Rita Iliya
Hajiya Fatima Bago, wife of the Niger governor, has inaugurated a statewide advocacy campaign on routine immunisation and Primary Health Care, urging collective action to ensure no child remains unvaccinated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was inaugurated in Minna during a state-level advocacy event held at the Primary Healthcare Centre, Garatu, drawing key stakeholders in the health sector.
She said that the gathering was a moment of unity, driven by a shared commitment to ensuring that every child grows up healthy and strong, with improved access to quality healthcare services statewide.
According to her, routine immunisation remains a simple yet highly effective intervention that guarantees child survival and significantly reduces the burden of preventable diseases among children across communities statewide.
The governor’s wife emphasised that prevention was better than cure, noting that vaccines remained one of the greatest gifts parents could offer children to secure their health and future.
She commended health workers across the state for their resilience and dedication, especially those serving in hard-to-reach communities, ensuring more children received life-saving vaccines in spite of logistical and environmental challenges.
Bago, however, expressed concern over the persistence of zero-dose children who had not received any immunisation, stressing the need for targeted identification, awareness campaigns and stronger community-level interventions statewide.
She announced the inauguration of “Mama Ambassadors,” drawn from wives of Local Government Chairmen, to promote advocacy messages at grassroots level and encourage mothers to access immunisation and antenatal services.
She urged fathers, religious and traditional leaders to support women in ensuring children were immunised, stressing that safeguarding child health required collective responsibility, sustained advocacy and active community engagement efforts.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohammed Bagana, said the administration of Gov. Umaru Bago planned to construct one hundred and eleven Level Two Primary Health Centres statewide.
Bagana, represented by Permanent Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Imam, said more than 20 centres had been completed, while 19 were fully financed by the state government to improve access to healthcare services.
He added that through partnerships with organisations, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF and others, about 22 additional centres were under construction and would be fully equipped.
Also speaking, Executive Director of the Niger Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Inuwa Junaidu, said the initiative aligned with efforts to provide equitable, accessible and affordable healthcare services statewide.
He said that the agency prioritised maternal, newborn and child health through programmes such as routine immunisation, antenatal and postnatal care, nutrition services and sustained community outreach initiatives.
Highlights of the event included the decoration of wives of the 25 local government chairmen as immunisation ambassadors by the governor’s wife to promote awareness and advocate child health statewide.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
