As community engagement, partner support drive impressive turnout across LGAs
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar in Bauchi | Oct. 22, 2025.
The ongoing Integrated Vaccination Campaign in Bauchi State, which commenced last Saturday, is recording impressive results across the state, reflecting effective collaboration among government agencies, development partners, and community-based structures. The exercise has continued to attract caregivers in large numbers, particularly in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area.
At the Umar Faruk School in Azare, vaccination teams 004 and 006 were seen administering various life-saving vaccines to scores of children and adolescents. The campaign, which is running concurrently in all the 20 local government areas, targets children for multiple interventions including Routine Immunization (0–23 months), Measles-Rubella (9 months–14 years), Polio (0–59 months), and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for nine-year-old girls. It also covers Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) and selected Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
A member of the Management Support Team from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Ruth Aminu, said implementation of the exercise had been largely smooth, describing the field response as encouraging. “Apart from minor lapses from some field teams, which were promptly addressed through on-the-spot retraining, the exercise is progressing satisfactorily,” she explained.
Observers have attributed the high turnout to intensive mobilization led by the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BASPHCDA), supported by UNICEF, WHO, AFENET, Chigari Foundation, and the Gates and Dangote Foundations, among others. The agency’s partnership with civil society groups and local volunteers has strengthened coordination and expanded community reach.
Community-based structures such as UNICEF’s Fathers for Good Health (F4H), Mama2Mama volunteers, and Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs) have been pivotal in building trust and awareness at the grassroots. According to Khamisu Isa Maianguwa, an F4H volunteer, the recent diphtheria outbreak in some communities had heightened parents’ awareness and reinforced the need for vaccination. “Even before the campaign began, we engaged male caregivers in mosques, churches, and markets to educate them on protecting their children,” he said.
Similarly, Maijidda Suleiman, a Volunteer Community Mobilizer, disclosed that her group focused on door-to-door sensitization targeting mothers directly. She said such engagements had significantly boosted participation, as many women were now more willing to present their children for vaccination. “Our approach ensures that no household is left uninformed,” she added.
For many families, the campaign has reshaped perceptions about immunization. Mallam Samaila Shehu, a caregiver from Azare, said his children had never been vaccinated until he was sensitized by the Fathers for Good Health group. “They explained the dangers of not vaccinating, and I became convinced to bring my children,” he said at the Yankaji Comprehensive Primary Health Centre.
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During a monitoring visit, Mr. Pachanan Achari, UNICEF’s Polio Social Behavioural Change Manager for Polio Outbreak Countries, commended the level of community engagement, describing it as “a genuine service to humanity.” He encouraged caregivers and community leaders to sustain the advocacy beyond the campaign period to consolidate the gains achieved.
With nearly four million doses of vaccines deployed across Bauchi State and strong logistical support from partners, health authorities remain optimistic that the state will exceed its target of reaching over two million eligible children before the end of the 10-day exercise—signifying renewed confidence in public health systems and a promising step toward a healthier future for Bauchi’s children.
