World Polio Day: Sokoto Vaccinates Over 1.5 Million Children

As the world marked World Polio Day, the Sokoto State Government has announced that it vaccinated over 1.5 million children in its latest immunisation exercise.

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Umar Abubakar, disclosed this during the World Polio Day ceremony held to commemorate the day, themed “A Future for Every Child: Let’s End Polio Together.” on Friday

He described the achievement as a product of collective dedication and unwavering commitment by health workers, traditional rulers, and development partners.

“Our journey toward a polio-free Sokoto is not yet over, but our progress shows what unity and commitment can achieve. Every child deserves protection from this preventable disease, and we will not relent until no child is left unvaccinated”

According to him, the number has surpassed its original target of 1.4 million children.

The commissioner said that the state government had recently provided funds to support local immunization campaigns and strengthen routine vaccination systems.

He commended frontline health workers, community mobilizers, and partner organizations including UNICEF, WHO, CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their role in sustaining public confidence and expanding immunization coverage.

While celebrating the success, he noted that a few local government areas, such as Bodinga, Shagari, and Wamakko, fell below the 90 percent coverage benchmark set by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

He said the state has already begun targeted vaccination efforts in those areas to ensure every settlement is reached.

“We are not naming these local governments to criticize them but to encourage improvement,” he explained. “Those that scored below 90 percent will receive additional support so that no child is left behind.”

Dr. Abubakar highlighted other ongoing interventions, including deploying 209 qualified health workers across 109 primary health centers to strengthen grassroots immunization, and integrating vaccination with maternal and child health services.

He also cited border communities as a persistent challenge due to cross-border population movements, calling for continued collaboration between Sokoto and neighboring states to sustain the gains achieved so far.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Michael Juma, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office for Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States, commended the state’s performance, describing it as “a remarkable example of political will and community resilience.”

He said that vaccination coverage has reached about 120 percent across the three states, translating to over 5.3 million children immunized as a result of strong collaboration between government, partners, and communities.

He, however, noted that about 3,000 households across the three states remain resistant or unreachable and called for increased social mobilization to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

“We have resolved 86 percent of non-compliance cases, but we must reach every single household. The media, community leaders, and health workers all have a critical role in achieving total eradication.”

The World Polio Day commemoration also featured a youth football tournament aimed at promoting public awareness about vaccination. The event brought together young people and polio survivors, who shared their personal stories to inspire parents to ensure their children receive the life-saving vaccine.

While speaking, the Chairman of Sokoto Polio Survivors, Bello Atiku, said the coming together of polio survivors to participate in the World Polio Day event is a powerful reminder of their resilience and a call to action for parents to protect their children through vaccination.

He said that many of them are living testimonies of what could have been prevented if vaccines were available or accepted at the time.

“We are gathered here not to seek sympathy but to inspire action, we want every parent to understand that no child should suffer the way we did. The polio vaccine is safe, free, and it saves lives.”