The Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, with support from UNICEF, is leading efforts to increase immunisation coverage across the state.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Abdulrahama Shuaibu, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Monday after an immunisation review meeting.
Shuaibu said the agency had intensified advocacy and community outreach, working with traditional rulers, religious leaders, and the media to encourage parents to vaccinate their children.
According to him, vaccination teams, drawn from local communities, receive full training and daily refresher sessions to ensure high-quality service delivery.
On the issue of resistance, Shuaibu assured parents that the agency and its development partners would leave no stone unturned in ensuring every child is fully immunised.
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, said engagement and grassroots mobilisation have significantly improved awareness.
Rafique noted that traditional rulers and emirs are actively supporting the campaign by hosting launch events in their palaces.
“This involvement is important because it helps the campaign reach more people and work better,” she said.
According to her, UNICEF has provided more than 965,000 polio vaccine doses, which have been safely delivered and managed across all local government areas.
She added that the campaign has strong support from all stakeholders.
“The state government has ensured proper storage, handling, and delivery to field teams.
“The campaign is targeting over 700,000 children, with daily reports showing that more than 60 per cent of targets are being met, though final figures will only be confirmed after the campaign ends.”
She, however, said the major focus is on more than 50,000 zero-dose children—those who have never received any vaccination.
“Intensified efforts are underway to ensure none are left behind,” she added.
Rafique expressed optimism that with government and partner support, strong leadership, community ownership, and sustained collaboration, Gombe State is on track to achieve significant results in the remaining three days of the five-day campaign.
It was reported that the campaign targets more than 900,000 children aged 0–59 months.
