The Kano State Government has strengthened oversight and coordination of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention, SMC, programme following a comprehensive review of its processes, documentation and personnel arrangements.
The development followed the constitution of an investigative committee by the State Commissioner for Health on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, to investigate the preparation, processes, distribution and implementation of the programme across the state.
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Chairman of the committee and Director-General of the State Agency for the Control of AIDS, SACA, Dr. Usman Bashir, stated this to newsmen.
He said the committee comprises heads of relevant health agencies and other key officials in the health sector, while the Director of Administration, Kano State Ministry of Health, serves as Secretary.
According to him, the committee engaged Malaria Elimination Programme Officers, MEPOs, from all 44 Local Government Areas to review and reconcile their respective programme data.
Dr. Usman Bashir said the review also resulted in measures to strengthen the management, monitoring and coordination of the programme.
He announced the appointment of Abdullahi Yusuf Koki as Acting Programme Manager, Bashir Maikano as Acting State Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, and Surayya Aminu as Acting State Assistant Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.
The SACA Director-General added that three additional zonal Monitoring and Evaluation personnel from the State Primary Health Care Management Board had also been deployed to strengthen verification, coordination and monitoring across the state.
He explained that, following the ongoing verification and other necessary preparations, the 2026 SMC exercise is scheduled to commence statewide on Wednesday, August 12th.
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Dr. Usman Bashir said the investigative committee would continue its work in line with its Terms of Reference and submit detailed findings and recommendations.
He said corrective, administrative and, where necessary, disciplinary measures would be taken against anyone found culpable.
The committee reassured parents, communities, development partners and other stakeholders of its commitment to transparency, accountability and due process in the implementation of the SMC programme.
It also reaffirmed its determination to safeguard the integrity of the intervention and ensure that its intended malaria-prevention benefits reach eligible children across the state.