….Calls On Parents, Other Stakeholders To Embrace Exercise
The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has flagged off the Second Round of the 2025 National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) programme with a call on parents, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to embrace the exercise seriously.
Performing the flag-off ceremony at Tein, Biseni in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, Senator Ewhrudjakpo said the state government was poised to achieve zero prevalence rate of polio in Bayelsa.
To this end, he stressed the need for parents, guardians, heads of schools and religious leaders to make sure that no child of immunizable age was left out in the four-day immunization programme.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo who warned that parents who deprive their children from being immunized would take responsibility for their action, assured that the polio+plus vaccine was safe, effective and potent.
According to him, the vaccine is specially formulated to tackle a mutated variant of the polio virus, which is notably different from regular polio vaccines.
The Deputy Governor, who cautioned against falsification of immunization records, equally called on all health personnel and ad-hoc staff deployed in the various local government areas for the exercise to record only what they had done in their field reports.
He thanked the Biseni people for their warm reception, and the various partners such as WHO, UNICEF, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Zipline, Rotary, and others for working in close synergy with the state government in driving its immunization programmes.
His words: “Today’s event is quite significant because of the importance we attach to this exercise. We don’t want any child to go down with polio in this state.
“We therefore call on all parents, headmasters, principals and religious leaders to bring out your children for the exercise, and don’t allow them become perpetual victims of polio.
“Now for the health workers, you know the crime you commit is more dangerous when you record what you didn’t do. Health workers, record only what you have done. Forget about faking it; don’t go and rig the immunization results.
” If you couldn’t reach or cover an area, simply say so, so that we can quickly take the steps to take you there.
“We are looking at our laws, and the laws empowers us to say that any child who is not immunized should not enter our schools. So, all the headmasters and principals in Biseni, and indeed all the schools across our state should not allow any child that is not immunized.”
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe thanked the state government for the choice of Biseni, a far flung community from the state capital, as venue for the flag -off ceremony of the 2nd Round of the NIPDs.
Professor Brisibe, who expressed gratitude to the Deputy Governor for his passion and commitment for immunization, explained that using a rural settlement for the flag-off would go along way to demystify some of the erroneous beliefs about immunization.
He equally called on mothers and health workers to take the current immunization exercise seriously to justify the state government’s commitment and investment towards ensuring a zero case of polio in the state.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Mr. Bulodisiye Ndiwari, said the people of the area were delighted to host the event, adding that many children were facing health challenges because they were deprived of immunization and called on the people to come out en masse to be immunized.
Goodwill messages were received from the Chairman of the Biseni Clan Council of Chiefs, Chief Williams Wariebi; the state Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Tam Seth Eyedoude; and a representative of the NPHCDA, Dr Chris Elemuwa.
Others are the state Coordinator of World Health Organization, Dr Marcus Oluwadare; the Biseni Women President, Chief (Mrs.) Mariam Abusi, as well as the Governor-designate of Rotary Club 9141, Dr. Anthony Olikagu who presented 2000 aprons on behalf of Rotary to support the immunization programme.
