Gombe
UNICEF, Gombe Intensify Polio Fight as 900,000 Children Targeted in Vaccination Drive
UNICEF, Gombe Intensify Polio Fight as 900,000 Children Targeted in Vaccination Drive
By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe
The ongoing Immunisation Plus Days campaign in Gombe State has gathered momentum, with UNICEF and state health officials expressing optimism that the exercise will record wider coverage and bring the state closer to a polio-free status.
Speaking with journalists shortly after an evening review meeting in Gombe, the Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, described the 2026 campaign as critical to Nigeria’s final push to eradicate polio.
She said Gombe State had shown strong commitment to the campaign, noting that the state government and its health team were working intensively to ensure that no eligible child was left behind.
According to her, the five-day exercise began with flag-off activities at both the state and local government levels, followed by outreach to communities considered hard-to-reach and underserved.
“This campaign is very important because Nigeria must completely get rid of polio. Gombe is doing its best and trying very hard to reach that status,” she said.
Dr. Rafique commended Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and the state health leadership for what she described as unwavering commitment, adding that the daily review meetings were helping partners to track progress and quickly address challenges.
She said the level of community involvement, social mobilisation, and training of health personnel had been encouraging, with traditional rulers and emirs taking visible ownership of the campaign.
According to her, many of the flag-off ceremonies were held in palaces of traditional rulers, a development she said had strengthened trust and local participation.
“Traditional leaders are not just supporting this campaign, they are owning it and leading it alongside the government and partners,” she added.
Dr. Rafique disclosed that UNICEF had provided more than 965,000 doses of oral polio vaccine to support the exercise in Gombe, while the state had put in place the necessary cold chain and distribution system to preserve the vaccines and move them to vaccination teams across the local government areas.
She said the campaign was targeting about 900,000 children, while also paying special attention to more than 50,000 zero-dose children — children who have never received routine immunisation.
She stressed that reaching such children remained one of the most important goals of the campaign.
“Zero-dose children are a very important concern for all of us. We need to reach every one of them, and that is why UNICEF, WHO and the government are working together very closely,” she said.
On reports of discrepancies observed by monitors in the field between expected standards and what some vaccinators were doing, Dr. Rafique said such observations were not unusual in large public health campaigns.
She explained that UNICEF and its partners deliberately set very high standards for quality and accountability, which often meant that supervisors were expected to identify gaps and correct them quickly.
“Gombe is doing a very good job, but there is always room for improvement. That is why we go to the field, review what is happening and discuss how to improve coverage and quality,” she said.
Although she declined to give a final figure for children vaccinated so far, she said early reports showed that over 60 per cent of daily targets were being met, while cautioning that final figures would only become clearer after all delayed field data had been collated.
She noted that she had personally visited communities in Funakaye, Dukku and Akko during the campaign and observed strong commitment from frontline workers and local leaders.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahaman Shu’aibu, said the state had carried out extensive advocacy and mobilisation ahead of the campaign.
He said the sensitisation effort covered the state, local government and ward levels, and involved traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups and youth organisations.
According to him, the strategy was designed to reduce vaccine rejection and improve acceptance across communities.
He, however, admitted that despite the widespread engagement, some pockets of resistance still existed in parts of the state.
Dr. Shu’aibu said health authorities would continue to rely on trusted community voices to overcome such resistance and reassure parents about the safety and importance of vaccination.
“It is not only in Gombe; across the country, there are still some pockets of non-compliance. What we do is continue to sensitise people and work with community and religious leaders who have the trust of the people,” he said.
He added that years of sustained advocacy had already begun to yield results, with routine immunisation coverage improving across several antigens in the state.
On the composition of vaccination teams, the executive secretary explained that each team consisted of three personnel selected from within their local communities to ensure familiarity, trust and easier access to households.
He said the team members were trained before deployment and also received daily refresher sessions at take-off points to improve their performance throughout the exercise.
“Sometimes there are training gaps, but what we do is provide daily refresher training to keep them updated and improve their delivery in the field,” he said.
Dr. Shu’aibu expressed confidence that the 2026 campaign would surpass previous performance levels, saying health officials were targeting more than 95 per cent coverage by the end of the exercise.
He also appealed to parents and caregivers to present all eligible children between 0 and 59 months for vaccination, insisting that the oral polio vaccine was safe, effective and free of charge.
He said some of the resistance encountered in communities was being addressed through direct engagement with religious leaders, councillors and other respected local figures invited to participate in evening review meetings.
According to him, these influencers often help break down mistrust and encourage parents to cooperate with health workers.
At Dawaki Ajiya, one of the communities visited during the exercise, a mother of five, Jamila Jibrin Chiroma, said she had allowed all her children to be vaccinated because she believed immunisation was important for their health and protection against disease.
Her decision reflects the growing acceptance that health officials say is necessary if Gombe is to eliminate polio transmission and protect every child from preventable illness.
The campaign continues across the state with health teams moving from house to house, while supervisors and partners monitor compliance, resolve challenges and intensify efforts in settlements yet to be fully covered.
“If You See Something, Say Something”: Inuwa Yahaya Launches Anti-Terror Campaign in Gombe
By Auwal Ahmad
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has urged residents of Gombe State to take an active role in the fight against terrorism and other forms of criminality, saying security is a shared responsibility that requires the cooperation of every citizen.
The governor appealed Monday during a statewide broadcast to launch the “Unite Against Terror” campaign, a public awareness initiative aimed at strengthening community vigilance and supporting ongoing efforts to combat insecurity.
Gov Yahaya described insecurity as the greatest obstacle to sustainable development in Northern Nigeria, stressing that peace and economic progress are inseparable.
“Without security, there can be no development, and without development, there can be no lasting peace,” the governor said.
He commended members of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other security agencies for their sacrifices in protecting lives and property.
He also paid tribute to security personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty, describing them as heroes whose sacrifices would never be forgotten.
The governor said Gombe’s relative peace, despite being located in Nigeria’s insurgency-prone northeast, was the result of deliberate investments in security and sustained collaboration among the government, security agencies, and local communities.
He highlighted several initiatives introduced by his administration since 2019, including the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Security and Internal Affairs, the creation of the Gombe State Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC), and Operation Hattara, a joint security outfit established to improve operational coordination.
According to him, the state government has also equipped security agencies with operational vehicles and logistics, strengthened local vigilante groups, and established peace committees to prevent communal and farmer-herder conflicts.
Alh. Yahaya noted that the two security summits organised by his administration produced recommendations that improved intelligence gathering, enhanced emergency responses, and reinforced community participation in maintaining peace.
As Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, the governor said he had championed regional cooperation to address insecurity, including efforts to establish the Northern States Security Trust Fund.
“No state can tackle insecurity alone because criminals do not recognise state boundaries. We must continue to share intelligence and coordinate our responses,” he said.
The governor praised traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups, and women’s groups for supporting peacebuilding efforts across the state.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or activities to security agencies.
“If you see something, say something. Timely and credible information remains one of the most effective tools in preventing crime and protecting lives and property,” he said.
Gov. Yahaya also urged security agencies to adopt modern technologies, intelligence-driven operations, and community-based policing while respecting human rights.
The governor called for unity across ethnic, religious, and political divides. He warned that terrorist groups and criminal organisations often exploit social divisions to advance their activities.
He expressed support for the federal government’s ongoing efforts to combat insecurity under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and urged Gombe residents to cooperate fully with security agencies.
He concluded by calling on citizens to embrace the “Unite Against Terror” campaign, saying lasting peace can only be achieved through collective vigilance, unity and public participation.
“We must stand together against terrorism and every form of criminality to protect our communities and preserve the peace we have worked so hard to achieve,” he said.
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APC Confident of Victory in Gombe LGAs’ Polls
By Auwal Ahmad Umar
Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will record a sweeping victory in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for June 28, 2026, as the party formally presented flags to its chairmanship and councillorship candidates across the state.
Speaking during the flag presentation ceremony in Gombe, Governor Yahaya said the APC remained the dominant political force in the state and was determined to sustain its electoral successes at all levels.
According to him, the party’s growing influence is reflected in its representation across elective positions, noting that APC currently occupies all 24 seats allocated to the state in the House of Representatives.
“We are determined to repeat our electoral successes and retain all elective positions under the APC platform. Our strength lies in our unity, commitment and the confidence the people have in our leadership,” the governor said.
He stressed that the party’s objective was to maintain control of all local government councils and legislative seats, urging party members to remain focused and united ahead of the polls.
Governor Yahaya highlighted the role of the state’s 11 local government areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in deepening grassroots governance, describing the initiative as a strategic step towards bringing government closer to the people.
He also used the occasion to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting critical infrastructure projects in the state, particularly the ongoing superhighway project aimed at improving connectivity across the North-East.
The governor noted that the project, recently inspected by Minister of Works David Umahi, would boost trade, create economic opportunities and improve the welfare of citizens across the region.
“We appreciate President Tinubu’s commitment to the development of Gombe State and the North-East. These projects are in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which continues to inspire confidence among Nigerians,” he stated.
Yahaya further reaffirmed his support for the administration’s development agenda, saying its policies were already yielding visible results across various sectors.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, lauded Governor Yahaya for what he described as remarkable achievements in infrastructure, education and social development.
The APC chairman said his visit to various parts of Gombe State gave him the opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of government projects on residents.
“I visited communities, institutions, universities, road projects and cultural centres. What I saw was democracy working for the people. The projects are touching lives and improving livelihoods across the state,” he said.
Professor Nentawe noted that market women, traders, farmers and other residents expressed confidence in the APC government, attributing the party’s popularity to its focus on development and service delivery.
He also praised President Tinubu for ongoing and planned federal infrastructure projects across Northern Nigeria, including major road corridors linking Akwanga, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Maiduguri.
According to him, the projects would strengthen regional integration, facilitate commerce and significantly reduce travel time across the region.
The APC National Chairman further highlighted plans for a railway network connecting Port Harcourt to Maiduguri through key northern cities, as well as gas infrastructure projects designed to stimulate industrial growth and improve energy access.
He urged Governor Yahaya and APC stakeholders to continue mobilising support for the party while remaining committed to delivering democratic dividends to the people.
Professor Nentawe also celebrated the APC’s recent electoral victories, insisting that the party’s strength derives from its close connection with ordinary Nigerians.
“APC remains firmly rooted among the people. Our success is based on good governance, development and our commitment to improving the lives of citizens,” he said.
The flag presentation ceremony attracted party leaders, elected officials, traditional rulers and supporters from across the state, as APC intensified preparations for the June 28 local government elections.
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