By Rotimi Odofin
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, on Saturday flagged off the distribution of 3,810,985 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to 1,130,935 households across the state, as Malaria Consortium decorated the First Lady, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, as Kogi State Ambassador for Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs).
The 2026 ITN Mass Distribution Campaign, launched at the Government House, Lokoja, is expected to cover all 21 local government areas and strengthen efforts to curb malaria, one of the leading causes of illness and hospital visits in the state.
Governor Ododo, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Adams Adeiza, described malaria as a major threat to public health and economic productivity, particularly among children under five and pregnant women.
He said the disease contributes significantly to maternal complications, miscarriages, low birth weight and anaemia, while also imposing financial burdens on families through treatment costs and loss of productivity.
According to the governor, the campaign, being implemented in partnership with Malaria Consortium, is designed to expand malaria prevention and protect families across the state.
Distribution of the nets is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and run for eight days, with trained personnel expected to move from house to house and community to community to reach eligible households.
“Let me be clear: This net is for every household in Kogi State. No ward, community or village will be left behind,” Ododo said.
He urged residents to collect their allocated nets, hang them properly and ensure that every member of their households sleeps under them every night.
The governor warned against the sale, diversion or misuse of the nets for fishing and farming, describing them as critical tools in protecting families from malaria.
He also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth groups to mobilise their communities for the exercise, while charging health workers, distribution teams and supervisors to uphold transparency, fairness and accountability.
Ododo said his administration would not tolerate the diversion of mosquito nets and commended Malaria Consortium for its technical expertise, logistics support and commitment to the success of the campaign.
He expressed confidence that the initiative would help reduce malaria-related deaths, hospital visits and the financial burden of treatment on households.
Speaking at the event, the West and Central Africa Programmes Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr Kolawole Maxwell, described the campaign as a major investment in the health and wellbeing of Kogi residents.
He said the organisation, in partnership with the Kogi State Government and the National Malaria Elimination Programme, had procured approximately four million WHO-recommended insecticide-treated nets for distribution across the state’s 21 local government areas and 239 wards.
Maxwell disclosed that 6,404 personnel had been trained and mobilised for the exercise, adding that every household would be registered and every net tracked to ensure accountability.
He explained that the nets contain two active ingredients — pyrethroid and chlorfenapyr — designed to provide protection even in areas where mosquitoes have developed resistance to older insecticides.
Maxwell stressed that the success of the campaign would not be measured only by the number of nets distributed, but by how consistently and correctly households use them.
He urged residents to welcome distribution teams, collect their allocated nets and ensure that all family members, particularly children under five and pregnant women, sleep under them every night.
In her acceptance remarks, the First Lady and newly decorated ITN Ambassador, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Acharu Okpanachi, thanked Malaria Consortium, the state government and other partners for the honour.
She pledged to take the malaria prevention campaign to all 21 local government areas, wards, communities and households across the state.
“As your Net Ambassador, I make you this promise: I will not just wear this title. I will carry this message to every Local Government Area, to every ward, to every community, and to every household in Kogi State,” she said.
The First Lady appealed to fathers and husbands to take responsibility for protecting their families and urged women to take the lead in ensuring the consistent use of insecticide-treated nets.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the former Permanent Secretary of the Kogi State Ministry of Health, Alhaji S.O. Aliyu, representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), the Nigerian Medical Association, the Kogi State Hospital Management Board and other stakeholders.
The highpoint of the ceremony was the formal decoration and investiture of Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo as Kogi State ITN Ambassador by Malaria Consortium, in recognition of her commitment to promoting malaria prevention and encouraging households across the state to embrace the consistent use of insecticide-treated nets.
