The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Bauchi State government, has mobilised traditional rulers to ensure massive 2025 polio vaccine uptake and compliance.

During the monitoring of the vaccination exercise in the Ningi Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, Nuzhat Rafique, chief of UNICEF’s field office, Bauchi, lauded the emirs for actively participating in the advocacy of the polio vaccine uptake.

Represented by Eki George, UNICEF’s social behaviour change specialist, Ms Rafique acknowledged that the role the traditional rulers would play in ensuring massive vaccine compliance and uptake could not be overemphasised.

“We are indeed very grateful as we have sought for their roles in this campaign, and here they are with us to ensure our children are all vaccinated.

“We appreciate the presence of the traditional rulers during these monitoring exercises, and this will definitely encourage and boost the uptake of the polio vaccine, especially by the non-compliant people in the state.

“This is a campaign where we want to ensure all the zero-dose children in the state receive the life-saving vaccine as well as ensure that the parents, especially fathers, continuously give consent for their children to be vaccinated,” she said.

Ms Rafique expressed UNICEF’s readiness to support all LGAS, communities, and the state in ensuring that all qualified children are vaccinated.

Also speaking, Othman Usman, emir of Dass, said the traditional institutions were very committed to eradicating polio in Bauchi State.

The first-class emir, also chairman of the Bauchi State Emirate Councils Committee on Health (BASECCOH), said traditional rulers would be fully involved in mobilising communities, especially those who are non-compliant, for vaccine uptake.

“We are here to sensitise the people of these communities to ensure that the health workers can be able to access each and every household to be able to vaccinate all the eligible children in these communities,” he said.

The emir of Ningi, Haruna Danyaya, and some religious and community leaders accompanied the emir of Dass.

(NAN)