The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Y. Suleiman, has reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of women and children in the state, despite the absence of female representation in the current legislature.
He made the declaration while receiving the Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the African Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr. Aminu Maigashi Garba, and members of the Zero Dose Learning Hub Community of Practice (ZDLH CoP), who paid him an advocacy visit at the Assembly complex.
Speaker Suleiman stated that every lawmaker in the House is a firm supporter of the HeForShe campaign and fully aligned with the push for better health and gender outcomes.
He emphasized that health is central to development, adding that the State Government and the Assembly remain committed to prioritizing the health sector through adequate and timely budgeting.
As part of his commitment, the Speaker pledged to join the House Committee on Health during one of its oversight visits to healthcare facilities in the state to personally assess service delivery and operational challenges.
He was accompanied by the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Dauda Lawal, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mohammed Wamzam.
Dr. Aminu Maigashi Garba commended Bauchi State for its leadership in immunization budgeting and fund release among the four states where AHBN operates.
“I am impressed that Bauchi’s allocation of 872 million naira for immunization was passed in the 2025 budget, and the state has already released 100 percent of the funds,” he said.
He encouraged the House to intensify its oversight and recommended that the Speaker personally select a healthcare facility to monitor the utilization of funds and the implementation of lifesaving immunization interventions, especially in zero-dose local government areas.
Also speaking, the Bauchi State AHBN Team Lead, Dr. Hassan Shuaibu Musa, said the advocacy visit aimed to review the state’s immunization financing documents, identify gaps, and propose practical solutions.
He noted that based on their assessment of the 2023/2024 immunization funding, Bauchi State is making commendable progress.
Dr. Hassan thanked the Assembly for its efforts and called for continued prioritization of immunization financing, as well as the inclusion of women’s issues and social protection measures to promote gender inclusion and improve health outcomes.
In his remarks, the Co-Chair of the Civil Society Organizations for the ZDLH Community of Practice, Jinjiri Garba, applauded the Bauchi State Government’s political will in advancing the health sector. He advocated for increased domestic funding for health in response to the steady decline in donor support.
During the visit, the Speaker was presented with the Immunization Budget Accountability Scorecard—a tool designed to help track state performance and transparency in health financing.
By Lizzy Carr
