The Humanitarian Times

By Abdulkareem Haruna

The Executive Chairman of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Hon. Umar Ali Bolori, has given assurances of the equitable, free distribution of mosquito nets across all nooks and crannies of the state.
This assurance was given by the popular council chairman on Thursday, July 9, as the state flagged off the 2026 malaria chemoprevention exercise, which targets children under the age of five.
Hon. Bolori, who is the state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), spoke on behalf of the 27 council chairmen in Borno State as the State Ministry of Health and Human Services set out to roll out the distribution of five million free treated mosquito nets across the state.
The nets were provided by the Malaria Consortium in partnership with the WHO, MSF, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, and the Ministry of Health.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention is a public health strategy that involves the intermittent administration of full treatment courses of antimalarial medicines to vulnerable populations to prevent malaria infection and its severe consequences. Chemoprevention uses curative, therapeutic doses at predefined intervals on children under the age of five, regardless of whether the child is currently infected with the malaria parasite.
Urging nursing mothers to embrace the administration of malaria chemoprevention SPAQ drugs, the MMC chairman said, “We all have a duty to support the government and all partners in the fight against malaria to eliminate this terrible disease, so that our children could at least have a safe and good start in life.”
He added that the five million mosquito nets, when handed to the respective local government areas, would be given to all deserving and targeted beneficiaries.

Hon. Bolori commended the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, for taking the lead in the holistic effort to combat all kinds of diseases – especially child-killer diseases – in the state by budgeting more than 10 percent of the state budget to the health sector.

Speaking earlier, the representative of the Malaria Consortium at the event called on the local government chairmen, community leaders, and the wives of the chairmen to deploy their invaluable influence within their communities, even as she solicited their continued support in mobilizing parents and caregivers to embrace the intervention “and ensure that every eligible child is reached.”

Most stakeholders, such as the WHO, MSF, NMEP, and the traditional title holders who delivered their respective goodwill messages, emphasized greater collaboration and synergy in the distribution of the mosquito nets alongside the administration of malaria chemoprevention.

The Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Professor Baba Malam Gana, said Borno State, under Governor Zulum, has been able to reach about 2.4 million children with malaria chemoprevention, which is one of the largest efforts so far in the country. He said the feat has been a result of the huge investments being made in the area of healthcare, with over 10 percent of the state’s budget allocated to the sector.
He said this year’s malaria chemoprevention and treated mosquito net distribution targets five million members of the population.

The Commissioner who declared the 2026 seasonal malaria chemoprevention opened, later inaugurated a steering committee for the distribution of the treated mosquito nets.

The high point of the event was the ceremonial administration of the SPAQ to selected children by the Health Commissioner and other dignitaries.