Jigawa deploys 50,000 for polio immunisation after discovery of 2 cases
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
Jigawa state government has deployed 50,000 adhoc staff for a statewide polio immunisation after the discovery of two children with the wild polio virus in two local government areas.
The mass vaccination exercise will commence on April 24, and is intended to get about two million children immunised.
The state has been polio free for about a decade.
Mr Rahama Rihood Farah, UNICEF Kano Chief field officer said at a media dialogue on polio and routine immunisation held in Dutse, the state capital, that no child will be missed during this round of immunisation.
Mr. Farah, represented by Dr. Serekeberehan Seyoum Deres, Health Manager, UNICEF Kano Field Office said polio remains a highly infectious disease with potential deadly consequences for young children.
“It has been the leading cause of paralysis among children and can cause death,” he added.
According to him, three billion people have been immunized against polio since 1988, bringing the disease to the brink of eradication.
He however said that “the fight is not over, including in Nigeria, because low vaccination rates are creating opportunities for polio outbreaks as we are seeing in Nigeria.
“Recently, in 2025, 18 cases of polio have been reported in 18 LGAs in nine states of Nigeria.
“Two of these polio cases are in Hadejia and Sule Tankarkar LGAs of Jigawa state. This is unacceptable and must be halted. Polio knows no boundaries and spreads fast. An outbreak in any country puts children in every country at risk”.
The chief field officer maintained that in the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives, that is six people every minute, for five decades.
“Together, we have made incredible progress. Simply by being immunized, you help to protect others from the spread of the disease, just as they help to protect you. We can stop outbreaks and eradicate polio”.
“Ending polio and improving children’s survival starts with making sure all children have access to vaccines.
“UNICEF calls on the Jigawa state government, and indeed all states in Nigeria, to take urgent action to stop polio outbreaks and to reach all children with polio and other life-saving vaccines”.
He urged Jigawa State government to declare a State of Emergency on Polio and Routine Immunization including a commitment for release of counterpart funding.
Mr Farah solicited the support of the media in raising awareness and mobilizing parents, caregivers, communities, stakeholders, the public and everyone to participate fully in raising awareness and getting all children immunised from 24th to 30th April 2025.
UNICEF emphasised that the media should regularly disseminate through their platforms accurate information to help fight myths, disinformation and rumours which misinform and discourage people from taking opportunities to vaccinate children.
“If children get vaccinated routinely, we will have no need for vaccination campaigns to deal with vaccine-preventable diseases.
“To eradicate polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, Nigeria must strengthen its Routine Immunization efforts. This requires full implementation of the one functional Primary Healthcare Centre per ward policy.
“If we strengthen our Routine Immunisation, we can realise a future free from diseases like polio, cervical cancer and measles.”
Farah also spoke on the need to focus on preventing cervical cancer as the global community focus on the disease during the World Immunization Week.
“It is imperative that government and decision makers in Nigeria focus attention and invest in vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer.
“We can realize a future free from vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, cervical cancer and measles. A future where no child dies from illnesses that we know how to prevent – because Vaccines are available, safe and effective.”
The Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, represented by Dr Hassan Shu’aibu Kwalam said the state has adopted new strategies to re-eliminate polio.
According to him, the agency has energised traditional and religious leaders as it ramps up campaign for the commencement of the polio immunisation on Wednesday.
He said that the Emirs of Dutse, Hadejia and Gumel are leading the advocacy for the immunisation which will be conducted across the 287 political wards in the 27 local government areas of the state.
He said “the agency received over two million dosage of vaccine to be admitted to the targeted 1.9 million children.
“In an effort to achieve 100 percent coverage, about 50,000 adhoc staff had been recruited which includes people to administer the vaccine, recorders, supervisors at three different levels such as at teams, wards, local government area zones and state levels.”
In his remarks, the programme manager, State Emergency Routine Immunisation Coordination Centre, Dr Shehu Ibrahim said they want to ensure that all children get immunised.
He recalled that in the February 2025 immunisation exercise, seven children were missed in Garki, Kaugama and Maigatari Local Government areas, and assured that measures have been put in place to ensure that “no single child is left behind during the upcoming immunisation campaign”.
Ibrahim said that the immunisation teams would be deployed to markets and boarder areas to ensure full coverage.
