Madobi Local Government Area in Kano State, Northern Nigeria, says it has achieved total compliance and recorded one of the highest polio vaccination turnout rates in June 2025.
The Health Educator (H E), Mustapha A. Nura disclosed this to Voice of Nigeria during an interview, saying that over 96 percent of eligible children in Madobi received the oral polio vaccine during the week-long campaign exercise.
Mustapha stressed that “the local government had not achieved such a resounding target in a single specific-target polio vaccination exercise.”
The remarkable achievement comes at a crucial time as Nigeria intensifies efforts to eliminate all forms of poliovirus following recent detections of vaccine-derived strains in some parts of the country.
The 2025 exercise targeted at vaccinating 3.9 million children under five with special attention on 3 Local Government Area, Bunkure, Warawa, Nassarawa, and Kano Municipal, identified as high-priority zones.
During an interview with some of the parents and care caregiver, in Burji ward, Sa’adatu Usman, said I always anticipate the steps and date of each vaccine to be given to my children, I have six children three are vaccinated while three are not.
According to Sa’adatu, “at first I saw others parents taking their children for immunization and I follow the trend, but thanks to the stakeholders, religious and traditional leaders who shade more light on the importance of immunization and how deadly polio disease can be, adding that, my three immunized kids are healthier than the three oldest who were not.”
Another caregiver, Amina Saadu, expresses her gratitude to the government, stakeholders, and other partners, according her the incentives are quite motivating.
Door-to-door Implementation
While speaking, to the district head of Burji Ward, Mallam Ibrahim Aliyu, said the door-to-door implementation has eased the burden on parents to transport their children to health facilities for vaccination.
Health workers, with support from other partners, are also administering vaccines in homes, as well as at religious centres, markets, and schools.
According him, as part of the effort, before the complete acceptance, having Primary Health Care system in 12 Wards, coordination from traditional and religious leaders a great ladder, adding that main game changer is the UNICEF Interventions team members provides protection when travelling Ward to Ward and help resolve cases of resistance to stop non- compliance.
Mal Aliyu, explained that town criers, door to door visits, public gatherings and worship places were part of the efforts use in educating caregivers and parents on the importance of the polio vaccine to protect the young and children vulnerable.
UNICEF, WHO, AFENET, SCI in collaboration between government, traditional leaders, public, local and international partners among others, remain champions of poliovirus eradication and all preventable diseases in Kano state and Nigeria at large.