The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manassah Jatau, on Thursday reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening partnerships aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of citizens.
The Deputy Governor made the pledge while receiving officials of the All Babies Are Equal Incentives (ABAE), the Nigerian affiliate of New Incentives, during a courtesy visit at the Government House in Gombe.
Responding to the Director of Stakeholder Relations of the organisation, Jatau said “the health of the people must be given serious attention because of its critical role in driving other sectors of the economy.”
He noted that a healthy population is essential for productivity, economic development and overall social stability, “i want to commend the contributions of the All Babies Are Equal Incentives in saving lives through its intervention aimed at increasing routine childhood immunisation coverage,” he added.
He described the organisation’s approach as highly cost-effective and evidence-based, noting that it has helped strengthen the uptake of immunisation services across communities.
The deputy governor, however, advised that while the use of monetary incentives to encourage caregivers to bring their children for immunisation has proven effective, it must be applied carefully.
“There is the need to ensure that caregivers understand the health benefits of vaccination and are motivated by the importance of protecting their children, rather than relying solely on financial incentives,” he added.
He stressed that proper public enlightenment is necessary to prevent situations where caregivers may withdraw from accessing immunisation services once financial incentives are no longer available or where ineligible persons attempt to take advantage of the programme.
Jatau also highlighted the state government’s inclusive approach to public health awareness, noting that the administration actively engages traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders and other stakeholders in mobilizing communities to support government policies and programmes.
According to him, such collaboration has helped address not only the challenges of reaching physically remote communities but also those considered socially hard to reach.
The deputy governor assured the delegation of the state government’s readiness to continue collaborating with development partners to improve primary healthcare delivery and ensure that every child in Gombe State has access to life-saving immunisation services.
Earlier, the Director of Stakeholder Relations of the All Babies Are Equal Incentives, Nura Mohammed said the organisation’s Demand Creation for Routine Immunisation programme is currently operating in 11 northern states, including Gombe.
He explained that the programme provides conditional cash transfers to caregivers to encourage them to complete the six routine childhood immunisation visits.
According to him, “since the commencement of the intervention in Gombe State in partnership with the State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Development Agency across the 11 local government areas, significant progress has been recorded.”
He disclosed that as of December 31, 2025, about 396,800 caregivers had been enrolled in the programme, while over ₦2.47 billion had been disbursed directly to eligible caregivers.
The intervention, he said, has also led to notable improvements in immunisation coverage, including a 14 percentage point increase in BCG coverage, 18 percentage points increase in Penta1, and 22 percentage points increase in Measles2, while the number of zero-dose children has reduced by 18 percentage points.
He added that the organisation is also piloting the distribution of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) in Funakaye Local Government Area, linking immunisation visits with diarrhoeal disease prevention, with over 40,000 ORS sachets already distributed to caregivers.
The Director appealed for the support of the state government in strengthening community sensitisation, particularly through the Deputy Governor’s voice in community radio campaigns encouraging caregivers to immunise their children.
He also sought the government’s assistance in engaging traditional leaders across the state to help address misconceptions and build greater confidence in routine immunisation services.
