The Kogi State Government has commenced the Integrated 1st Round Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) campaign across the state.
The inauguration, which was held on Thursday in Lokoja, was attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, development partners, health workers, and community members.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Adeiza Abdulazeez, described the campaign as “an integrated campaign for life” aimed at tackling maternal deaths, child illnesses, cervical cancer, and NTDs.
He said state data showed gaps where children missed vaccines, mothers skipped antenatal care, HPV affected girls, and NTDs kept children out of school.
“Data without action is just numbers. That is why Kogi, through the KSPHCDA and the State Ministry of Health, with support from WHO, UNICEF, Sightsavers and other partners, is integrating these interventions into one round — one team, one visit, multiple protections,” he stated.
According to him, the services include Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, growth monitoring, antenatal care, iron-folate for pregnant women, nutrition counselling, HPV vaccination for girls aged nine years to prevent cervical cancer, and mass drug administration for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths.
Abdulazeez said the campaign promotes health equity by taking services to hard-to-reach areas, riverine communities, markets, and schools. He urged mothers and caregivers to bring children under five and pregnant women to health facilities, noting that Vitamin A prevents blindness and deworming improves learning.
He counselled parents of nine-year-old girls to embrace the HPV vaccine, stressing that it is safe and effective in preventing cervical cancer.
Abdulazeez, who flagged off the campaign on behalf of Governor Ahmed Ododo, said the administration is guided by truth, service, and urgency to ensure no one is left behind. He assured that adequate security and logistics support had been provided to reach all communities, including riverine areas.
The Executive Director of the Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), Dr Musa Muazu, said integration remains key because communities face multiple health challenges together. He emphasised that “one health team will deliver multiple interventions per visit for efficiency and equity.”
Muazu thanked the government, WHO, UNICEF, Sightsavers, and other partners, and urged traditional rulers, market women, and youth groups to mobilise their communities. “Let no child be missed,” he charged.
UNICEF State Facilitator, Mr Olumide Adeyeye, speaking on behalf of partners, said the exercise combines three components for the well-being of mothers and children. He urged stakeholders to unite for the success of the campaign and called on health workers to maintain professionalism.
Earlier, the State Nutrition Officer, Mr Abdulazeez Usman, said nutrition teams would weigh children under five years, administer Vitamin A, counsel mothers on the use of affordable local foods such as beans, eggs, ugu, and moringa, and provide iron-folate to pregnant women. He noted that HPV vaccination prevents cancer and deworming removes worms that steal nutrients.
A beneficiary, Mrs Sadiya Abubakar, expressed excitement about the programme and thanked the governor for the initiative.
