A non-governmental organisation, New Incentives–All Babies Are Equal, says it enrolled 172,265 infants and disbursed N1.594 billion to caregivers in January to boost routine immunisation uptake across Northern Nigeria.

The organisation on Monday disclosed this in its January 2026 Programme Report covering 11 states, highlighting a significant expansion in reach while also drawing attention to persistent systemic challenges affecting programme implementation across the region.

The report showed that the programme, implemented across 11 northern states, conducted 43,915 disbursement sessions, supported by 2,287 field officers responsible for payments, coordination, and engagement with caregivers and communities.

It added that 9,547 outreach campaigns and 873 community awareness activities were carried out during the period to stimulate demand, improve awareness, and encourage wider acceptance of childhood vaccination services.

According to the report, Kano recorded the highest enrolment, with 42,910 infants, followed by Katsina and Bauchi, while Zamfara and Sokoto posted the lowest figures among participating states during the period.

The report noted that the programme also generated fiscal contributions, with N28.57 million remitted as Pay-As-You-Earn taxes to participating state governments, reflecting its broader economic impact beyond public health interventions.

In terms of immunisation performance, Katsina recorded the highest Penta 3 coverage at 87.6 per cent, followed by Jigawa, Kano, and Gombe, indicating strong uptake of routine vaccines in those states.

It stated that five states met or exceeded the 80 per cent benchmark considered necessary to achieve herd immunity, namely Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Gombe, and Kaduna, during the reporting period.

However, the report identified gaps, noting that Sokoto recorded the lowest Penta-3 coverage, while Niger and Kebbi also lagged, leaving many infants incompletely immunised across several underserved communities.

A further breakdown revealed disparities within states, with Kebbi’s Bagudu LGA posting low coverage, while in Niger, Magama and Borgu LGAs also recorded weaker immunisation performance than others.

Similarly, in Sokoto State, Tureta, Wurno, and Bodinga LGAs recorded low Penta-3 coverage rates, underscoring persistent inequities in immunisation access and uptake at the subnational level across the state.

The report identified vaccine stockouts as a major constraint, noting that the frequent unavailability of vaccines at health facilities continues to undermine immunisation outcomes and disrupt routine service delivery.

It showed that Niger and Yobe recorded high stockout rates per session, indicating that vaccine shortages often affected multiple antigens within a single session across health facilities in those states.

Katsina, despite its strong immunisation performance, also recorded notable stockouts per 100 sessions, suggesting that coverage gains were achieved despite persistent supply chain challenges affecting vaccine availability.

In contrast, Sokoto recorded fewer stockouts per 100 sessions but still had the lowest immunisation rates, suggesting demand-side barriers such as poor access, low awareness, or vaccine hesitancy.

The report highlighted extreme stockout hotspots, including Toro in Bauchi, Funtua in Katsina, and Katcha in Niger, where frequent shortages reflected deeper, chronic supply chain disruptions across facilities.

However, some LGAs recorded outstanding performance, with Gulani in Yobe achieving near-universal Penta 3 coverage and full measles vaccine uptake, demonstrating that high coverage was achievable despite operational challenges.

Other high-performing areas included Kaltungo in Gombe, Warawa and Makoda in Kano, and Mani in Katsina, all recording more than 90 per cent Penta 3 coverage during the period.

The report underscored that while financial incentives could improve uptake, strengthening vaccine supply systems and addressing localised barriers remained essential to achieving equitable and sustainable immunisation coverage across the region.

(NAN)