Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has flagged off the 2026 Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs) Mass Distribution Campaign, with a target of distributing 3,810,985 mosquito nets to 1,130,935 households across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The ceremony, held on Saturday at the Government House, Lokoja, also featured the investiture of the First Lady, Her Excellency, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, as the Kogi State ITN Ambassador by Malaria Consortium.
Declaring the event open, Governor Ododo in a message to the occasion, described malaria as one of the major threats to public health and economic prosperity, noting that the disease remains a leading cause of hospital visits in Kogi State, particularly among children under five and pregnant women.
Represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Adams Adeiza, the Governor said malaria contributes significantly to maternal complications, miscarriages, low birth weight and anaemia, while imposing financial burdens on households through treatment costs and loss of productivity.
The governor noted that the campaign, being implemented in collaboration with Malaria Consortium, was designed to strengthen malaria prevention and protect families across the state.
According to him, distribution of the nets will commence on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and last for eight days, with trained distribution teams going from house to house and community to community to ensure that every eligible household is reached.
“Let me be clear: This net is for every household in Kogi State. No ward, community, or village will be left behind.”
Governor Ododo urged residents to collect their allocated nets, hang them properly and ensure that every member of their households sleeps under them every night.
He warned against selling, diverting or using the nets for fishing and farming activities, describing them as essential tools for protecting families against malaria.
The governor also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth groups to mobilise their communities and sensitise residents on the importance of participating in the campaign.
He charged health workers, distribution teams and supervisors to demonstrate transparency, fairness and accountability, stressing that his administration would not tolerate the diversion of mosquito nets.
Ododo appreciated Malaria Consortium for its technical expertise, logistics support and commitment to the success of the campaign, adding that the initiative would reduce malaria-related deaths, hospital visits and financial burdens on families.
Earlier, the West and Central Africa Programmes Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr. Kolawole Maxwell, said the campaign represented a major investment in the health and wellbeing of Kogi residents.
He noted that 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 said 6,404 personnel had been trained and mobilised to ensure effective implementation of the exercise, adding that every household would be registered and every net tracked.
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 insecticide-treated nets.
The Malaria Consortium Director emphasised that the success of the campaign would not be measured solely by the number of nets distributed but by the extent to which households properly use them.
He urged residents to welcome distribution teams, collect their allocated nets, hang them properly and ensure that family members, particularly children under five and pregnant women, sleep under them consistently.
In her acceptance speech, the First Lady and newly inaugurated ITN Ambassador, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo, expressed gratitude to Malaria Consortium, the Kogi State Government and other partners for finding her worthy of the responsibility.
She pledged to take the malaria prevention message to all 21 local government areas, wards, communities and households in the state.
According to the First Lady, her role would involve sensitising women, families, religious groups and other stakeholders on the importance of collecting and consistently using insecticide-treated nets.
“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.”
The First Lady also appealed to fathers and husbands to take responsibility for protecting their families by ensuring that every member of their households sleeps under a mosquito net.
She urged women to take the lead in protecting their families against malaria, describing them as central to building a healthier future for the state.
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), Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), NMA, Kogi State Hospital Management Board and other stakeholders.
Highlight of the ceremony was the investiture of Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo as Kogi State ITN Ambassador by Malaria Consortium, in recognition of her role in promoting malaria prevention and encouraging households across the state to embrace the use of insecticide-treated nets.
