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Religious and community leaders across the Federal Capital Territory have pledged their support to boost child immunisation and tackle rising cases of non-compliance, as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) intensifies efforts to ensure that every child is protected against preventable diseases. The engagement, coordinated through the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), forms part of a renewed citywide campaign aimed at strengthening public awareness and improving compliance with the ongoing Measles-Rubella immunisation exercise under the Child Rights Act, 2003. Building on the advocacy momentum, FCTA teams, led by the HSES Mandate Secretary, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, began field visits to places of worship across Abuja, starting with the Ansar-ud-Deen Society and Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Foundation on Friday, and continuing on Sunday at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), and Christ Holy Church International. The outreach, she said, is part of a wider sensitisation drive to ensure that no child, whether in school, church, mosque, market, or playground is left unprotected. In a statement on Monday, the Special Adviser on Media to the Mandate Secretary, Bola Ajao, said faith leaders expressed strong support for the campaign during the visits. The Senior Pastor and Regional Overseer of MFM Wuye International Headquarters, Pastor Edwin Etomi, according to her, commended the FCT Minister for his commitment to child health, while Evangelist Anselm Ikebata of Christ Holy Church International, Area 1, applauded the Administration’s renewed drive in public health advocacy. The Mandate Secretary noted that the exercise is designed to be all-inclusive, engaging traditional rulers, community associations, NGOs, CSOs, and partners such as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF, WHO, and IVACA. Fasawe, who had earlier last week emphasised that immunisation in the FCT remains free, safe, and effective, warned that ignorance or misinformation must not be allowed to hinder any child’s access to life-saving vaccines. “We will continue to educate our people and assure them of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines,” she stressed. She disclosed that the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has approved free enrolment into the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) for every child fully vaccinated in public schools across the Territory. To reinforce compliance, she said the Administration has begun enforcing provisions of the Child Rights Act against parents, guardians, or school owners who obstruct vaccination teams, stressing that the law mandates all institutions to ensure that every child is fully immunised. According to her, FCTA teams have been deployed across districts, rural communities, and hard-to-reach areas to ensure comprehensive coverage. Parents, she added, have turned out in large numbers, encouraged by interactive sessions and gift distributions for children. To sustain momentum, it was disclosed, the Secretariat had compiled a list of non-compliant schools and issued reminder letters, while mobilising 132 vaccination teams for a three-day citywide mop-up exercise in collaboration with NPHCDA and other partners.
