Nafisa Murtala Ahmed
Kano has about 280,281 zero-dose children, those who have never received a single vaccine dose. In 2023, over 300,000 children in Kano were reported to have not been immunised against childhood killer diseases.
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However, Kano State Zero Dose Learning Hub Community of Practice (CoP) is now changing the narrative by driving immunization accountability, awareness, and outreach to reach communities long ignored.
In this report, Nafisa Murtala Ahmed tells the stories of mothers whose journeys from vaccine hesitancy to acceptance reflect the impact of this transformed commitment.
A Mother’s journey to trusting immunization.
Zainab Umar, is a mother of three in her late twenties whose journey to accepting immunization tells a story of regret, and awakening.
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For years, Zainab carried a dangerous misconception that immunization robbed children of their full potential. Convinced by rumors, she denied her first two children the life-saving vaccines that could have shielded them from deadly childhood diseases.
“I depended solely on traditional herbs and medicines, never knowing the dangers I was exposing my children to.
“I was blinded by the false belief that immunization was a trick from the Western world to gather information about my child’s growth. Sadly, I held on to that and spread it to others,” she recalled.
But everything changed when after much persuasion from her peers, Zainab reluctantly agreed to bring her recently-born third child for vaccination.
The experience opened her eyes. “I was a strong propagator of false information about immunization. But after that attempt, I realized I was wrong. I had unknowingly led many into darkness, and I feel sorry for that now because I have seen the benefits of immunization.
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“All the while when my children used to consistently fall sick which cost I and my husband a lot of money buying medicines, I never knew that simple immunization could have prevented all these diseases. I am lucky that both my first two children are alive,” she said.
Today, Zainab is a different woman. She cradles her infant with a smile of relief, grateful for the knowledge she once resisted.
“They’ve educated us on why vaccines are essential. Even though it can get crowded, we know our children’s health is a priority here,” she said, holding her child close.
Kano CoP on Immunization at the Center
At the backdrop of Zainab’s journey from vaccine hesitation to full acceptance of immunization stands a broader effort that is shaping such stories across Kano.
The Kano State Zero Dose Learning Hub Community of Practice (CoP) on Immunization Budget Tracking, Accountability, and Sustainability.
The CoP on immunization has offered a window into the triumphs of delivering life-saving vaccines to Kano’s youngest and most vulnerable.
The CoP on Immunization is a collaborative platform that strengthens accountability, budget tracking, and sustainable strategies to ensure every child, especially the zero-dose, has access to life-saving vaccines.
Between 2023 and 2025, Kano State’s rising investment in immunization changed the story for thousands of children. In 2023, only ₦48 million was budgeted with nothing released, leaving many children at risk.
By 2024, however, ₦528 million was allocated with 75% released, and in 2025 the commitment grew even stronger with ₦1.2 billion allocated and fully released within the first two quarters.
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This timely funding meant that more vaccines reached health centres, more mothers felt encouraged to bring their children, and fewer children in places like Sumaila and Kumbotso were left without protection.
These gains were not by chance. The Kano CoP on Immunization, working alongside the Ministry of Health (MoH), State Primary Healthcare Management Board (SPHCMB), Ministry of Planning and Budget (MoPB), and the State House of Assembly (SHoA), played a crucial role in tracking budgets, ensuring accountability, and keeping vaccine delivery on the policy agenda.
Their combined efforts turned commitments on paper into life-saving doses for children, offering mothers like Zainab a new trust in the system and hope for healthier futures.
From Doubt to Confidence: Aisha’s Story
For Aisha Bashir, a mother of five who recently relocated from Edo State to Kano, vaccines were once a source of doubt and hesitation.
While Zainab initially refused to immunize her children due to myths and misconceptions about vaccination, Aisha’s reason was paucity of funds.
Back in Edo, she often avoided immunizing her children, not because she didn’t care about their health, but because of the discouraging experiences she faced.
At the Primary Health Centres there, she was repeatedly asked to pay for services that were supposed to be free. The financial burden left her questioning whether vaccination was even worth the struggle.
“When I came to Kano two years ago, I was also hesitant to vaccinate my children. Sometimes, I walked away without vaccinating my children because I thought those fees will still be requested here which is something I couldn’t afford at the time.
“At some point I felt like these vaccines weren’t really meant for people like us,” she said.
But her first visit to a Primary Healthcare Centre after interacting with a Voluntary Community Mobilizer (VCM), everything changed.
To her surprise, she was welcomed warmly, attended to promptly, and never asked to pay a kobo.
“Here, it’s different. This is my fifth child and I’m grateful that he is being vaccinated here. It has encouraged me to bring all my children, who are still eligible for some vaccines. I now tell other mothers not to be afraid. If it’s free and safe, we should not deny our children,” Aisha said with relief.
Both Zainab’s and Aisha’s journeys shows the wider impact of the Kano Community of Practice on Zero Dose, whose tireless efforts to engage mothers, train vaccinators, and fight misinformation are helping transform vaccine hesitancy into vaccine confidence across communities.
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Dr. Musa Bello the state’s focal person for the initiative described a comprehensive approach to achieving increased budgetary allocations for immunization. This involved direct advocacy with the Ministry of Budget and Planning and the Ministry of Health to sensitize them on the need for greater financial commitment.
The CoP also ensured a seat at the table by participating in all key stakeholder meetings, such as those for the Annual Operational Plan (AOP) and the State Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Center (SERICC), to consistently advocate for more funding.
Furthermore, the CoP actively engaged in the budget process itself, from drafting to public hearings to ensure immunization was properly captured and to follow up on commitments.
To build sustainable support, working groups were deployed to sensitize communities through traditional and religious leaders, educating parents and caregivers on the importance of immunization and thereby generating public demand for these vital services.
Despite progress, challenges remain in places like Rigafada community in Kumbotso, where some mothers are still hesitant to vaccinate their children. During a recent CoP visit to Rigafada PHC, deep-rooted myths and misconceptions, similar to those Zainab once believed were highlighted as barriers.
Dr. Bello noted that health workers also struggle with logistics, “This logistical challenge dampens their spirits. It’s hard to keep them motivated when they have to sacrifice so much just to do their job,” he said, while calling for stronger support systems.
He also highlighted state-wide challenges like over resilience on donor support, inadequate utilisation of RI funds at PHCs, weak ability to write memos at some agencies which has been addressed through advocacy to some partners to train the responsible staff on memo writing.
There was also issue of communication gap between Ministry of Health and Ministry of Planning and Budget on RI funds utilisation because MoPB needs all the neccesary data to calculate budget while the MoH is hesitant in giving the data.
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These challenges show that there is more need to strengthen coordination, build local capacity, and ensure sustainable funding for immunization.
This story is made possible with support from Nigeria Health Watch as part of the Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative.