The Oyo State Government has appealed to community structures and key stakeholders to strengthen support for the forthcoming Sub-National Immunisation Plus Days SNPDS targeting children aged 0 to 59 months.
The Director of Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health, Samuel Olarinde, made the call in Ibadan during a sensitisation meeting involving education stakeholders and faith-based organisations.
Olarinde stressed that the success of the vaccination campaign depends heavily on the cooperation of community influencers who directly interact with families and caregivers. According to him, Christian and Muslim leaders, the National Orientation Agency, school owners, public school representatives and security agencies all function as essential gatekeepers in ensuring eligible children are vaccinated.
“All eligible children aged 0–59 months are under their care. That is why we brought all key stakeholders together to support the implementation of the programme,” he said.
He added that the meeting was designed to raise awareness and prepare communities for the intensive immunisation exercise.
Olarinde explained that the forum provided an opportunity for stakeholders to better understand the purpose of the vaccination and the diseases it protects against. They are expected to relay this information back to their communities to boost acceptance and participation.
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He announced that vaccination teams would visit all eligible children across the 351 wards in the 33 local government areas of the state during the exercise scheduled for November 29 to December 2.
The director also acknowledged obstacles faced in previous campaigns, especially in private schools where parental consent issues led to hesitancy and rejection.
“This is why we are engaging early, so school proprietors can seek parents’ consent ahead of the upcoming polio immunisation,” he explained.
Also speaking, the Social and Behavioural Change Consultant for Polio, Felicia Oluwafemi, urged stakeholders to sustain their support. She praised their previous contributions and emphasised that long-term progress depends on community ownership of immunisation programmes.
“Sustainability is only possible when communities see the programme as their own,” she said.
