The Yobe Government has taken immunisation campaign to ‘hard-to-reach areas’ in Nigeria's border communities of Machina Local Government Area of the state.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, led the sensitisation campaign to mobilise children for the exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Machina local government area shares common border with Niger Republic.

Abubakar, who was also the state Chairman, Task Force on Immunisation, while monitoring the exercise, expressed dissatisfaction with the decline in the turnout of children for immunisation in the area.

He described as unacceptable the decline in coverage of children for immunisation against the six killer diseases in the area, explaining ‘that is why this team is specially here to address the situation.’

“Yobe state and Nigeria in general have not had any case of polio in the last two years.

“The situation must be sustained and improved for the country to attain and be certified as a polio free nation in 2017.”

Abubakar assured that government was addressing all the challenges with urgency and solicited for cooperation from traditional rulers, parents and immunisation officers to ensure that every child was immunised.

He identified the terrain as constituting a challenge of transportation “but this is surmountable and is being addressed with urgency.”

The deputy governor advised parents to avail their children for the routine immunisation and Immunisation Plus Days (IPD) to ensure their children were safe from the killer diseases.

Alhaji Bashir Machinama, the Emir of Machina, said traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the affected communities have been mobilised to monitor the exercise in their respective domains and report challenges for timely solutions.

“I wish to pledge the support of the emirate council to support the exercise and contribute to Nigeria being certified polio free next year.” (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Gaidam.

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