The Kaduna State Government has announced that over 754,304 girls, aged between 9 and 14, have been vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) across the state as part of efforts to prevent cervical cancer.
This was revealed during the launch of the ‘Girl Effect Oya’ Campaign, held at the Gusau Institute in Kaduna.
The campaign aims to further strengthen adolescent health and HPV vaccination efforts.
The event was attended by health stakeholders, development partners, and civil society organisations.
It was led by Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe, whose address was delivered by the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Rabi Salisu.
“The Oya campaign is a call to action, a call to move, and a call to protect. And we must answer it with urgency, with empathy, and with unity,” she said.
Balarabe explained that the campaign, implemented by the UK-based organisation Girl Effect, supports Kaduna’s ongoing HPV vaccination and adolescent health programmes.
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She stressed that the initiative goes beyond vaccines and nutrition:
“This is not just about vaccines and nutrition; it is about our collective duty to protect and empower the next generation of girls in Kaduna State,” she noted.
Describing the campaign as a community-wide mobilisation, the deputy governor urged parents, teachers, and religious and traditional leaders to support early prevention and combat misinformation.
She noted that the HPV immunisation programme, which commenced in 2024, had already reached 754,304 girls, protecting them against the virus that causes cervical cancer.
Balarabe reaffirmed the administration’s commitment, under Governor Uba Sani, to expand access to vaccines, improve nutrition, and safeguard the future of every girl in the state.
“No child should be lost to a disease we can prevent. Every girl in Kaduna deserves to grow up healthy, strong, and free from diseases we know how to stop,” she lamented.
She also commended frontline health workers for their efforts, noting that Kaduna has become a model in northern Nigeria for integrating adolescent health into routine immunisation and social development policies.
In her concluding remarks, Balarabe called on stakeholders to use the campaign to:
“Ignite conversations in homes, classrooms, markets, and mosques,” and foster a culture of early prevention and collective responsibility for girls’ health.