By Abubakar Rabilu, Gombe

Yobe State has joined 35 other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in endorsing a memorandum supporting the Reserved Seats Bill a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at boosting women’s representation in Nigeria’s legislative bodies.

The endorsement took place during the North-East Joint Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, an exercise organized by the National Assembly to gather regional input on key constitutional reforms.

Fatima Muhammad Paga, a prominent gender advocate and Focal Person of UN Women to Governor Mai Mala Buni, represented Yobe at the hearing.

She emphasized the need for legal measures to ensure more women are elected into decision-making positions.

“This bill is a step toward correcting the historical underrepresentation of women in politics. Reserved seats will not only empower women but will also strengthen our democracy by ensuring diverse voices are heard in parliament,” she said.

The bill, championed by UN Women Nigeria, calls for amendments to the Constitution to guarantee reserved legislative seats for women at both federal and state levels.

The move aims to close the gender gap in political representation and fulfill Nigeria’s commitments under international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Fatima Paga applauded the broad coalition of civil society organizations, political leaders, and development partners backing the bill.

She described it as a “timely intervention” aligned with the aspirations of women across Nigeria.

The zonal hearing drew stakeholders from across the North-East, including officials from state governments, traditional leaders, youth representatives, and women’s groups.

Advocates remain optimistic that the National Assembly will adopt the proposed amendment, paving the way for greater gender inclusion and equity in Nigeria’s democratic space.

By Our Correspondent

The Gombe State Government, in collaboration with development agencies, has officially launched the 2025 round of the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign, aimed at eradicating polio and strengthening public health systems across the state.

The campaign was flagged off at a well-attended ceremony held at the Palace of the District Head of Kuri in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

Representing Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the State Task Force on Immunization, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery and protecting children from preventable diseases.

He stressed the urgency of addressing the threat posed by the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2), which has seen five recent detections in the state.

“Every child missed is a potential case,” he warned, urging community-wide participation to close immunization gaps.

Dr. Jatau called on religious and traditional leaders to actively combat vaccine hesitancy, especially in remote and underserved areas, and encouraged residents to make use of the free health services provided during the campaign.

The decision to launch the campaign in Kuri was based on concerning data showing low immunization coverage in the area, particularly among “zero-dose” children — those who have never received any vaccine. Health officials described the situation as dangerous and a significant threat to public health.

Speaking earlier at the event, Dr. Gambo Kashere, Board Chairman of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, thanked the state government for its commitment to strengthening the health sector across all 11 LGAs of Gombe State.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, who was represented by Dr. Maryam Abubakar, assured that efforts would be intensified to ensure the campaign reaches hard-to-reach areas for the successful eradication of polio in the state.

Health officials in Gombe State have commended the state government for its sustained investment in the healthcare sector, particularly in supporting efforts to eradicate polio.

Speaking during the official flag-off of the 2025 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign in Kuri, Board Chairman of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Gambo Kashere, praised the government’s commitment across all 11 local government areas of the state. He noted that the administration’s dedication was crucial to strengthening healthcare delivery and achieving disease control targets.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, represented by Dr. Maryam Abubakar, pledged that the campaign would prioritize reaching hard-to-access communities.

She stressed that every effort would be made to ensure no child is left behind, reinforcing the state’s determination to completely eliminate polio.

Traditional leaders, including the Emir of Yamaltu, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, and the Emir of Deba, Alhaji Ahmad Usman Mohammed, pledged their support to the campaign and commended the state government, development partners, and healthcare workers for their continued efforts.

Speaking at the event, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, raised concerns over the high numbers of unreached children in Gombe.

She highlighted Dukku, Kwami, Funakaye, and Yamaltu-Deba LGAs as high-risk zones where immunization coverage remains critically low.

Represented by UNICEF Health Officer Oluseyi Olusunde, Dr. Nuzhat emphasized that although Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus persist.

She called for intensified efforts to eliminate noncompliance among parents and urged traditional rulers to address misinformation surrounding vaccines.

Also delivering a goodwill message, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, warned of a resurgence of preventable diseases if immunization campaigns are not sustained.

He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts and expressed optimism that polio could be completely eliminated by the end of 2025.

Gombe State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, reassured parents of the safety and effectiveness of the oral polio vaccine, urging stakeholders to ensure every eligible child is vaccinated.

“Immunizing your child protects them from multiple life-threatening diseases,” he stated.

The NIPDs campaign will cover all 11 LGAs in Gombe State and is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of children under five with life-saving polio vaccines and additional healthcare services.

By Our Correspondent

A Non-Governmental Organisation based in Gombe State, Alkali Agricultural Access Initiative, has called for intensified efforts to tackle hunger and malnutrition among children.

Mr Jonah Alkali, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, made the call on Wednesday in Kaltungo town of Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State.

Alkali, while distributing food packs to 1,000 pupils at the Pilot Primary School, Kaltungo, said hunger remained a major challenge affecting school attendance in the country.

He said that the NGO, under its School Feeding Programme and Nutritional Advocacy, fed more than
7,000 pupils in 2024 as a way of creating awareness on the urgent need to tackle hunger and malnutrition among school children.

He added that efforts were needed from all stakeholders to address hunger, especially as it affects children to encourage them to go to school.

According to him, there is connection between hunger and out-of-school children menace, adding that one of the best tools to tackle enrollment challenge is to address hunger.

He stressed that “hunger affects every aspect of a child’s development, and that is why we all must rise against it.

“This is because a hungry child may not be in school or learn effectively even if he or she is in school.
In view of the impact of malnutrition and hunger on children in vulnerable communities, we must fight hunger within our capacity.

“This is why we are here to feed 1,000 school children through our home-grown feeding programme.

“We are using this to tell the world that there is urgent need to fight hunger so that pupils will not go to school hungry or go to bed on empty stomach.”

Alkali said no child deserved to be hungry or malnourished, as it is the right of every child to be fed and be taken good care of.
He commended the Federal Government’s school feeding initiative and called for reintroduction of the programme to boost school enrollment “and tackle the increasing cases of out-of-school children.”

He appealed to the Gombe State Government to domesticate the Federal Government’s school feeding programme to boost nutrition and reduce hunger among pupils.
He said that the reintroduction of the programme would help children get the nutrition they need to succeed in their education, fight malnutrition and improve their health.

Mrs Faustina Bitrus, the Head Teacher of the school, commended the group’s initiative, noting that “school feeding is key to improving pupils’ enrollment and boosting nutrition.”

Mercy Samuel, a pupil of Primary Six and the Head Girl of the school, said she was excited about the feeding, wishing that the exercise would be a continuous one.

Samuel said some pupils who stopped coming to school had resumed because the school management announced that an NGO was coming to share food.

She appealed to government at all levels to reintroduce the school feeding programme to support the pupils, adding that many missed classes because of hunger.