The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has called for active participation of traditional leaders in routine immunization programmes to increase uptake of childhood immunization in Oyo state.
The Social Policy Manager, UNICEF, Lagos Field Office, Muhammad Okorie, made the call on Wednesday during an advocacy dialogue with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin and other key traditional leaders in Ibadan.
Okorie said that the aim of the advocacy visit was to build relationships with traditional leaders who are seen as custodians of social norms to level their relationship to promote routine immunization in the state.
He added that UNICEF in collaboration with Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board and other stakeholders has also organised a football tournament tagged: "kick to keep Polio at Zero" to bring men together to sensitise them to support their wives to get their children immunized.
Okorie said that a lot of diseases that contribute to child mortality could be prevented through antigens which are delivered through immunization.
He noted that the primary target of the advocacy visit were children because every parent respects the position of traditional rulers.
"Our focus is to reach the duty bearers for children, as UNICEF, our interest is in children, for us to reach the children, we have to reach them through their parents and to reach their parents we have to go through the traditional institution that the parents respect.
"If we bring vaccination closer to children, we also need to bring the parents closer to vaccination. We appreciate what they have been doing in mobilising parents to bring their children to primary healthcare centres for routine immunization, "he said.
Also speaking, a Social and Behaviour Change Specialist from UNICEF's Lagos Field Office, Mrs Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, said that the football tournament is a community led and a community focused intervention to increase male involvement in routine immunization.
"One of the gaps we have identified in the state is that most times, women are saddled with the responsibility of taking their children for vaccination but if we don't get consent of fathers, we may not be able to get enough children immunized.
"Most times, when we have rejections to immunization, mothers would tell us that the fathers have not given consent.
"That is the reason why we are using the football tournament as a tool and instrument to drag men to become actively involved in their children's immunization, "she said.
Also, the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Johnson Osoko, said that the community leaders play a significant role in ensuring that all disease interventions are successful.
"It is very important to educate our traditional rulers who have the authority in the land so that through them the whole communities would be mobilised to control and prevent outbreak of epidemics, "he said.
Earlier, the Tournament Sport Consultant , Coach Femi Olatunji, said that the reason behind the tournament was to use football to gather men to encourage them to allow their wives to go for vaccination for their children.
He lauded UNICEF for deploying sports as a new innovation to pass the message of immunization across to the men to educate them on the need to support their wives to go for immunization of their children.
"Football field is one of the places where we can see 500 to 1000 men gathered together, this tournament provides access to educate men in large numbers to be actively involved in children immunization programmes.
Speaking on behalf of Olubadan, the Maye of Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Alabi, expressed readiness of traditional leaders in Ibadanland to support efforts of UNICEF and other partners in bringing immunization closer to children in the state.