The Sokoto State Government has commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its vital support in the fight against polio, while declaring zero tolerance for fake finger marking and falsified data during immunization campaigns.
By Usman Mohammed Binji
Commissioner of Health, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar Wurno, made the remarks during a media dialogue with journalists, broadcasters, and influencers at the UNICEF Field Office in Sokoto. The event, themed “Dosage of Good News,” set the stage for the second round of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) campaign starting June 13 in Shagari Local Government Area.
Dr. Wurno praised UNICEF’s continued partnership, noting its role in mobilizing resources, engaging communities, and providing technical support. He highlighted the April 2025 campaign, where Sokoto surpassed its vaccination target by immunizing over 1.4 million children across all 244 wards.
“We commend UNICEF for standing with us in this life-saving mission,” he said. “They have been instrumental in ensuring that our polio campaigns are not just planned, but impactful.”
He also thanked the Executive Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, First Lady Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Aliyu, traditional leaders, local government chairmen and their spouses, frontline health workers, and media professionals for their contributions.
However, Dr. Wurno expressed concern over unethical practices in some areas, particularly fake finger marking—where vaccinators pretend to immunize children—and falsified data reporting. He issued a firm warning:
“The Sokoto State Government has zero tolerance for fake finger marking and data falsification. These acts put our children at risk and undermine everything we are working to achieve. We are strengthening our monitoring systems and ensuring teams are made up of trusted, community-based personnel.”
Despite recent progress, Dr. Wurno noted that Sokoto still accounts for five of Nigeria’s 25 variant poliovirus cases—20% of the national figure. He emphasized the importance of maintaining high-quality campaigns to fully stop transmission.
Referencing the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), he pointed out that Sokoto has the highest number of “zero-dose” children in Nigeria—those who’ve never received any vaccine—due to poor routine immunization, malnutrition, and weak sanitation.
He urged local government chairmen to release counterpart funding without delay and to lead local campaign flag-offs with their spouses. He singled out Sokoto North, Sokoto South, and Wamakko LGAs as models of commitment in the last round.
Dr. Wurno also appealed to parents and caregivers to support the campaign and ensure all children under five receive the OPV, even if they’ve been vaccinated before.
The media dialogue featured key UNICEF officials including Ibrahim Isa, Officer-in-Charge of the Sokoto Field Office; Dr. Claude Kacil Monj, SBC Polio Team Lead for West and Central Africa (based in Dakar, Senegal); Priyanka Khanna, Polio Communications Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria in Abuja; and Ojei Ifeanyi, Health Specialist at UNICEF Sokoto.
