- State, national health agencies and Malaria Consortium to deploy door-to-door teams from Nov. 8 as officials urge residents to “play your part”
Kogi State, working with the Malaria Consortium and the National Malaria Elimination Programme, will distribute more than 3.1 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to households across all 21 local government areas from Nov. 8 to 15.
The campaign is intended to cut malaria infections and strengthen preventive healthcare in the state.
Mr. Maji Enoch, permanent secretary in the state Ministry of Health, announced the plan at a media briefing on the Kogi State Insecticide Treated Nets Universal Coverage Campaign. He spoke on behalf of Health Commissioner Dr. Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza.
Enoch said the nets would be distributed under the state’s Malaria Elimination Programme. A total of 3,141,485 Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) will be given to households, he said.
“Malaria remains a major public health concern, contributing to school and workplace absenteeism, reduced productivity and significant economic losses through treatment costs and lost working hours,” he said.
He said billions of naira are lost each year to treatment costs, prevention and lost working hours.
The permanent secretary said Kogi has not had a free ITN distribution in the past nine years, calling the campaign “a rare opportunity” residents must make the most of.
Olubunmi Ojelade, the Malaria Consortium’s program coordinator for Kogi, cited the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey, which found that national malaria prevalence fell from 22 percent in 2021 to 15.2 percent in 2025. Kogi recorded a prevalence rate of 8.9 percent, she said.
Despite that progress, Nigeria still accounts for 24.3 percent of global malaria cases each year and about 30 percent of the estimated 579,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide, Ojelade said.
She said sleeping under insecticide-treated nets remains one of the most effective ways to prevent the disease, noting that their use has reduced malaria incidence by 50 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ojelade said Kogi has not benefited from a free net distribution in the past nine years and described the campaign as an important opportunity for residents to strengthen household protection.
Under the plan, personnel in uniforms bearing the malaria campaign logo will visit homes to register residents and hand out the nets at no cost. Ojelade urged households to make sure at least one representative is present to complete registration and collect the allocated nets.
She advised recipients to air the new nets in a shaded area for 24 hours before hanging them. Residents should sleep under the nets every night throughout the year, she said, with the nets properly tucked in around sleeping areas for maximum protection.
The state government called on residents to cooperate with the distribution teams and use the nets properly, saying broad participation is essential to reducing infections and achieving a malaria-free Kogi.
