As part of efforts to ensure that the coverage for COVID-19 vaccination and routine immunization is ramped-up, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), alongside other partners like the Rotary Club International, have engaged in a road walk to sensitize the public.

Speaking during the activity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is in line with the commemoration of the African Vaccination week, Dr. Bassey Okposen, the Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the NPHCDA, said: “This week, we are celebrating the African Vaccination week. In Africa, the week is declared for vaccination of all eligible persons. Once you take the vaccine, you are protected and stay alive. There have been several activities from Monday up till today.

“Yesterday, the NPHCDA recognised those states that have performed excellently well in routine immunisation and the COVID-19 vaccination. The states that won yesterday were celebrated for them to do better. The Federal Government has launched the SCALES 3.0 strategy to open up more access to COVID-19 vaccination and routine immunisation.

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“We are working with the states and partners and providing logistics needed to get the job done, reporting what we have on the electronic platform, and having monitors from the government and partners supporting the states to do what we want them to.

We have identified the states that are not doing well and are giving support. The Executive Director and Senior Monitors are visiting those poor-performing states one after the other to speak to the government and team members in those states to ensure that we do it better. We hope that within the next one month we will also see improvements in the states that are not doing well.”

Speaking with The Nation, the President of Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama, Yusuf Alli, said: “The week is designated for reawakening and sensitization. It is part of the steps being adopted to reach the unreached. In terms of preventing the six childhood diseases, Africa is very poor.

“The collaboration is to underscore the fact that the more we are together, the healthier the nation. Rotary has had a successful story in putting an end to Polio, it is ready to assist Nigeria more on other diseases.”