By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Primary Health Care Department Agency (NPHCDA), has led a joint delegation of the Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote Foundation on an advocacy visit to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State towards ending the variant poliovirus types 2 and 3 in the next two years.
The visit to Governor Yahaya, who is also the Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) Task Team on Polio Eradication, was part of coordinated national and global efforts to consolidate existing gains and fast-track the permanent interruption of all poliovirus variants in Nigeria.
The visit was also to build on the gains of the historic certification of the African Region as free of wild poliovirus in 2020.
During the visit, the Executive Secretary of the NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina, on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation, Mr. Chris Elias, stressed the urgency of scaling up coordinated action across Federal, State and Local Government levels to eliminate the disease.
They said the need for the scaling up and coordinated action is particularly needed in high-risk and hard-to-reach communities, noting that the final phase of eradication requires intensified political commitment, community engagement, effective surveillance and high-quality immunization campaigns.
Dr. Muyi Aina described Governor Yahaya as a critical driver of Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts and commended his leadership of the NEC Task Team for reinvigorating subnational engagement, strengthening accountability and enhancing intergovernmental coordination.
He restated the Federal Government’s strong commitment to ending polio transmission, emphasizing that success hinges on sustained political will, grassroots mobilization and strong partnerships with development agencies.
Also speaking, Mr. Chris Elias of the Gates Foundation, lauded Nigeria’s steady progress, attributing recent gains to improved governance, strengthened primary healthcare systems while commending Governor Inuwa Yahaya for his personal ownership of the eradication agenda and his role in galvanising collective action through the NEC platform.
Responding, Governor Inuwa Yahaya stressed his resolve to lead Nigeria’s final push to eliminate polio, pledging to intensify engagement with his fellow Governors, particularly those from frontline States, to scale up interventions and ensure effective implementation down to the Local Government and community levels.
In his capacity as Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Governor Yahaya pledged to strengthen engagement with traditional rulers under the auspices of Northern Traditional Rulers Council and community influencers to scale up public enlightenment, counter misinformation and improve vaccine acceptance across northern communities.
“Our traditional institutions are indispensable partners in grassroots mobilization. We will fully leverage their influence to deepen awareness, build trust and ensure that no child is left unreached, especially in vulnerable and high-risk areas,” he added.
The Governor also assured the delegation that Gombe State would sustain its leadership role in strengthening routine immunization, disease surveillance and primary healthcare delivery, noting that consistent investments in health systems, workforce development and community-based interventions have continued to yield positive outcomes.
End.
