Gaidam, Gates, Dangote review routine immunisation progress in Yobe

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Mr. Bill Gates and the Chairman of Dangote Foundation met yesterday to review progress in routine immunization in Yobe State over the last six months as part of the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the three parties.

Mr. Gates and Aliko Dangote joined the meeting via live video from Seattle, United States, and Lagos respectively. The director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr. Mahmoud Zubair also joined via telephone.

Both Gates and Dangote commended the Yobe State Government for its commitment to routine immunization and for increasing the percentage of coverage over the review period.

Governor Gaidam assured partners that as peace consolidates across the state, his administration would “continue to support the provision of life saving vaccines and other high impact lifesaving interventions, increase the human resource workforce and continuously revitalize primary health care facilities.”

Dangote who spoke on Yobe’s progress in implementing key recommendations made with regards to routine immunization exercise in the previous year, said, “I would like to urge the team to internalise those recommendations to strengthen the financial management system. I am also happy that every month since January 2017, the finance working group has transparently and consistently rendered statements.”

In his remark, the Emir of Fika and Chairman of the Yobe State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa said the council was working tirelessly to mobilize the people and ensure that they access all the vaccines and other high impact lifesaving commodities provided by the state government.