Kogi To Distribute 3.14m Mosquito Nets In 1st Statewide Exercise In 9 Years

The Kogi State Government will distribute 3,141,485 insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to households across the state from November 8 to 15, 2026, in its first free statewide distribution exercise in nine years.

The campaign is being organised by the state government in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and Malaria Consortium to reduce malaria transmission and promote preventive healthcare.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, disclosed this during a media engagement in Lokoja, where he highlighted the persistent public health and economic challenges posed by malaria.

Adeiza, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Maji Enoch, said the campaign was aimed at reducing the disease burden by improving access to insecticide-treated nets.

He described malaria as a life-threatening disease transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, noting that it remained a major public health challenge because of its effects on healthcare costs, productivity and livelihoods.

According to the commissioner, Nigeria accounts for 24.3 per cent of global malaria cases annually and an estimated 30.3 per cent of the 579,000 malaria-related deaths recorded worldwide each year, citing 2025 data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He, however, noted that the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showed that malaria prevalence nationwide declined from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.2 per cent in 2025.

Kogi State recorded a malaria prevalence of 8.9 per cent in the 2025 survey, but Adeiza warned that the disease continued to disrupt activities in schools, offices, farms and markets, undermining productivity and imposing financial pressure on households.

He said billions of naira were lost annually to malaria through treatment and prevention expenses, as well as working hours lost to the disease.

The commissioner identified sleeping under insecticide-treated nets as one of the most effective ways to prevent malaria, noting that studies had shown that their use could reduce malaria incidence by 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of global malaria cases.

He urged residents to take advantage of the free distribution exercise, describing it as an important opportunity to strengthen malaria prevention across the state after nine years without a statewide free net distribution campaign.

The exercise will be implemented by the Kogi State Ministry of Health through its Malaria Elimination Programme, in collaboration with the NMEP and Malaria Consortium.

Adeiza said personnel wearing uniforms bearing the malaria campaign logo would visit households to register residents and distribute the nets.

He urged households to ensure that at least one representative was available during the exercise to complete registration and collect the nets allocated to them.

The commissioner also advised beneficiaries to air newly collected nets in the shade for 24 hours before hanging them. He urged residents to ensure that the nets were properly tucked around sleeping areas and used every night throughout the year.

Adeiza called on residents to support the campaign through consistent use of the nets, stressing that collective participation was essential to reducing malaria transmission and improving public health outcomes across Kogi State.

Olubunmi Ojelade, from Maleria Consortium, making presentation during the media engagement in Lokoja