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Polio: UNICEF Engages Traditional Rulers To Ensure Vaccine Compliance

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has engaged the traditional rulers in Bauchi state to ensure maximum compliance of the people with Polio vaccine uptake.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Dass, Alh. Othman Usman on Friday, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Bauchi Field Office, said the role the traditional institutions would play in ensuring that the people embraced the vaccine could not be overemphasised.
While appreciating the Emir of Dass for his commitment and concern for the children in the state and Nigeria at large, the UNICEF boss urged him to lead other traditional, community leaders and district heads across the state to ensure that all children were reached and immunized.
“This is a very impressive local government and I congratulate you for the leadership and for being the father of this LGA where we don’t have any zero dose children and open defecation free.
READ ALSO: Polio: UNICEF Supports Bauchi Govt. With Over 2.5 Million Vaccines
“I would like to highlight the need for your leadership and help for all the local governments in Bauchi because unfortunately, Bauchi is showing one of the lowest indicators in terms of all these achievements that Dass LGA already has, like Open Defecation Free and zero dose children.
“As you know, the polio campaign is starting on 24 to 30 of this month, and this is very important for Nigeria as this is the last opportunity for the country to eradicate polio.
“I’m available to go with you or to wherever you ask me to go, especially the non-compliant or resistant houses because we really need to change.
“We have to make all the houses compliant. We have to give them advice to bring out their children and be given polio drops,” she said.
READ ALSO: UNICEF To Involve Taraba Fathers In Healthcare Advocacy
Rafique added that every child must have a polio drop this time around and no child should be left behind, even in the most deprived areas.
This, she said, would be possible if all the traditional, community and religious leaders in the state worked closely with UNICEF.
Responding, the Emir of Dass who is also the Chairman, Bauchi state Emirate Councils Committee on Health (BASECCOH), said that the Traditional Institution in the state had started a renewed strategy in terms of sensitisation on polio.
According to him, the traditional rulers agreed to pay visits to health facilities to ascertain the progress of the immunisation exercise and had also made it a duty for every District Head to visit a health facility within his domain constantly.
READ ALSO: Measles: UNICEF To Vaccinate 3.8million Children – Official
“On the part of the Emirate, we are going to embark on supervision. We will choose some of the areas to visit across the state.
“As you said that you are always available to be part of the supervision, we are going to arrange and as well share the itinerary with you so that during the implementation, we will be able to visit all the zones in the state.
“I promise you that we are going to do our best to make sure that we see changes in terms of polio eradication in Bauchi state,” he promised.
News
UNIMAID, Federal Polytechnic Matriculate 82 Degree Students
University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in affiliation with the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi has matriculated 82 students into the degree programmes across five courses.
Speaking during the matriculation ceremony at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi on Tuesday, Professor Muhammad Laminu Mele, the Vice chancellor, University of Maiduguri, charged the matriculated students to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations guiding the two institutions to enable them achieve the set objectives.
The VC, who was represented by Professor Muhammad Ahmad Waziri, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Services, warned that any student or group of students trying to breach the peace of the two institutions would face the full wrath of the law.
READ ALSO:NEDC Hands Over Mega School To Bauchi Govt
The Don further assured that the University and its affiliated institutions would continue to make easy access to higher quality education to the teeming population across the country.
In a remark, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Alhaji Sani Usman, said they were affiliated with the university to pursue academic excellence, describing the affiliation as a huge pillar in the education reforms.
READ ALSO:Bauchi Govt, UNICEF Strengthen Education Platforms To Improve Learning Outcomes
The Rector, who was also represented by Dr. Dalhatu Saidu, the Deputy Rector of the Polymeric, commended the university of Maiduguri for not only improving the UNIMAID’s conducive learning environment but expanding the horizon to different higher institutions of learning across Nigeria.
He therefore advised the newly matriculated students to pursue knowledge, to interact freely with the Polytechnic staff, be vigilant and be a brother’s keeper, adding that this would help to achieve the desired objectives.
The affiliated courses included BSc Mass Communication, BSc Accountancy, BSc Public Administration, BSc Business Administration and BSc Banking and Finance respectively.
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Trouble Looms As Egbesu Group Drags FG To Court Over Resource Control, Others
Group known as Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) has dragged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to a Federal High Court, Yenagoa, over failure to create additional 24 Local government councils in Bayelsa State as the need for Ijaw to control natural resources in its territory.
The Originating Summons marked: FHC/YNA/CS/63/2026 was filed on Tuesday April 21, 2026 by the plaintiffs including; Felix Tuodolo, Weri Digifa, Ebi Waribigha, Kabowei Akamade, Rosebella Jackson, Thomas Jacklloyd, Primrose Kpokposei, David Imole and Welman Warri at the Federal High Court Yenagoa.
Joined as defendants in the suit are the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation.
In the court documents, the Egbesu Assembly premised their action on the alleged failure of the federal government particularly the National Assembly to deliberate, approve and amend the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
This, according to them, is to allow for resource control as well as the creation of additional LGAs in the state to fulfil the requirements in line with the Constitution.
READ ALSO:FG Bans Unauthorized Use Of Ambassador Title
The group is therefore seeking, among others, the amendment of the constitution by the National Assembly to allow for the right to resource control.
The Supreme Egbesu Assembly described the suit action as a promise kept.
Mranwh, In a press statement announcing the institution of the lawsuit on Tuesday, the Egbesu Assembly recalled that, on 12th February 2026, it wrote to both the Federal Government and the National Assembly wherein its gave a 21-Day ultimatum for the duo to respond to the age-long demands for resource control and creation of additional LGAs or face a lawsuit.
The statement partly reads: “Recall that on 12th February 2026, we did inform you that we have written to the National Assembly and the federal government on the need for the creation of an additional 24 Local Government Areas in Bayelsa State as well as the control of our God-given natural resources in Ijaw territory.
“We promised that if the National Assembly and or federal government did not respond to these age-long demands, we were going to seek legal actions to address our demands.
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“We gave a time frame of twenty-one days for them to respond to us—we got no response!
“Today the Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA) has kept to its promise.
“We instituted an action at the Federal High Court Yenagoa against the National Assembly and the Federal Government after the expiration of the 21 days. Today we were in court for the first hearing of both cases.”
According to the group, creation of additional local government areas for Bayelsa is as old as the creation of the State itself.
The SEA maintained that “there is nowhere in any democracy where a state is limited to just 8 LGAs: more pathetic is the fact that Bayelsa State is an oil bearing State.
“Bayelsa State presently has twenty four Rural Development Authorities (RDA) which can be easily converted to Local Government areas thereby making the State eligible to participate in the sharing of allocation and the development of their areas for the purpose of justice and equity.
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“Gentlemen, we wish to inform you that our suit on Resource Control is a revival of our age long agitation.”
The group further stated that Nigeria can no longer operate a system where contributors to the national coffers are not in charge of their resources.
The group added that the lawsuit is therefore for the Ijaw people.
“The Ijaw Nation must be free from all economic strangulation carried out against them by successive Governments,” they added.
The SEA called on all Ijaws to be steadfast and resolute, and continue to support the process by attending all court sessions, stating that “your solidarity is very vital at this point of time in our history. “
The group also called on other Ijaw organizations, communities, Niger Delta people, organizations and all people of goodwill “to join in the march to control and manage our despoiled and mismanaged natural resources.”
News
BREAKING: Tinubu Sacks Wale Edun, Dangiwa As Ministers
President Bola Tinubu has approved a minor reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council, removing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, from their cabinet positions.
Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, said the development was contained in a memo signed by the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
According to the memo, Taiwo Oyedele has been appointed as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
Also appointed is Dr. Muttaqha Darma as Minister-designate for Housing and Urban Development.
READ ALSO:VIDEO: I Took Over Leadership From Myself; The Late Buhari Is Me — Tinubu
The memo directed the outgoing ministers to complete handover processes to their respective successors or supervising officials.
It stated that all handing over and taking over activities must be concluded on or before the close of business on Thursday, 23rd April, 2026.
Explaining the decision, Akume said the changes were aimed at improving coordination and strengthening delivery across key sectors of the economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“These changes are aimed at strengthening cohesion, synergy in governance as well as achieving more impactful delivery on the economy to Nigerians, through the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Akume stated.
READ ALSO:VIDEO: Tinubu Till 2031, City Boy Movement Members Declare At Bayelsa Rally
He added that President Tinubu acted in line with his constitutional powers as provided under Sections 147 and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The SGF also conveyed the President’s appreciation to the outgoing ministers for their service to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours, noting that the process of cabinet reinvigoration would remain continuous.
The statement further noted that Taiwo Oyedele was appointed as Minister of State for Finance in March 2026, while Edun was among the ministers appointed on August 16, 2023.
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