•As PAS subs RI platforms in Kano, Kaduna, Niger, and the Lagos States

In Kano State, Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) and the Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM), two subgrantees of the development Research and Projects Centre’s Partnership for Advocacy in child and family Health At Scale, PACFaH@Scale have been selected to serve as SERICC’s Desk Officer for the 6 zonal offices in the state and as social mobilization TWG member respectively.
These sub-grantees also attended 3 SERICC meetings in September 2019 (9th, 11th, and 13th) where they were assigned the responsibility of supportive supervision at zone level, local government and health facilities. The sub-grantees also contributed to the review of third-quarter Reach Every Ward (REW) micro plan submitted by LGAs and the compilation of the LGA REW micro plan into state micro plan
The sub-grantees have also conducted an advocacy visit to the Executive Secretary SPHCMB to intimate him about their activities at the Kano SERICC team.
The sub-grantees play significant roles across the RI platforms through holding the government to accounts to account at local, state and federal levels, policy documentation and technical inputs. Their participation was aimed at contributing to the reduction of negative health indices affecting PAS states of intervention on routine immunization.
The 2018 NDHS revealed the percentages of children who received all basic childhood vaccinations across the 4 states of PAS as Lagos (62.4%), Kaduna (21.8%), Niger (23.3%) and Kano (34.3%). Such figures leave a lot to be desired and depict the need to upscale investment in child health by the GoN and its partners.
All the sub-grantees are involved in the different coalition and accountability platforms as vital stakeholders in the advocacy for improved RI coverage across all levels of government. These platforms include; National and States’ Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centre (NERICC/ SERICC) at national, states and local government levels.

Through these platforms, our sub-grantees continue to hold governments, at various states, to account for their commitments to funding routine immunization and policy implementation and advocacy through the media and community gatekeepers.

Apart from Kano state, other sub-grantees continue to participate in SERICC, LERICC and NERICC activities.

In Kaduna state, Maintaining Family Care and Empowerment Initiative Group (MAFAHSU), secured membership of the Local government Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centre, LERICC in Zaria local government Council, while the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), as well as MAFAHSU, attended the first SERICC meeting at state level following directives by the Deputy Governor for CSOs to be included in SERICC after an advocacy visit to Her Excellency.

MAFAHSU and NANNM advocated for cash releases to support RI activities in the state in recent of low RI coverage indices. They also lamented about the unavailability of RI data to inform decision making processes, coupled with improper and untimely disbursement of funds and RI consumables. The groups continue to engage other stakeholders to participate fully in RI through community mobilization, public enlightenment, and demand creation.
In Lagos State, the Child Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) was initiated into the Lagos SERICC team on 2nd September 2019.
In Niger State, the Centre for Communication and Reproductive Health Services (CCRHS), Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Health (FOMWAN) and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) CCRHS attended 2 SERICC meetings, while FOMWAN and SERDEC attended 7 and 2 meetings each respectively. All the meetings were held on September 2019. The Advocates also engaged in community mobilization and media advocacy engagements during the period.
The various sub-grantees have functional roles to play in the SERICC teams. The inclusion of the sub-grantees across the RI state platforms will help improve the capacities of Nigerian CSOs in building and maintaining cordial working relationships with government bodies and other stakeholders on public accountability, advocacy for more funding by GoN in RI to reduced childhood morbidity and mortality. The active involvement and contribution of the CSOs on the various RI platforms also align with the PAS project’s intermediate outcome of increasing accountability for utilization of RI funds across the states.