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About 50% of children in Borno have received one or more vaccinations.

This is according to a statement by the Executive Secretary (ES), Borno State Primary Health Care Development Board, Prof. Mohammed Arab Alhaji, during a program on Friday in Maiduguri.


The program, a 2025 quarterly review meeting of Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH), held at Amada International Hotels, bring together several health workers, journalists and other development workers to discuss relevant issues towards development of healthcare, especially immunization in Borno.

Represented by Dr. Mala Abdulwahab, the ES explained that this development is achieved through rigorous efforts of primary healthcare workers as well as ZDLH, Community of Practice (CoP) activities in the state.


Also speaking, Dr. Melton Musa, an official of African Epistemology Network (AFENET), talked about the importance of immunization in talking health challenges, saying that it has the potential of eradicating diseases.

He explained that immunization has proven to be one of the most effective ways of dealing with health challenges, noting that the method has led to the total eradication of many diseases across the world.

Dr. Melton highlighted that diseases such as small pox and polio are totally or almost entirely eradicated through immunization by the use of vaccines.

“Smallpox was ended in 1980 globally through vaccination, and about 99.9% of polio is also eradicated so far,” he said.

He equally commended health workers working on immunization, emphasizing the importance of their work in the health space, while urging them to take it with all seriousness.

9News Nigeria

9News Nigeria

Some healthcare providers have been honored with awards for their exceptional service delivery in Borno State.

They were honored today Friday at Amada International Hotels, Maiduguri during the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) quarterly meeting.

The award, Dr. Aminu Magashi 4th Annual Awards, is awarded to frontline health workers working in different Primary Health Care (PHC) centers across the state.

Under different categories, the awardees were presented with the awards in presence of the host, Dr. Magashi, who was in Maiduguri to attend the quarterly meeting among other engagements.

In his brief remarks before the presentation, Dr. Magashi said that the idea of the award started few years ago after receiving several awards from different bodies and organizations.

He explained that, he begun to ask people to, rather than awarding him, why not award frontline health workers who are at the heart of healthcare service delivery in the country.

”I have a desk and shelves full of awards, I don’t need it anymore, I rather prefer it to go to the frontline workers, and that is how the idea of initiating an annual awards in my name came about,” he said.

He added that while it is not bad to award people for good service delivery, those in the frontline are usually ignored and “they deserve such recognition and honor more than those who seat behind the desk at the comfort of their office.”

Dauda Anto Waziri, a medical doctor working in Maiduguri was awarded as the Most Dedicated PHC staff, Male, in the state, while Mrs. Falmata Musa from Biu local government area, bagged the female category of the award.

Similarly, Ali Mohammed, a volunteer health worker was honored as the Most Committed Volunteer PHC Staff.

Also, Falmata Abatcha, from Nganzai local government area, was recognized as the Most Patient Friendly PHC Staff, Female, and the male category of the same award was awarded to Karumi Sanda, who works at Auno, a community under Konduga local government area of the state.

Other awardees are Ali Musa, from Jere and Mrs. Yagana Saleh, from Monguno as Best Performing local government officers.

9News Nigeria

9News Nigeria

Following a busy and engaging year, a nongovernmental organization working on immunization, has ended the 2024 calendar with an important program in Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

The organization, Borno State African Health Budget Network (AHBN) and Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) community of practice (CoP) for immunization budget tracking, transparency, and accountability held a third-quarter review meeting, focused on evaluating its past activities, to enable it’s planning for the future.

The meeting, which took place on Saturday at Dujima International Hotel, Maiduguri also aims to develop a crucial scorecard for the year’s activities.

According to the organization, the scorecard would enhance the CoP’s advocacy efforts by establishing clear goals and objectives, and to target key stakeholders both within and outside government.

The scorecard, it’s says will also play a vital role in improving immunization financing and addressing challenges such as zero-dose children and missed communities in the two ZDLH LGAs, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere.

At the meeting, Dr. Adamu Alhassan, who chaired the meeting, inaugurated a five-member committee comprising government officials, Civil Society Organizations (CSO) representatives, and key development partners.

The committee will be responsible for developing a workable scorecard template that will assess the state’s readiness to address gaps in immunization financing and budget tracking.

The review meeting was attended by members of the CoP, CSOs, professional bodies, media and other development partners in Borno.

This year is a remarkable journey for the CoP, especially in it’s operations in Borno.

With the aim of ensuring every child in the state get access to immunization, the organization has adopted several practices and strategies.

These strategies are not limited to enhancing their operational capacity but geared towards public education, advocacy and campaigns on the importance of immunization.

Part of these strategies were the involvement of religious leaders in steering campaigns and advocacies.

Religion plays a vital role in the lives of people of Borno communities and the decision of CoP to engage it’s leading forces in advancing it’s campaigns, most have been informed by this reality.

In October, two committees of the organization paid an advocacy visit to the Chief Imam of Borno State, Imam Ibrahim Laisu Ahmed to advocate for his support in their ongoing efforts towards addressing the number of zero dose children in the state.

Led by Ali Yerima Gamboru, a chairman of the sub-committee, the cleric was introduced to ZDLH project and its implementation in MMC and Jere and the roles of CoP, while highlighting the progress achieved since the inception of the project.

The team equally highlighted the role of religious and traditional rulers in driving positive perception on immunization on the populace and dispelling the myths and misconceptions about it.

The Imam reponded with a commitment in supporting their campaign, through awareness.

He also pledged to bring up the issue at forums of religious leaders, to ensure a uniform chain of approach, with messages aimed at educating the people against immunization dose hesitancy.

Laisu further called for continuous engagement regarding their progress and challenges, to equip and enable them key into it effectively.

Similarly, CoP Borno team had in November, paid another advocacy visit to Borno State Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rev. Dr. John B. Bakeni, to seek for his support in immunization budget tracking, accountability and sustainability.

The team informed the cleric that the success of these efforts would improve funding and immunization coverage in the state.

The visit, at his office in Wulari, a community in Maiduguri, accorded CoP the opportunity to brief the religious leader on the ZDLH project and the expectations on the part of traditional and religious leaders across the state.

They equally highlighted the roles he and other religious leaders can play in addressing vaccine resistance and hesitancy as well as improvement in financing immunization activities in the state.

In his response, the Dr. Bakeni pledged to be an ambassador to the team’s project, assuring them of his commitment and support.

The cleric also reiterated the willingness and readiness of CAN to partner with the project through awareness creation for other clerics and the congregations whenever the need arises.

Among other activities of CoP within the year are assessments of health facilities and facility based immunization budget tracking to identify high and low performing facilities, and enable them take measures for improvement.

In line with that, the organization has, prior to the latest meeting, conducted a facility assessment tour of two health facilities in Jere, Dalaram and Gongulong PHCs.

The assessment aimed to evaluate the level of health services provided and identify critical gaps for subsequent engagement with policymakers at the local government and state levels.

Furthermore, the CoP undertook an advocacy visit to Alhaji Baba Abba Hassan Umar, the District Head of Khadamari in Jere LGA and identified gaps at the low-performing Gongulong health facility.

The CoP urged the district head to advocate for improved policy measures, particularly in the area of skilled manpower for the facility.

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