In January, our team was honored to meet with two influential traditional leaders in Northern Nigeria—the Emir of Dass and the Emir of Misau. During the visits, we shared updates on the progress of the All Babies program in their respective emirates and sought their continued support for improving routine immunization uptake.

‍

Palace of the Emir of Dass
At the palace of Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman, our team discussed our impact in Dass.

“Over 12,200 infants were enrolled in the program as of September 2024,” said Ibrahim Iliyasu, National Partnership Officer. “These infants are from 460 settlements across 42 public clinics in Dass LGA. We’ve disbursed over ₦54 million to caregivers to cover transportation costs, encouraging more than 184,000 vaccinations.”

‍

The Emir, who doubles as the Co-Chairman of the Bauchi State Task Force on Immunizations and the Chairman of the Bauchi State Emirate Councils’ Committee on Health, highlighted economic challenges faced by rural families as a barrier to routine immunization.

“Poverty makes it difficult for some parents to afford transportation to health facilities,” he said. He thanked the All Babies program for supporting caregivers and ensuring vaccine availability, adding, “This initiative has been highly beneficial.”

‍

Palace of the Emir of Misau
In Misau LGA, the Emir, Alhaji Ahmed Sulaiman also warmly received the team in his Palace. Operations Coordinator Mustapha Kabir shared that over 23,000 infants have been enrolled in Misau as of September 2024; we have encouraged more than 340,000 vaccinations and disbursed over ₦100 million to caregivers across 51 public hospitals.

The Emir acknowledged the All Babies program’s impact, stating, “This initiative helps us fulfill our responsibilities as leaders. Even ₦1,000 incentives make a difference in ensuring children receive vaccines.”

‍

‍Immunization As a Shared Responsibility
Traditional leaders in Northern Nigeria are critical to bridging the gap between public health initiatives and community trust. The All Babies program’s success lies in building trust, collaborating with leaders, and providing meaningful support to caregivers.