Traditional leaders in Bauchi State have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting routine immunization efforts following recent visits from the New Incentives – All Babies Are Equal (NI-ABAE) program team. These visits to the Emirs of Dass and Misau highlight the ongoing collaboration between traditional institutions and health-focused organizations to improve childhood vaccination rates.
The Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, is a key advocate for immunization. He noted that financial challenges often prevent caregivers from accessing health services. “Many parents in rural areas want to vaccinate their children but cannot afford the transportation cost to health facilities,” he explained. “New Incentives has helped bridge this gap by providing support that encourages parents to complete their children’s immunization schedules.”
Since launching in Bauchi State in June 2022, the NI-ABAE program has expanded across all 20 local government areas, offering small financial incentives to caregivers who bring their infants for routine immunization. This approach has significantly improved vaccine uptake, especially in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
In Misau local government, the program has recorded remarkable milestones. Mustapha Kabir, New Incentives’ Operations Director for Bauchi and Gombe States, shared that over 23,000 infants have been enrolled in the program, with more than 300,000 vaccinations facilitated. The organization has also disbursed over ₦100 million to caregivers to ease financial barriers.
The Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Sulaiman, commended the initiative while acknowledging its impact on reducing childhood diseases. “This is a responsibility we should be handling, but New Incentives has stepped in to assist,” he said. “The small cash support you provide makes a difference for families struggling with poverty. We appreciate this program and we will continue to support it.”
The Emir of Dass acknowledged that vaccine hesitancy could arise from communities feeling neglected in government projects. “Some communities resist activities linked to government initiatives due to political grievances,” he noted. “This is why continuous community engagement is crucial. And we are happy that our people listen to us when we speak to them to understand the importance of the vaccination on their children.”
NI-ABAE has always worked in partnerships with traditional institutions to address these challenges. Ibrahim Ahmad, National Partnership Officer for New Incentives, highlighted the essential role of traditional leaders in the program’s success.
“Their influence has helped us overcome initial resistance, and we are now seeing a stronger commitment from parents to complete their children’s immunization schedules,” he said. According to Ibrahim, despite these noticeable challenges, the All Babies program, operating in 42 public hospitals in Dass, have enrolled over 12,000 infants in the local government and disbursed over 54 million to caregivers since 2022.
As the program which started in 2017 in Katsina State has now expanded to 11 states in northern Nigeria. “So far, we have enrolled more than 4 million infants into our program, encouraging more than 64 million vaccinations across the states,” added Ibrahim.
The organization also works to strengthen vaccine awareness campaigns through radio jingles and community health talks to ensure that even urban working-class parents—who may forget due to their busy schedules—are reminded to complete their children’s vaccinations.
