Tasi’u Hassan
In a show of appreciation to traditional leaders, the Chagari Foundation has awarded three traditional leaders for their outstanding performance in promoting polio immunization, routine immunization, and other primary healthcare activities in Adamawa State.
At the Adamawa Emirates Council Committee on Health 4th Quarter Review Meeting, Award and Recognition of Best Performing Frontline Traditional Leaders, organized by Chigari Foundation in Collaboration with the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, the Foundation’s Program Officer in the state, Malam Aminu Sama’ila Lassi, said the award was to motivate the traditional rulers to do more in ensuring the success of immunization activities in their communities.
Malam Lassi said all the efforts of the traditional rulers will never go unnoticed, saying that the foundation appreciates their roles, and will continue to award the best performing frontline traditional leaders in the state.
He urged them to continue supporting the foundation and the primary healthcare development agency, especially during immunization campaigns, for more successes.
“Our message to them is that they should keep on doing what they are doing. We are doing well in Adamawa state because of the key roles that the traditional leaders are playing”, We are where we are in Adamawa state because of them, and without their contributions, I don’t we would have reached this step,” the project officer said.
He further emphasized that ensure effective immunization, the traditional leaders need to have an understanding of the basics of polio, especially transmission, symptoms and effects.
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While urging them to monitor the vaccination team in their jurisdictions and sub-state levels, Malam Lassi also said there’s a need for them to address non-compliance issues using their influence.
He advised them to continue mobilizing their people during each vaccination campaign and provide feedback on the conduct of the Polio Outbreak Response campaign and highlight unresolved challenges or recommendations.
Giving an overview of Outbreak Response conducted in October and November, 2024, the Adamawa State Immunization Officer, Mr. Umar Bahuli, said the exercise recorded huge successes in most local government areas in the state, due to the efforts of the traditional rulers.
He, however, said there are issues of non-compliance in Gombi, Mubi North, Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas, urging traditional leaders in those LGAs to redouble efforts in addressing the non-compliance issues.
“We want the traditional leaders to ensure that they follow up to identify the non-complying communities, and to dig and know the root cause of them not complying, because if we don’t understand their reasons, we will not come up with the solution”, he said.
While also appreciating the traditional rulers for promoting immunization activities in their areas, Malam Bahuli, asked them to identify new settlements within their communities and inform health workers, in order to cover them during vaccination campaigns.
“You know the LGAs are fast growing. So, we have new settlements everywhere, and we want to cover them. We want the community leaders in each settlement to identify those new settlements or new developed areas and also inform our health workers so that when we come to plan, we will plan properly with them”, he explained.
Some traditional leaders, who spoke during the event, urged the foundation and agency to intensify house-to- house and community awareness ahead of immunization campaigns, to ensure proper compliance.
The traditional rulers that were awarded by the Chigari Foundation in collaboration with the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency are Adamu Waziri and Isa Umaru from Yola North Local Government as well as Malam Idi Jauro from Gombi local government area.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Malam Idi Jauro, thanked Chigari Foundation and the agency for the honor and promised to step up efforts in ensuring that all eligible children are vaccinated.
