The Bauchi State House of Assembly has reconfirmed its unwavering dedication to robustly fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, aiming to significantly enhance healthcare delivery and expand immunisation coverage throughout the state. This pledge offers a reassuring outlook for public health initiatives.
Speaker Abubakar Sulaiman conveyed this steadfast commitment on Friday in Bauchi, during a welcoming reception for representatives from the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) and the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) Community of Practice (CoP), who were on an advocacy visit.
Speaker Sulaiman further highlighted the proactive role played by the Assembly’s Committees on Health and Appropriation, noting their consistent and vigorous advocacy for increased budgetary provisions specifically allocated to the health sector, underscoring a collaborative approach to improving citizen well-being.
“We acknowledge health as a foundation for societal development. Without good health, no society can function effectively,” he emphasised.
The speaker also reaffirmed the House’s readiness to conduct oversight visits to health facilities across the state to directly engage communities and assess healthcare service delivery.
He added that the Assembly remained committed to gender inclusion and the protection of women’s and children’s rights in all health-related policies.
Dr Aminu Magashi, Coordinator of AHBN, commended the Assembly for its leadership role and urged lawmakers to strengthen their oversight and resource-tracking mechanisms to ensure every child in Bauchi was immunised.
“Bauchi is leading among the four states where we work, and this is because of the strong political will from both the assembly and the executive arm,” he noted.
Also speaking, Dr Hassan Musa, Bauchi State Focal Person for AHBN, appreciated the state government for creating a dedicated budget line for immunisation.
He noted that N870 million had been earmarked in the 2025 budget as a basket fund to combat zero-dose prevalence in children.
He highlighted gaps identified in the District Immunisation Monitoring (DIM) report and the scorecard, calling for greater focus on gender mainstreaming, community engagement, and social protection.
CoP Co-chair, Mr Jinjiri Garba, lauded the Assembly for being responsive to the health sector’s needs and emphasized the importance of sustained collaboration to improve the state’s health indicators.
