BY Muhammad Jamil Abubakar

As Nigeria pushes to eradicate polio by the end of 2025, UNICEF has raised serious concerns over the high number of unimmunised children in Gombe State, urging immediate and coordinated action ahead of the April 2025 polio immunization campaign.

Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi, emphasized the critical role of all stakeholders from households to the state government in ensuring that every child is vaccinated.

“This is a very important message for everyone. We need to make sure that each and every child receives the polio vaccine during the campaign,” she stated.

Gombe State currently accounts for over 53,000 “zero-dose” children — those who have never received any dose of the polio vaccine. Of this number, more than 28,000 reside in just five local government areas: Akko, Funakaye, Yamaltu/Deba, Dukku, and Kwami. Additionally, five LGAs — Dukku, Yamaltu/Deba, Akko, Nafada, and Kaltungo — have been identified as high-risk areas requiring intensified support and intervention.

Dr. Rafique stressed that the persistence of non-compliant families in these communities is a major obstacle.

“These families are putting all Nigerian children at risk. It is not acceptable. We must change the narrative to make Nigeria polio-free,” she said, adding that the success of the campaign depends on grassroots efforts involving community leaders, religious figures, local council officials, and state authorities.

She called for immediate household and community-level counseling to address vaccine hesitancy and increase acceptance.

“UNICEF needs everyone to be warriors in this fight against polio. 2025 is our final year to eradicate polio in NIGERIA, every child must be reached.”

With the April campaign drawing near, the spotlight remains firmly on Gombe State as a critical frontline in Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased collaboration among government agencies in order to optimize resources and prevent duplication in WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) projects across Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states.

The call was made by Mrs. Stella Terver, UNICEF’s WASH Officer for the Kano Field Office, during a three-day review meeting focused on strengthening institutional WASH systems in the three states, held in Zaria on Friday.

Terver stressed the importance of enhancing the water, sanitation, and hygiene systems in the three states by improving coordination and collaboration between agencies involved.

She explained that strengthening these systems involves fostering better synergy and cooperation among stakeholders.

UNICEF has been working closely with the governments of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa for several years, with the goal of improving WASH services in these regions.

The review meeting, according to Terver, aimed to assess the progress made so far and ensure the states are adhering to agreed-upon actions.

“We are reviewing the progress made in various areas and evaluating how well the states have implemented the agreed actions

“The meeting is focused on understanding how the system strengthening efforts have improved collaboration and minimized resource duplication,” she said.

She added that the purpose of the meeting was to assess each state’s progress in strengthening their WASH systems and determine whether these efforts have resulted in better teamwork and reduced redundancy in resource allocation.

According to her, UNICEF is also analyzing the roles of various agencies such as the Ministry of Education, SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board), and the Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), to ensure their activities align with the efforts of RUWASA (Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency).

Terver pointed out that when these agencies operate independently, it often results in duplicated projects and inefficient use of resources.

She illustrated this by noting that some schools already have WASH facilities, but new ones are being built, while other schools remain without any.

“System strengthening is about working together as a team to achieve better outcomes for children.

“We need to close the gaps and ensure all children benefit from adequate WASH services through better collaboration among all stakeholders.”she added.

Dr. Ishaku Ziyok, a WASH expert in institutional system strengthening, also shared his observations from visits to the three states.

He highlighted the growing collaboration between key agencies like RUWASA, SUBEB, and PHCDA. Ziyok noted that these partnerships are helping identify schools in need of support, particularly those requiring solar-powered boreholes.

The Permanent Secretaries of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa emphasized the importance of coordination in achieving sustainable development goals and improving public services.

They warned that overlapping projects could lead to resource wastage and hinder progress in critical areas such as health, education, and water sanitation.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources, SUBEB, PHCDA, and other relevant agencies, all committed to enhancing WASH services for children across the three states.