Iseyin: The Oyo State Primary Health Care Board (OYOPHCB), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Femben Football Academy on Thursday emphasised the importance of fathers’ participation in the immunisation of their children. The Executive Secretary of OYOPHCB, Dr. Muideen Olatunji, highlighted this during the final of the UNICEF awareness football tournament and an advocacy visit to the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Sefiu Oyebola, and the traditional council in Iseyin.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the programme, tagged ‘Kick Zero Dose and Polio Away, One Goal at a Time’, was sponsored by UNICEF to bring men together and sensitize them to support their wives in getting their children immunised. Dr. Olatunji stated that the involvement of fathers as family heads would lead to a broader acceptance of immunisation programmes in communities within the state and across Nigeria.
The programme also aimed to build relationships with traditional leaders, considered custodians of social norms, to promote routine immunisation in the state. Dr. Olatunji emphasized that many diseases contributing to child mortality could be prevented through antigens delivered via immunisation. He announced that OYOPHCB would commence the integrated Measles Rubella vaccination exercise from October 4 to October 14, with an additional two days for a mop-up exercise. The vaccination targets over three million children aged nine months to 14 years, aiming to bridge gaps for those who have never received the Rubella vaccine.
Furthermore, Dr. Olatunji commended Oba Oyebola for his support of OYOPHCB and UNICEF programmes in Iseyin, noting that the royal father’s initiative to personally pay health insurance subscriptions for indigenes has increased their visits to health facilities.
Mrs. Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, a Social and Behaviour Change Specialist from UNICEF’s Lagos Field Office, noted that the football tournament was a community-led intervention focused on increasing male involvement in routine immunisation. She highlighted the necessity of obtaining fathers’ consent for vaccinations, as rejections often stem from a lack of consent. Mrs. Akinola-Akinwole explained that reaching children requires engaging with their parents through respected traditional institutions.
Oba Oyebola praised the state government for renovating primary healthcare centres in Iseyin and commended UNICEF for their efforts towards the well-being of indigenes.
Coach Femi Olatunji, Head Coach of Femben Sports Academy and the tournament consultant, explained that the tournament aimed to gather men through football to encourage them to support their wives in vaccinating their children. He applauded UNICEF for using sports as an innovative tool to spread the message of immunisation and educate men on supporting their wives in immunisation programmes. He noted that football fields provide opportunities to educate large gatherings of men about the importance of active involvement in their children’s immunisation programmes.