Fathers in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State have been mobilised to help close gaps in childhood immunisation.
The mobilisation was informed after the area recorded 98 per cent coverage of settlements and 86 per cent of households during a recent vaccination exercise.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mobilisation was carried out under the Fathers for Good Health (FGH), also known as Male Majalisa, an initiative aimed at engaging fathers and male household heads in decisions affecting the health of children.
The programme is being implemented by the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board with support from the United States Government though UNICEF.
Speaking at a one-day orientation and inauguration of the initiative on Wednesday, Dr Ibrahim Yisa of the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Kaduna, said the high settlement and household coverage did not translate into similar coverage among eligible children.
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Yisa said only 78 per cent of the targeted children were reached during the exercise, leaving a significant number of children who needed to be identified and vaccinated.
He said the development had prompted health authorities to intensify community mobilisation and vaccination activities, particularly by engaging fathers and other influential members of communities.
According to him, 73 per cent of the children vaccinated during the March and April exercises reached outside conventional vaccination points, while the remaining 27 per cent were vaccinated through regular channels.
He said the figures underscored the need to take vaccination services closer to households and communities to ensure that no child was left behind.
Yisa said the authorities subsequently introduced “in-between round” activities in July to trace children who had missed previous vaccination exercises.
He warned that children repeatedly missed during vaccination campaigns could remain vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
The EOC official also disclosed that Igabi was the only local government in Kaduna State to record a poliovirus case between January and June 2026, stressing the importance of strengthening community participation in vaccination activities.
He, however, commended Igabi for recording one of the highest levels of settlement and household coverage in the state, adding that the performance had attracted the attention of national authorities.
Yisa urged the 40 fathers drawn from Igabi, Turunku, Panshanu and Gwaraji wards to use their influence to mobilise other parents and ensure that eligible children were vaccinated during subsequent rounds.
He also called for increased support from the local government and other stakeholders, including counterpart funding and active participation in immunisation activities.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Igabi Local Government, Alhaji Sani Abdul, said the involvement of fathers would help improve immunisation coverage, noting that male household heads often played an important role in healthcare decisions.
He said although many mothers were willing to take their children for vaccination, they sometimes required the support and approval of their husbands.
A UNICEF facilitator, Jamila Shehu, said the FGH initiative was designed to address the influence of male household heads on decisions concerning child vaccination.
She said the programme would engage fathers, traditional rulers and other community influencers through dialogue and advocacy to promote immunisation and child health.
One of the participants, Mr Jamilu Alkali, a father of four from Gadan-Gayan in Panshanu Ward, pledged to mobilise other fathers in his community to support vaccination against polio and other childhood diseases.
He said the orientation had strengthened his understanding of the importance of ensuring that children received all recommended vaccines.
(NAN)
