By Mohammed Suleiman, Dutse.
Participants at a One-Day Media Dialogue with Health experts have identified illiteracy, lack of community mobilization and increase awareness as the bane of low immunization and non retention of immunization card in rural settlements
The participants who were drawn from Kano Katsina and jigawa states stated this in Jigawa at the Dialogue Organized by the Kano field office of UNICEF in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency Kano Directorate office.
They said Vaccination is the most safest way towards the prevention of communicable diseases hence the need for communities to be properly enlightened on safe keeping of their immunization cards,
“Preservation of such cards count alot in different formats such as national planning purposes, among other topical issues related to health development in attainment of quality health services for improved living condition”
The Dialogue caled on State and Federal governments to collaborate with UNICEF for more intervention to better the lots of Communities, as well as increase in budgetary allocations to key areas of public service such as Health, Education, Agriculture, Human Capital Development under Economic Empowerment Scheme for job creation to the jobless, Women and the roven Youths to acquire gainful employment for self reliance.
They also drew the attention of the participating media executives on the need to enhance the level of their commitments to creating avenue that will help increase public awareness through the use of certain media channels such as news coverage, news analysis, documentaries, feature write-ups in newspapers or Radio and TV Public programmes, among others
During the interactive session, One of the participants, Mr. Ogu Enemaku, UNICEF Kano, had stressed the importance of increase awareness on nursing and care giver mothers to uphold the spirit of attending periodical routine immunization, and preservation of immunization cards as preservation of such cards from distortion, counts alot in areas of national planning, children’s schools enrollment among Others..
He called for positive delibrations which will further enhance their commitments, saying “we on our part, we will not relent in our commitments in promoting humanitarian services aimed at improving public health, nutrition, education, etc.
He disclosed that UNICEF has designed different programmes with meaningful focus on the advancement of populace of under developed nation, Nigeria inclusive, stressing the nation could only benefit through collaborative initiatives amongst stakeholders.
Mal. Akilu Muazu, the Director Katsina state public health care Agency applauded UNICEF in coming up with different engagements in areas of Social development, Capacity building, Education, Health, to mention but a few, which he noted, had impacted meaningful development on communities, as well as the governments of Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa state’s.
The Kano State Social Mobilization Officer, Mal. Ado Jibrin Sanda called for synergy amongst UNICEF, Media and other stakeholders to support UNICEF programmes intervention for the improvement of living condition of Communities at the grassroots level..
“We can attain success and meaningful development through a collaborative efforts. I therefore urge us to close ranks in supporting UNiCEF Developmental Intervention in different spheres of human endeavors”