The Sokoto State Government has approved the purchase of 26 additional cooling systems to ensure effective storage of polio vaccines across the state.

Chairman of the Task Force Committee on Polio Eradication and Improvement of Routine Immunization, and Deputy Governor, Idris Mohammed Gobir, announced this during a committee meeting at his conference hall.

He explained that each of the 23 local government areas and the three zonal offices would receive one cooling system, noting that many of the existing units were either weak or non-functional.

Represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar Wurno, the Deputy Governor said the move would guarantee the potency of vaccines and improve immunization performance.

Gobir expressed hope that the meeting would also address other challenges affecting polio eradication efforts in the state, such as poor data collection, political interference, and negative attitudes among some health personnel.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing recommendations from the committee and expressed optimism that the next round of vaccinations, scheduled for September 11–14, would record better coverage.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Muhammad Bello Marnona, described the meeting as an opportunity to harmonize strategies to eradicate polio from the state.