Kaduna Steps Up Girl-Child Health with Oya Campaign
The Kaduna State Government has unveiled the ‘Girl Effect Oya Campaign’, a major initiative aimed at combating cervical cancer and adolescent malnutrition among girls in the state.
The campaign was launched at the Gusau Institute, Kaduna, and also celebrated a significant milestone the successful HPV vaccination of 754,304 girls aged 9 to 14, a critical step in the prevention of cervical cancer.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, represented by the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Rabi Salisu, described the campaign as “a call to action, a call to move, and a call to protect.”
“This is not just about vaccines and nutrition,” she said. “It is about our collective duty to protect and empower the next generation of girls in Kaduna State.”
Implemented by UK-based Girl Effect, the campaign supports Kaduna’s existing HPV vaccination and adolescent health programmes, engaging communities to promote early prevention and care.
Dr. Balarabe highlighted that the HPV vaccination programme, launched in 2024, has already reached over 754,000 adolescent girls. Under Governor Uba Sani’s administration, the state is scaling up efforts to expand vaccine access and improve adolescent nutrition.
“No child should be lost to a disease we can prevent,” she said. “Every girl in Kaduna deserves to grow up healthy, strong, and free from diseases we know how to stop.”
She praised frontline health workers and emphasized Kaduna’s leadership in integrating adolescent health into routine immunisation and social development policies, especially in Northern Nigeria.
The deputy governor also called on parents, teachers, religious and traditional leaders to support the campaign by dispelling myths and encouraging healthy practices across homes, schools, markets, and worship centres.
The launch event drew stakeholders from the health sector, development agencies, and civil society organisations committed to adolescent health and gender equality.
