The Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development recently organised a one-day high-level engagement with religious leaders on demand generation for polio and routine immunisation in Damaturu, Yobe State. The event brought together Islamic and Christian leaders from across the state to discuss the recent reports of variant poliovirus circulation in three local government areas. The foundation urged Muslim and Christian religious leaders to intensify public enlightenment on polio immunisation to prevent further transmission.
The Emir of Bade, Abubakar Umar Sulaiman, who spoke at the engagement, urged traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, and Christian clerics to use their influence to counter vaccine misinformation and encourage parents to ensure their children receive recommended immunisations. He emphasised that sustained collaboration among government agencies, traditional institutions, religious leaders, and development partners was critical to reaching communities where misconceptions and resistance continued to hinder vaccination efforts.
The Emir of Bade also recalled that the involvement of traditional rulers in previous vaccination campaigns had contributed significantly to reducing reported polio cases in the country. He stressed that community engagement remained essential to achieving lasting progress towards polio eradication. The royal father dismissed claims that vaccines cause infertility, describing them as propaganda capable of undermining public confidence in immunisation programmes.
The Emir of Bade called on imams, particularly those delivering Friday sermons, pastors, and other religious leaders to incorporate accurate health information into their teachings and encourage parents to cooperate with health workers during vaccination campaigns. He also emphasised that immunisation services provided through supported programmes were free, urging communities to take advantage of the services to protect children against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The National Programme Adviser of the Sultan Foundation, Malam Aminu Dan-Mallam, said the engagement was organised to update religious leaders on polio eradication efforts and strengthen their participation in promoting immunisation and other primary healthcare interventions. Dan-Mallam said reports of variant poliovirus circulation in three local government areas of Yobe State required intensified community sensitisation to prevent further transmission.
The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Babagana Kundi Machina, represented by the Senior Liaison Officer to the state governor on Primary Health Care Services, Dr Umar Chiroma, called for stronger community participation in routine immunisation and polio vaccination campaigns. Machina expressed concern over vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, diphtheria, and measles, stressing the need for closer collaboration between health authorities and religious institutions to protect children.
The collaboration between the Sultan Foundation, religious leaders, and health authorities aims to promote vaccine acceptance and encourage communities to take advantage of free immunisation services. By working together, they hope to reduce the transmission of variant poliovirus and protect children against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Yobe State.
Key points
- The Sultan Foundation urges religious leaders to intensify public enlightenment on polio immunisation in Yobe State.
- The Emir of Bade emphasises the importance of community engagement in achieving lasting progress towards polio eradication.
- The collaboration aims to promote vaccine acceptance and encourage communities to take advantage of free immunisation services.
