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How Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi Can Learn From Tinubu’s School Of Politics

Published

7 months ago

June 22, 2025

By Festus Adedayo

Power politics in the animal kingdom could be as intense, deceptive and selfish as it is in the human kingdom. An ancient African allegory whose patent cannot be credited to a particular tradition illustrates this. It is the fable of an old forest warhorse, the lion. After years of feasting on animals, his mane soaked in their innocent blood, Old Lion became too senescent to hunt for games. Stricken with old age, diverse infirmities and unable to put food on his own table, the King decided to get food by subterfuge and trickery.

Always by himself and soaked in myriad thoughts and stratagems for many nights and days, one day a thought sidled into his mind. He would pretend to be so infirm that he could not hunt and thus court ‘get well’ visits of other animals. He then got emissaries to broadcast his infirmity round and about the forest. As the message got to them, the animals debated the prospect of visiting him after the debilitating havoc he had wrecked on their peers and forebears. The majority of opinions supported paying the king of the jungle get-well-quick visits.

Thus, one after the other, animals of various kinds paid the King visits in his supposed infirmary. As each sauntered in, the King made barbecue of their fleshes. However, Tortoise, the wily Trickster animal, according to the Yoruba version of that fable, burst the King’s bubble. Some other African climes’ account say it was not Tortoise but the Red Fox. So, the animal came to the conclusion that, though he would satisfy the majority’s decision to pay the King obeisance, he would be a whiff careful and wiser.

So Fox/Tortoise devised a trick. He presented himself at a respectable distance from a cave by the hill that led to the King’s lair. From there, he shouted at the top of his voice to the aged King Lion to announce his presence. On hearing his voice, the King peered out queasily and bade him come into the lair. Like an Apiroro, one who feigns sleep, who must be atop the mastery of the theatrics of their game, the Lion dragged his response with great effort and said, “I am not so well… But, my friend, why do you stand without? Pray, come in and wish me well.” The Fox/Tortoise, in a sarcasm that mocked the Lion’s theatrics said: “No, thank you, Your Majesty. But, I noticed that there are many prints of feet entering your cave, but I see no trace of any returning.”

Last Friday, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi and their co-travelers inside the Nigerian National Coalition Group (NNCG) coach arrived at a significant juncture in their bid to send President Bola Tinubu back to Lagos in 2027. On that day, the NNCG formally applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) party.

As far as formality goes, the dramatis personae on this journey have many reasons to clink champagne glasses. In semiotic representation, which is the study of signs, symbols, their use and representation, ADA would seem to be the greatest weapon in the NNCG’s hands to skewer the heart of the Broom, symbol of the reigning All Progressives Congress (APC).

Like the old wily Lion, virtually all the political characters on the two aisles of the divide – opposition and in government – suffer similar fates in the estimation of Nigerians today. In relationship calculus, Yoruba advise a younger one burying the elder in the presence of the younger sibling to be mindful of the depth of the grave they dig because same fate awaits them. At the joint sitting of the National Assembly on Democracy Day, Tinubu literally gloated about the walnut-pod-seeds schism and discord that characterize Nigeria’s opposition parties. “It is, indeed, a pleasure to witness you in such disarray,” he said.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu And The Fish God

A few days later, the demon came out of its seclusion. The deodorant the APC had been spraying over its messy internal power struggles expired and the putrid smell hit the nose with the bang of an Iraqi missile. The party’s Northeast leaders’ meeting for the adoption of Tinubu for a second term exposed vultures gathering round the APC in an ominous exclusion plan against Kashim Shettima. The game is to spike Shettima’s name from the 2027 presidential ballot.

Today, APC’s power apparatchik is running helter-skelter. The task is to paper over a grisly crack, an implosion tornado that may erupt in the Shettima exclusion gambit. It is a throwback into a historic Tinubu total power holding tendency, a total frown at and intolerance for sharing power with anyone. As Lagos governor, Tinubu dispensed with deputies as a junky changes syringes.

All of a sudden, erstwhile good governance poster-boy, Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, a Shettima boy, has become the proverbial Elúùlù, a Yoruba-named brown-feathered Wood Dove bird whose cry is reputed to possess the mystical power of drawing rains from the heavens. The belief is that Elúùlù’s rain could cause everyone to scamper out for alternative shield. As Zulum chirps like Elúùlù, either on the insecure security in his state, against the Tinubu government’s dissonant narrative of peace in Borno, or even over other matters, power watchers see an internal power disruption in the APC.

Zulum’s Elúùlù may be foreshadowing a bitter rain that will pour in the APC over Shettima’s exclusion from a second term. This cry may also be a reminder of a Kowée, another mystic bird which Yoruba mythological belief says whenever it chirps, a lurking danger of death is imminent.

The Shettima travails may point to a saying that the whiplash used to trounce the older wife is kept for the younger one on the rafter. It was this same Shettima who, on a Channels Television interview, mocked the totalitarian system of Nigerian presidency which sidelined Yemi Osinbajo under Muhammadu Buhari. Shettima had said, “Osinbajo is a good man; he’s a nice man. But nice men do not make good leaders, because nice men tend to be nasty. Nice men should be selling popcorn, ice cream.” Today, Shettima sells a medley of ice cream and popcorn under a nasty and grim presidential power play.

Then, there is intense hunger and anger in the land which government is obviously too lame to tame. Statistics have become ballistics which the Tinubu government’s mind-doctor evangelists bombard Nigerians with. The latest ballistic is that inflation figure has decreased. Yet, the spinners of these figures are unable to explain the fit of sulks Nigerians relapse into when they confront skyrocketing foods and goods in the market. Neither is anyone responding to the people’s groan at their ebbing purchasing power which the twin policies of subsidy withdrawal and Naira flotation have birthed. It is obvious that, as Nigerians walk into the electioneering years, government will have no balm to apply on the people’s aches.

Then, there is the gale of insecurity in the country. Unbeknown to Nigerians, the Tandi of the Buhari government which they thought was dance-shy, cannot even stand the TandiTandi of the Tinubu government which does not have a waist to wag to any danceable tune. Northeast terrorists dance to celebratory songs as they hijack Nigerian local governments as their spoils of war. Same terrorists drink palm-wine with dead Nigerians’ skulls as gourds. In the Northwest, bandits kill Nigerians en-masse as you trample on cockroaches. Benue and Plateau States are poster-boys of government’s helplessness in the face of superior herders’ brains, weapons and strategies. Nigerians in those states bury their dead in silence as federal government regurgitates obituaries, condolence messages as press releases which mask its cowardice. The recent Benue massacre is an example.

So many other missteps of the last two years line the dais. They are missteps which an opposition group or party could weaponize to win Nigerians’ hearts. Is it the Gilbert Chagoury-lization of the Nigerian economy? Or the lack of openness and accountability in the Lagos-Calabar 700km N15trillion road project which the president awarded to a man he openly admitted was his ally? Is it the Airbus A330 presidential aircraft which cost Nigeria $100million and which never passed the senate lens? Is it the flying rumour of mind-boggling corruption that has stuck to this government like a leech in two years? You do not have to scrape more than the surface to amass a shovelful.

To rehash what wily Trickster Tortoise told Lion, King of the jungle, those putting together the ADA as Nigeria’s opposition party also have Tinubu-type logs in their eyes. Nigerians see them as people who have “many prints of feet entering your cave, but (see) no trace of any returning”.

Tinubu was right by claiming, as he did in Kaduna last week, that Uba Sani had transformed the State from a “toxic, uncontrollable environment”.

Under El-Rufai, Kaduna was a horror scene. Though ranked comparatively higher than any other state in Nigeria by multilateral agencies on the scorecard of good governance and accountability, in eight years, El-Rufai’s Kaduna was a state of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. The peace in Southern Kaduna today is a departure from the toxicity of the El-Rufai era. When you now have the same character seeking to play leading role in bringing a let to the suffering of the people of Nigeria, it speaks volumes of the kind of leadership Nigerians should look forward to.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: Olunloyo: Goodnight, Voltaire

Then, Atiku Abubakar. The ex-VP’s politics is undoubtedly woven round self. Since 1993, he has been a presidential candidate and has failed on each occasion. It is obvious that the current ADA is again primed round him. When self is the issue as in this manner, Yoruba ask if the individual’s esophagus is the sole route to Oyo (Onàofu ntienikanniwonn’gbalos’Oyóní?)

Amaechi is not any better. Having lost out in the power equation of the post-Tinubu era, this former Transport Minister has become an emergency critic, even being ludicrous enough to claim he is hungry. The trio and their co-travelers are united by anger and lust for power, rather than any meaningful attempt to rescue Nigeria from the vice grip of Tinubu. ADA is a huge log that has stayed afloat on and fed on the ecosystem of the murky and filthy river of Fourth Republic Nigerian politics for too long. It has stayed so long on the river that it is mistaking itself for an amphibian animal. And Yoruba say, no matter how long a log stays in the river, it will never become a crocodile.

Borrowing from Lasisi Olagunju, ADA and its minders are like mourners at their own funeral. They can never be a soothing counterpoise to the rot of the Tinubu government. Were it to be possible, the Ibrahim Babangida newbreed model would have been a perfect reply to this current order where, head or tail, Nigerians may lose.

The ADA crew, especially Atiku Abubakar, would need to learn some basic lessons that Tinubu taught Nigerian politics. Between 2007 when he left Lagos governorship and 2023 when he became president, Tinubu wore the strategic patience garment of the vulture. He waited patiently within this period, biding his time for Aso Rock. He could have put himself forth to be Nigeria’s president in 2015 but strategically supported Buhari.

Conversely, at every election season, Atiku’s face thoughtlessly adorns presidential campaign posters like a boring epigram. It is obvious that he and his ADA are too mired in the problems and challenges of Nigeria to be a solution to them. Amaechi and El-Rufai are obviously in ADA out of anger and hungry for revenge against those who chucked them out of their birthright of being in government in perpetuity.

The little I know about anger is, when you are consumed by it, you wake up lost, and you will lose sight of everything. Including your sense.

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[OPINION] Osimhen: The Arrogance Of A Ghetto Hero

Published

3 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

Tunde Odesola

Before the raving hawk disappeared into the sunny afternoon sky, the mother hen caught a glimpse of it just in time. Squawking and clucking, the brown mother hen sounded a throaty alarm, frantically calling on her 11 chicks, who sprinted into the sanctuary of her warm wings, where they brooded, peeping through the safety of feathers.

Like witches, hawks on predatory flights don’t make a noise. The screaming and scampering of mother hen after an attack is the first telltale of tragedy. The second telltale is the sight of a dangling chick in clutchy claws, rising helplessly skywards.

On that fateful day, the mother hen brooded her chicks out of sight from a hovering hawk. But a particularly arrogant and belligerent chick called OsinmHEN slipped through the mother’s tail end and decided to play in the hot afternoon sand, chest puffed, shoulders raised like Aso Rock fence.

The hawk sighted the stray prey and flew higher up, and away, out of sight. The mother hen monitored the ravenous hawk with red-alertness, assured her chicks were safe underneath.

Then it happened.

With the swiftness of a whirlwind, the hawk suddenly swept downwards, like a missile deployed from a military jet, grabbing OsinmHEN with both claws, but the protection of the mother hen was comprehensive. In a jiffy, she sprang and smashed into the predator midair, making it lose both balance and grip. And OsinmHEN fell off to safety, limping back under the mother’s brood.

Furious, the mother hen scolded the petulant OsinmHEN, saying it could have ended up in the belly of the hawk if not for providence. Then, as mothers do when warnings fail, mother hen reached for a myth told by Ifa scholar, Ifayemi Elebuibon.

“Listen,” she said, voice laden with solemn grief. “Let me tell you about Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́.”

“Once upon a forest,” the mother hen began, “a mother squirrel received a warning from Ifa: ‘keep your son indoors for seven days, death prowls’. However, on the third day, Baby Squirrel sprinted out from the family burrow, waving his bushy tail from one tree to another. The forest was quiet. ‘There are no predators,’ he thought.

“He didn’t hear the gun. But the forest did. The boom shook leaves loose from branches.

“When she heard the shot, Iya Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́, the mother squirrel, ran deeper into the burrow, looking for her son. Little ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ was nowhere in sight. Panic gripped the mother. She couldn’t sleep. So, she went in search of her son all evening and all night. As she was returning home, hiding behind trees, she stopped in front of the hunter’s house, out of sight.

“Behold, by a flickering firelight, she saw the hunter and his family having a dinner of pounded yam and egusi. From behind a fallen trunk, she peered. And she saw the head of her son floating in the family soup, and the hunter grabbed the head, stroked it ‘ko, ko’ in the plate to shake off some egusi, before airlifting it to the mouth.

“Iya Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ shook her head and shed the tears of a mother, saying: ‘Orí ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ koko láwo, bí a wí fún ọmọ ẹni, ọmọ ẹni a gbọ́.’”

Of the mother hen’s 11 chicks, only OsinmHEN refused to understand the Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ myth and the consequences of disobedience. Blinded by arrogance, OsinmHEN, who thinks himself a hawk, is bound to walk the path of self-destruction soon again.

And so, in the distant Moroccan city called Fez, Nigeria’s Super Eagles fearsome striker, Victor Osimhen, replayed the ancient tragedies of OsinmHEN and Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́.

It was in a round of 16 match against Mozambique at the ongoing African Cup of Nations soccer tournament, Super Eagle Osimhen exhibited the traits of Super Chicken OsinmHEN. Nigeria was leading 3-0, and Osimhen had scored two of the three goals, with fellow striker Ademola Lookman scoring the opening goal and providing two assists.

In a moment of arrogant madness, Osimhen, who once hawked ‘pure water’ and sold newspaper in the city of Lagos, pushed away the hand of his cautioning captain, Wilfred Ndidi, and launched a verbal attack on his more decorated teammate, Ademola Lookman, pointing accusing finger at him, as he belched, “No try am again, no try am again,” like a member of the renowned union of road transport workers.

In the glare of a shell-shocked world, Osimhen proved once again that you may take a lizard from Olusosun to Turkey, it will never become a crocodile. No matter how long irú (locust beans) stays in the soup, it will not lose its smell.

Let’s imagine for a moment that Lookman had the temperament of Yomi Peters, the dreadful Stationery Stores FC of Lagos playermaker, notorious for beating up referees. Known as Mudashiru Atanda, Peters changed his name to Yomi Peters when he came back from suspension for head-butting referee Bolaji Festus Okubule. In the 1980-1990 era of rampant fan attacks, many referees feared Peters more than they feared fans.

In the height of his arrogance, if he played in the national team of yesteryears, Osimhen could never have pushed away former captains of the national team, such as Chairman Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Stephen Keshi, Yobo Joseph, Sunday Oliseh, Austin Eguavoen, etc., as he shoved aside captain Ndidi, before unleashing unnecessary assault on Lookman.

Can he shove aside any of Tarila Okorowanta, Etin Esin, Daniel Amokachi, Taribo West, Bright Omokaro and Sunday Eboigbe, or launch a verbal assault on them? Osimhen no go try am, walahi. Otherwise, di match for turn into a mixed martial free-for-all, with players losing their teeth.

Were it not for emotional maturity on the part of Ndidi and Lookman, Osimhen, by his childish attitude, would have put a knife to the bond of unity in the team, and things would have fallen apart because a house divided against itself can never stand.

Osimhen’s outburst sheds light on how people in positions of authority look down on people they consider beneath them. It is an on-the-pitch reenactment of how Nigerian security agencies, military and police, especially, oppress fellow Nigerians just because they bear guns.

This oppressive mindset formed the motivation behind a retired Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, grabbing a large portion of unapproved land in Abuja, building on it a sprawling edifice that his life’s savings cannot justify, yet turned around to deploy armed soldiers to guard the property when FCT authorities asked him to provide approval documents for the land.

Raised in the Olusosun ghetto of Lagos, Osimhen, as a child, had seen an established pattern of ‘might is right’ in everyday Nigeria and has imbibed loud talk, threat and arrogance as a way of life. Osimhen was the one who went on social media to curse his coach, Finidi George, and Nigerian Football Federation members over a misunderstanding.

He said, “Ẹni ku’re, walahi talahi (It shall not be well with you in God’s name). I don lose all the respect wey I get for dat man (Finidi).” He burst into a Yoruba curse, “Ti alale ba ni ko da fun yin, alaro o ni ye yin, meaning ‘if the evening god decrees goodness for you, morning god will decree evil for you’. Ogun kill anybody, anybody wey dey believe all those nonsense. I tell am (Finidi) say make I come camp, make I come follow di boys dem talk. Make I come follow dem dey. I spoke with my fellow teammates, too. Wetin im (Finidi) tell me, ‘Oh no, you know, you have to be with the family; oh dis, oh dat. (So,) I go dey live my life dey go, I face my life dey go. But team don lose now, una wan find person wey dey at fault, na me wey dey nurse my injury una come think say una wan put my name because of say Super Eagles get two bad games, I know how many injuries weyI don use play. Ẹni ku’reni ku’re se! All of una no go die better. I no go allow one person to come and say, ‘you can’t beg Osimhen to come and play, wetin bi say you can’t beg wetin?’”

Three months after Osimhen’s outburst, Finidi reacted, saying, “The meeting we had, we never talked about Osimhen at all. The only time Osimhen’s name came up was when the minister talked about hearing about indiscipline while we were at the AFCON, and he mentioned Osimhen’s name.

“It was in that meeting, I think one of the officials, I don’t know who, called him or sent him a message because they wanted to save their heads as the minister was very furious about the team not doing well.

“Someday, he is going to realise it’s not true. I think they used him because they wanted to save their heads because of bad results. It’s better they talked about Finidi George than the real issues, and it’s quite unfortunate that he came up live and said those things.

“I sent him a message to tell him that’s not the best way to go about lying. From that point, I didn’t hear from him; he didn’t apologise. Since then, I’ve moved on. I wish everybody well.”

A more emotionally mature player would not have taken to social media to rant against his coach on such a misunderstanding, an action which further reinforces Osimhen’sarrogant mentality because he did not rant against Napoli FC authorities when they blocked his move away from the club. He knows very well that doing so might affect his career.

What Osimhen fails to realise is that his on-field and off-field antics put a question mark on his emotional intelligence – an asset in modern football. As the world has become a cyber village, the actions of popular personalities are splashed on social media, enabling football scouts, in Osimhen’s own case, to see what elite footballers are up to.

Exposing the volatility of Osimhen’s emotional state, his viral outburst against Finidi showed him threatening to beat up those with him when he was recording the video over what he deemed as interference during the recording. For someone who emerged from such a humble beginning as Osimhen, a modicum of humility is expected to temper their life.

The Lookman and Finidi episodes are not the only avoidable clashes Osimhen has had in his soccer career. During a World Cup qualifier in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Osimhen walked out on his teammates after Zimbabwe equalised, owing to goalkeeper Nwabali’s mistake in the dying minutes of the match. If he was annoyed that Nigeria drew the match, why did he not score enough goals to ensure victory for the Super Eagles? On countless occasions, Nwabali had saved the Super Eagles’ blushes when he (Osimhen) and other outfield players failed to live up to expectations. Tactically speaking, Nwabali contributed more to the Super Eagles than Osimhen during the World Cup qualifiers.

To describe Osimhen’s tantrums as passion is to call a two-year-old baby who loves playing with fire, as courageous. Indulgence breeds impunity. Indulgence in collective sports breeds disunity and kills team spirit.

Sharing his thoughts with me, a colleague and sports aficionado, Adekunle Salami, described Osimhen as ranking among the five best strikers in the world today. He said, “Every striker wants to score. Every midfielder wants to lay that match-defining pass, every defender wants to make that goal-thwarting block. Football is a passionate game. However, in all of this, football is a game that operates on a strict code of conduct because so many people, children especially, watch it.

“Therefore, players must be seen to be of good conduct. I love Osimhen. I love his dedication to the national team, but he must show respect to his fellow teammates. We must remember Osimhen is from the slum. He was taught life’s hard lessons on the street. Struggling has been a way of life for him; we must remember that. But this is not to give room for the bad attitude he is exhibiting. He should have waited for the game to end and then gone to Lookman and told him about how he felt. We were leading 3-0, and you have scored twice, what else do you want? Some people have not scored. Akor has not scored.

“After the Mozambique match, all the players prayed together. He just stormed out of the field, threw his accreditation away, and went to the dressing room. He even threatened to leave for Turkey. They should have allowed him to go. He is the one who would be hurt, not Nigeria. It is a privilege to play for Nigeria; he must not abuse the privilege. He cannot misbehave in Galatasaray, his Turkish team, because they have a code of conduct. Osimhen has grown in this disrespectful and distasteful behaviour because he was never sanctioned.”

Another sports guru, Festus Abu, said the issue should not be overflogged, adding that such things happen in football. “It is one of those things in football. But it becomes worrisome when it turns into a recurring decimal. The coach and his team should ensure that the incident does not escalate into an albatross. I hope Osimhen has learnt his lessons.”

Nothing blinds like arrogance. Ademola Lookman, whom Osimhen talked disrespectfully to on the pitch, is even more decorated than him. Lookman plays for a bigger club in a bigger league and has made more impact in Europe than Osimhen, scoring a hat-trick in a European Cup final. In the ongoing competition, Lookman has scored the same number of goals as him, but has more goal contributions, earning him two Man-of-the-Match awards.

Osimhen, bring your shoulders down, biko.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

News

NMA To Withdraw Medical Services In Edo Over Kidnapped Colleagues

Published

8 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Edo State Branch, has threatened to withdraw medical services across the state, effective from Saturday, 10 January, 2026.

This followed the recent abduction of two medical doctors on January 1st and 2nd, 2026.

Chairman of the NMA Edo State branch, Dr. Eustace Oseghale, in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin on Friday, stated that the withdrawal of services was a direct consequence of the abduction of their colleagues and a reflection of the heightened sense of vulnerability among medical practitioners in the state.

Oseghale, on behalf of the NMA, called for immediate release of the abducted doctors and implementation of measures to prevent future incidents.

The statement reads: “This incident raises concerns about healthcare professionals’ safety in Edo State, threatening their lives and undermining healthcare delivery.

“We demand the immediate release of our abducted colleagues as well as enhanced security protocols for Edo State residents and regular engagement between NMA Edo and the Edo State Government on security concerns.”

The NMA Chairman, while insisting on withdrawal of services statewide if their demands aren’t met, stressed that a safe working environment is crucial for healthcare providers.

“We’ll continue to withhold services until our demands are met and colleagues are safe.

“We urge a swift resolution and the safe return of our colleagues. Security operatives should take this seriously, as they’ll be held responsible for the consequences of our action,” Oseghale said.

News

Edo Targets 2.2 Million Children For Measles, Rubella Vaccination

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Government says it is targeting about 2.2 million children aged between 0 and 14 years for measles and rubella vaccination across the state.

The Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, who disclosed this during stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Benin City, said this would be done in collaboration with development partners.

Efeomon, while noting that the vaccination exercise scheduled to hold simultaneously from January 20 to January 30, 2026, across the 18 local government areas of Edo State at designated health facilities and temporary vaccination posts, said the campaign aims to contribute significantly to the reduction of measles and rubella in Nigeria.

He explained that achieving this target requires increased population immunity through sustained vaccination.

Dr. Efeomon stressed that only qualified and certified health workers would be recruited as vaccinators because the vaccines are injectable.

According to him, the vaccination strategy would involve fixed posts and temporary fixed posts, and vaccination cards would be issued to all vaccinated children as proof, which parents and caregivers are advised to keep for future reference.

He added that vaccination teams would visit schools, churches, mosques, markets, motor parks, internally displaced persons’ camps and other public places, while children who receive the vaccine would be finger-marked to prevent double vaccination.

He reiterated that the overarching goal of the campaign is to drastically reduce rubella incidence nationwide and protect children from preventable diseases through effective immunisation coverage.

Also speaking, the World Health Organization Local Government Facilitator, Mr. Ajaero Paul, described measles and rubella as major causes of death and congenital abnormalities among children globally.

He said both diseases are preventable through the measles-rubella vaccine, which he described as safe and effective,

He added that sustained advocacy is critical to reducing child mortality and lifelong disabilities.

On his part, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Health Officer, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasised that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective for all children aged nine months to 14 years.

He stated that the government has fully paid for the vaccines, making them available at no cost to all eligible children in government health facilities across the state.

Suleiman explained that vaccination not only protects individual children but also safeguards communities from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella.

He added that even children who had previously received the measles vaccine should still be given the measles-rubella vaccine and appealed to schools and other key stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that no child is left behind.