The Nigerian government is rallying traditional rulers in the north towards achieving a successful immunization programme in that part of the country.
The effort is aimed at eradicating child killer diseases and also boosting the primary health care system.
The Executive-Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, at a meeting with Northern Traditional Leaders Council on Primary Health Care in Abuja on Monday, said the collaboration with the leaders will help in vaccinating the over 4.3 million children who missed previous vaccination exercises in the county.
He said apart from supporting immunization, the meeting was convened to further request the support of the traditional leaders for primary health care in the country.
Mr Shuaib said “It is the role of the traditional leaders to drive primary health care services in conjunction with their community members.
“The community engagement framework that we are presenting today is a direct result of input we have gotten from traditional institutions, from community members, from development members around how we can strengthen immunization, strengthen routine immunization in a way that every member will get vaccine they need, every child will get primary health care that they need in a way that no child is left behind,” he said.
He noted that the traditional leaders are central in Nigeria having gone over 25 months without a case of poliovirus reported in the country.
He said the presence of the leaders at the meeting was a clear signal that the traditional institution and the religious institution they belong to are aligned with the fact that vaccines are safe, potent and should be made available free of charge to all members of their communities.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional leaders, Emir of Argungu, Sumaila Meira, urged people of the region to make whatever sacrifice needed to secure the future of children in the region.
“The dramatic improvement in polio in Nigeria, which has been sustained today by NPHCDA has resulted in the absence of wild poliovirus in the country for 25 months.
“This positive development is not sudden, routine immunization remains very low in our communities, with many children dying of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Northern Nigeria is blessed with the traditional leadership system that has deep-rooted influence in the minds of our people. Traditional and religious leaders have continued to serve the interest of our people, and responding to their welfare and needs,” the emir said.
Mr Meira called on members of the council to use their platforms to improve on community engagement for caregivers to improve routine immunisation uptake and other health-seeking behaviours of their people.
He said the council had demonstrated considerable improvement in the acceptance of vaccine and had sustained ownership of participation and other public health interventions.
The emir commended the leadership of the NPHCDA for the various strides and innovations it has brought into the primary health care system in the country.
“The northern traditional leaders will continue to work with these platforms and supporting initiative aimed at improving the lives of our people. We will exercise oversight of the implementation of community engagement of the Sultanate emirate, districts, communities and wards,” he added.
Mr Meira promised that the group will mobilise communities and their leaders to accept routine immunisation and continue to support it.
Nigeria hopes to attain polio-free certification by the end of 2019 from the World Health Organisation. It is one of the three remaining polio-endemic nations in the world; the other two being Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Nigeria loses many children to vaccine-preventable diseases; some of which are measles and meningitis.
Borno and Yobe states, which have been the epicentre of Boko Haram terrorism are populated with the majority of unreached children for vaccination in Nigeria.
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