By Nasir Shuaibu
The Bauchi State Government has called on journalists, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other community stakeholders to mobilise residents for the effective use of anout five million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to be distributed across the state.
The nets will be distributed between September and October 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen malaria prevention and reduce malaria-related infections and deaths.
The Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Sani Muhammad Dambam, made the call during a media parley with journalists at the agency’s headquarters in Bauchi on Monday.
Represented by the Director in the ministry, Samira Muhammad, the commissioner said the media had a critical role in educating the public on the proper use of the nets.
He urged parents and other members of the public to ensure that the nets were used appropriately after distribution.
Dambam also disclosed that community leaders and security personnel would be involved in monitoring the exercise to ensure that the free nets reached the intended beneficiaries.
According to him, the monitoring arrangement would also prevent diversion, hoarding and sale of the nets.
The Executive Chairman of BACATMA, Dr. Adamu Sambo, said distribution teams would move from house to house to issue collection cards, with allocations based on the number of rooms in each household.
The Director of the Agency, Muhammad Isah Bello, said religious and traditional leaders would participate in monitoring the exercise to promote transparency and accountability.
He warned that the government would take legal action against anyone found selling or hoarding the mosquito nets.
Meanwhile, representatives of Malaria Consortium, Society for Family Health and Against Malaria Foundation praised the state government for its commitment to malaria elimination.
In their separate remarks, Khadi Yakubu Marafa and Dr. Dan’azumi Tafawa Balewa also urged residents to cooperate with distribution teams and ensure proper use of the nets.
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