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How UNICEF’s Initiative Changes Narrative Of Access To Healthcare Services In Bauchi

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2025

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through its Fathers for Good Health (F4GH) initiative has been making a whole lot of impact and improving the level of people’s access to healthcare services in Bauchi state.

This initiative was developed by UNICEF and funded by the Canadian Government in order to encourage men to support and mobilise their women for clinic visits, routine immunization, antenatal care and better hygiene practices within their communities.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen on Saturday while commemorating Fathers’ Day, John Eki, the Social Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, explained that the initiative was specially introduced to ensure that children that have not received any form of vaccine before were reached and vaccinated in Bauchi state.

In doing this, he said UNICEF in collaboration with the state’s Primary Healthcare Development Board did a rapid assessment where they went to two Local Government Areas, Misau and Ningi.

“We went to find out by ourselves the reason behind the parents not allowing their children to be vaccinated.

“It was quite interesting to see some of the underlying reasons why some parents were not vaccinating their children but increasingly, many of the respondents especially, mothers pointed out that the power to give consent to vaccinate a child rests with the fathers.

“They told us that if we want their children to be vaccinated, then we need to work with the men to be able to give them permission to vaccinate their children and that’s exactly what we did and we recorded huge success in this regard,” he said.

According to him, the group had been able to reach a total number of 113 wards, mobilized 9,252 communities as well as 109,444 children to be immunized with different routine immunization antigens in seven LGAs of Bauchi state.

The UNICEF specialist further explained that F4GH has a total number of 1,130 members with more volunteers showing interest in joining the group.

“What this means is that in every LGA we work, there are ten men in each ward meeting the fathers and convincing them to bring their children to health facilities for vaccination.

“We are mainstreaming nutrition, education, and child protection activities into the work the F4GH are doing now.

“This will enable them to address not only the issue of non-compliance with vaccine uptake but all the related issues affecting children and mothers,” Eki said.

While commending the group during a field trip of journalists organized by UNICEF to Misau LGA, Turaki Goje, a father who had once rejected vaccination owing to the fact that he grew up without receiving any form of immunization, admitted that he was ignorant and negligent.

“Members of the Father for Good Health support team visited my house at different times but I chased them away each time until one day I decided to listen to them to receive their messages.

“After listening to them, I was convinced about the message and I immediately allowed all my children that are within the immunization ages to receive the vaccination. Today, I have healthy children and grandchildren in my family.

“In fact, I later invited them and took them to my village where they enlightened the people there and they all accepted it especially, the women. We are now accepting any form of vaccination they bring to us.

“Another reason why I rejected any vaccination before was because we used to think that there was some kind of hidden agenda behind it because we thought these vaccination exercises only took place in the Northern part of the country,” he said.

One of the members of the group, Nura Aliyu, said before the coming of the initiative, there was a lot of resistance to polio immunization, low attendance of antenatal sessions by pregnant women and home deliveries were on the high side which sometimes resulted in health complications.

“Thanks to the Fathers for Good health Initiative, people now recognize the importance of going to the hospital, particularly pregnant women, even our malnourished children have recovered.

”Before now, there was a lot of resistance to immunization, most households were against immunizing their newborns and many of the pregnant women were not educated on attending antenatal and giving birth in a health facility.”

Similarly, another member of the group, Ibrahim Maina, called on the state government to help provide the group with the necessary mobility especially, motorcycles in order to effectively reach some of the hard to reach areas for awareness campaigns in no distant time.

News

Six Corps Members Receive N10m Grants To Boost Agribusiness

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have received a total of N10 million in grants to expand their agribusiness ventures under the Farmers for the Future Programme.

The programme was organised on Monday by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage young Nigerians to embrace agriculture and develop sustainable businesses.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries in Abuja, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, urged Corps members to maximise the opportunities provided by the service year by venturing into commodity marketing and other viable businesses.

Nafiu said agribusiness remained a viable avenue for young people to build sustainable enterprises, create employment and generate wealth.

He also stressed the importance of value addition to the success and sustainability of business ventures, while commending BATNF for placing Nigerian youths at the centre of its entrepreneurship initiatives through value-chain development, employment creation and its partnership with the NYSC.

“I charge you to spread the news around. We have seen the outcome, and it is a good idea,” he said.

The beneficiaries are Dominic Olufemi (FC/25C/1143), who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole (ED/26A/2251), N2 million; Abdulwaheed Bala (ED/25B/1402), N2 million; Olanike Mayungbe (OG/26B/1037), N1 million; Kingsley Udoeyen (KG/26A/1735), N1 million; and Lorember Lorsue (JG/25B/1742), N1 million.

Speaking on the selection process, the Acting Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Winifred Shopeka, said the programme began with an online registration portal through which Corps Members engaged in agribusiness submitted their business plans.

She said nearly 3,000 Corps members applied and underwent a rigorous selection process that produced 20 finalists.

According to her, the finalists participated in a boot camp and a final pitching session, which produced the 10 best presenters before the six ultimate winners were selected.

Shopeka said the beneficiaries had also been mentored and attached to established market operators to assist them in marketing their products.

She added that Corps Members who did not make the final stage of the competition were also trained by BATNF.

The BATNF Team Lead, Mr Oludare Odusanya, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged Corps Members engaged in agribusiness to master the fundamentals and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

“We are happy with our collaboration with the NYSC, and it will continue,” he said.

Odusanya explained that BATNF was an independent organisation established to contribute to poverty reduction in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural practices and other interventions.

He said the Farmers for the Future Programme was instituted in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage Corps Members to venture into agribusiness and become job creators.

He added that the beneficiaries would be attached to mentors who would guide them towards achieving success in their respective businesses.

According to him, the programme has, since its inception, continued to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of Corps Members.

News

CBN Reduces Interest Rate To 23%

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the reduction of the interest rate, also known as Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 23 percent.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said at the 307th MPC meeting held on September 22, 2026 agreed the resetting of the MPR and recaliberation of the monetary policy market.

According to Cardoso, the committe is satisfied with the disinflation progress, adding that members noted stable banking sector following successful recapitalisation.

Meanwhile, according to Nigerian Tribune, reports that that the MPC, at its 306th meeting in July 2026, disclosed its resolution to retain the interets at 26.5 percent.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, “the Committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stance followed a thorough assessment of the balance of risks. Although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened, due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

“In view of the evolving developments, maintaining a cautious monetary policy stance remains appropriate. In arriving at its decision, the Committee noted the recent resurgence of hostilities in the Middle East, with particular attention to its spillover effects on global energy prices and the potential pass-through to domestic inflation.”

News

NURTW: KWAM1 Settles Long-time Rift Between MC Oluomo, Tafa Sego

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Nigerian Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has brokered a peace deal between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) National President, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mustapha Adekunle, aka Tafa Sego.

The reconciliation took place at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, where several NURTW chieftains gathered for the meeting.

The development was announced on Tuesday on KWAM1’s digital media page on Instagram, alongside photographs from the meeting.

According to the post, the two union leaders have resolved their differences after years of strained relations.

“After years of an age-long rift, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego have finally settled their differences. And from what we know now, this is final,” the post said.

The musician was said to have intervened as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, with the aim of bringing an end to the longstanding disagreement between the two NURTW figures.

“K1 acted in his role as the Mayegun of Yorubaland by seeking an end to the long-standing rift, once and for all,” it said.

The post also described the meeting as a significant step beyond previous public displays of reconciliation.

“This time, it was not just another handshake for the cameras. The two old friends and colleagues came together at Ojusagbola, with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (K1) playing the peacemaker.”

Both MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were reported to be pleased with the outcome of the intervention.

“Both parties are delighted about the new development,” the post said.

The two men had previously been allies and prominent figures within the Lagos NURTW before their relationship became strained amid disagreements linked to leadership of the union in the state.