Sokoto, UNICEF Vow to Reach 3,000 Non-Compliant Households After Vaccinating 5.3 Million Children in North-West

On the occasion of World Polio Day on Friday, October 24, 2025, the Sokoto State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) renewed their joint commitment to achieving the final push for polio eradication in Nigeria’s North-West region. The partners announced new strategies aimed at closing the immunization gap and reaching every single child.

Mr. Michael Juma, UNICEF Chief of Field Office for Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States, highlighted the significant recent progress, noting that a recent integrated polio, measles, rubella, and HPV campaign successfully reached about 5.3 million children across the three states, achieving an impressive 120 percent coverage. Sokoto State’s Commissioner for Health, Hon. Dr. Abubakar Faruku Wurno, confirmed the state alone vaccinated over 1.57 million children in its recent drive.

Despite this success, a critical challenge remains: approximately 3,000 households are still non-compliant with the vaccination exercise, largely due to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

“We have made tremendous progress, but we must leave no child behind,” Juma stated during the commemoration in Sokoto. “Our task now is to reach the non-compliant households through stronger community mobilization, trusted local voices, and continued political support.”

The Sokoto government, through its Commissioner for Health, reaffirmed its intensified efforts, noting that the administration of Governor Ahmad Aliyu has demonstrated strong political will by providing counterpart funds and procuring necessary equipment. The ministry has also bolstered its health manpower by deploying 209 qualified midwives to primary healthcare centers and implementing a two-year rural posting policy for new health workers.

Both UNICEF and the state government stressed the need for continuous vigilance against the risk of cross-border transmission of the poliovirus, urging the media and community leaders to help generate public trust and ensure sustained routine immunization efforts. To cap the awareness drive, UNICEF organized a youth advocacy football match in Sokoto, where polio survivors shared their powerful testimonies to remind the public that the debilitating disease is entirely preventable.