14th July, 2016
Parents and guardians of children in Damaturu, Yobe, on Thursday, pledged to cooperate with government and partners to sustain achievements recorded in the fight to rid the state of wild polio virus.
Investigations conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), revealed that parents known to have an apathy to polio immunization in ‘Baban- Tsangaya’ , Nayinawa, Kasaisa and other areas of Damaturu metropolis, have since embraced the program.
Malam Salisu Habu, a resident of Baban-Tsangaya, said “we initially resisted administration of oral polio on our wards out of ignorance and misinformation, but have now realized its importance
Baba Ali, a resident of Nayinawa said he, along with several others, had embraced the program and had been cooperating with immunization officers on immunization days, to ensure that every child was immunized.
A housewife who did not want her name mentioned said her husband had before now, threatened her with divorce if she presented her children for immunization.
“I used to give out my children for immunization secretly but suddenly, my husband realized the importance of exercise and asked me to allow the kids to be immunized,” she said.
The respondents said they had now formed groups , sensitizing members of the community and prevailing on parents to allow their wards to be immunized.
Musa Mohammed, an immunization supervisor covering Nayinawa and Baban-Tsangaya areas of the metropolis, described the cooperation of parents in the areas as “unprecedented and encouraging.”
Yobe government, Dangote, Bill and Melinda Gates foundations had in January 2016, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost immunization coverage in the state.
Reviewing the mid-year performance of the MoU on Wednesday, the three partners expressed satisfaction with the improvement in routine immunization coverage in 15 out of the 17 local government areas in the state.
Mr Bill Gates, co-chair Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and Aliko Dangote, chairman Dangote foundation who spoke via a video conference from Seattle and Florida in USA respectively, expressed satisfaction, with a pledge for more support to cover the two liberated local government areas of Gujba and Gulani.
They pledged to inject more resources to boost immunization activities in the state to ensure that every child was covered.
Dangote also expressed his readiness to partner with Yobe government to reconstruct all health facilities destroyed in Gujba and Gulani Local Government areas by insurgents.
Also contributing from Abuja, Dr Ado Mohammed, Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, announced a 1.5 million Dollar support from the Federal Government, to boost immunization coverage in the state.