Abuja, 15 June 2015 - Nigeria joined the rest of the world in marking the  2015 World Blood Donor Day, which commenced  with a procession along Shehu Shagari Way in  Abuja  dubbed “walk for life”, followed by a press briefing  on Saturday, 13th June 2015. The procession was led by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute.

The national theme for this year’s event is “thank you for saving my life”; an unreserved national appreciation to all blood donors for their contribution towards saving lives, aims to raise awareness on the need for safe blood.

During the press briefing, Mr Awute indicated that voluntary non-remunerated blood donation accounts for only 10% of Nigeria’s total blood collection while family replacement and commercial donations account for 30% and 60% respectively.

He underscored the need for the current situation to be urgently reversed in order for the country to meet the WHO target of 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation by 2020. He called upon state governments to “urgently implement resolutions reached at the 55th and 56th National Council on Health on blood safety”.

On his part, the WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr Rui Gama Vaz at the commemoration, indicated that although countries in the African region have made progress in collection of blood, the number of blood donations remains low. He noted that in 2013, blood donation was about 3.9 million units which only covered about 50% of annual blood and blood products required by countries.

Dr Vaz however used the occasion to appeal for a concerted effort in increasing voluntary blood donations in Nigeria to meet the blood transfusion needs of children under 5, pregnant women, victims of insurgency and road traffic accidents among others.

Activities leading to this year’s commemoratory events included debates and participation in graphic competitions by various secondary schools in Abuja. Three schools emerged winners of the debate while four students received individual awards for the graphics competition.

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