Aliyu Warns Against Fund Misuse in Sokoto Polio Campaign as Mass Immunisation Begins

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, on Thursday issued a strong warning against the diversion of funds earmarked for the 2026 Outbreak Response (OBR) campaign against poliovirus, as the state rolled out a large-scale immunisation exercise targeting children across all wards.

The governor, speaking at the commencement of the exercise in Sokoto, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ending poliovirus transmission and strengthening child healthcare delivery in the state.

A statement by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Sokoto, Abubakar Bawa, said the campaign will cover all 244 wards, with extensive deployment of health workers and community outreach teams.

Aliyu disclosed that 2,830 house-to-house teams have been mobilised to reach households across the state to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage.

He explained that children aged 0–59 months will receive the novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV) and bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV), while children aged six weeks to 59 months will also receive fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV). Children aged 0–23 months will benefit from integrated routine immunisation services.

To boost outreach, the governor said 3,151 trained health workers have been deployed to fixed and temporary posts, while 488 special teams have been assigned to hard-to-reach communities, transit points, and security-challenged areas.

In addition, 321 fixed-post teams are operating from hospitals and strategic locations across the state.
He said the multi-layered strategy was designed to ensure that no eligible child is left behind.

“I want to warn officials handling this exercise against tampering with funds meant for it. Anyone found sabotaging this programme in any form will be dealt with accordingly,” the governor warned.

Aliyu urged parents, traditional rulers, and community leaders to support the exercise by ensuring children are presented for vaccination, while commending development partners for their continued support.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Wurno, said Sokoto State has recorded steady improvements in immunisation coverage, as well as reductions in child and maternal mortality rates.

He noted that the state has achieved over 95 per cent implementation of National Council on Health resolutions, placing it among the top-performing states in the country.

Dr Wurno also commended the administration’s transparency in managing Basic Health Care Provision Funds, which are directly disbursed to primary healthcare facilities to improve service delivery.

Traditional and religious leaders pledged support for the campaign. The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by the District Head of Wurno, Alhaji Kabiru Chigari, commended the government’s health initiatives and reaffirmed the Sultanate Council’s backing for polio eradication efforts.

Development partners including the NPHCDA, WHO, UNICEF, MACKING, SOLINA, CDC, AFENET, and others also praised the state government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and immunisation programmes.

The exercise featured the symbolic administration of oral polio vaccines to children by the governor as the campaign commenced across the state.