Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya met with a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday to deepen collaboration on improving polio immunisation coverage in hard-to-reach and security-challenged communities across Northern Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued yesterday by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General, Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe.
The meeting, held at the Gombe Governor's Lodge in Abuja, was led by the Foundation's Global Polio Director, Kathy Neuzil, and focused on enhancing security coordination, community mobilisation and monitoring frameworks to accelerate progress toward a polio-free Nigeria.
Governor Yahaya, who chairs both the Northern States Governors' Forum (NSGF) and the National Economic Council (NEC) Committee on Polio Eradication, reaffirmed his commitment to supporting national efforts to eradicate the disease. He noted that insecurity remains a significant barrier to accessing some communities and pledged continued engagement with state governors and security agencies.
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"As Chairman of the NEC Committee on Polio Eradication, I will continue to engage my colleagues and relevant security agencies to strengthen access," he said. "If it requires special security arrangements to protect health workers, we are fully prepared to facilitate that."
The governor announced that new security measures are being implemented to enhance the safety of frontline workers ahead of the next round of immunisation campaigns. He also assured the Foundation of his support in fostering cooperation among northern governors to scale up vaccination coverage.
Yahaya highlighted the success of the "Gombe model", which he said is driven by strong community ownership, coordinated structures and sustained political will--an approach he believes can be replicated across the region.
Speaking during the visit, Neuzil expressed concern over the limited access to many communities due to insecurity and called for sustained collaboration with the governor in his roles as NSGF chairman and chair of the NEC Polio Committee. She praised the progress recorded in Gombe State and emphasised that donors closely track levels of political commitment and community engagement.
"We commend the remarkable political will in Gombe," she said. "Working together with state governments, especially under your leadership at the NSGF, gives us confidence that the remaining gaps can be closed."
Governor Yahaya was accompanied at the meeting by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru; Executive Secretary of GoHealth, Dr Abubakar Musa; and the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Abdulrahman Shuaibu.
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The Gates Foundation delegation included Global Polio Director Kathy Neuzil, Deputy Director Yusuf Yusufari and Deputy Director Andrew Stein.
