experts blame Christian extremism and polygamous rivalry for the child factor in witch-hunting. The kids are burned, starved, and beaten for no reason. Because Akwa Ibom civilians are ranked among Nigeria's poorest, they are easy to exploit. Special Programs like Children's Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) are trying there best to help save victims of these crimes.


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This relates to what we have been learning in class by connecting religion and the economy together. "Religion is the only industry we have in Akwa Ibom outside oil." People are faking religion and becoming self-proclaimed pastors in order to get money for torturing helpless children. "Some people are making brisk business out of defenceless children. It's greed, targeting fullible and susceptible rural people," said Aniekan Umanah. The society is unstable and violent, but changes are trying to be made to help the innocent children fighting for their rights for a normal life.


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