The Plateau State Government has officially flagged off the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign as part of efforts to protect children from malaria and further reduce the disease burden across the state.

The flag-off ceremony, held at the Crispan Event Center in Jos, brought together government officials, health practitioners, development partners, and other stakeholders committed to improving child health and malaria prevention.

The campaign is aimed at providing life-saving preventive malaria medication to eligible children during the peak malaria transmission season.

Speaking at the event, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, commended the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, for her commitment to the programme as the 2026 SMC Ambassador.

He noted that her support and advocacy had contributed significantly to efforts aimed at protecting children from malaria across the state.

Dr. Ba’amlong also praised the State Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, development partners, and frontline health workers for their roles in implementing seasonal malaria prevention initiatives that have helped reduce malaria cases in Plateau State.

The Commissioner further appreciated Governor Caleb Mutfwang for prioritizing the health sector and providing strong support for healthcare programmes in the state.

He called on all stakeholders, including community leaders and wives of local government chairmen, to support the campaign to ensure its success.

During the event, the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, was officially crowned the 2026 Ambassador of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention campaign in recognition of her advocacy and commitment to the health and well-being of women and children.

Addressing participants, Barr. Mutfwang described the flag-off of the SMC campaign as another major step towards protecting children from malaria and improving public health across Plateau State.

She expressed delight over the progress recorded in malaria control, revealing that malaria prevalence in the state had dropped from 18.8 percent in 2021 to 2.8 percent in 2025 through the combined efforts of government, healthcare workers, communities, and development partners.

“This achievement demonstrates that with strong leadership, effective partnerships, and community participation, malaria can be defeated,” she said.

The First Lady urged parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children receive the free SMC medicines during every cycle of the campaign.

She also commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Malaria Consortium, healthcare workers, and community volunteers for their contributions to the fight against malaria before officially flagging off the campaign.

Speaking during the event, Nurse Ndak Kizito Zuhumnan, Program Manager of the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Program, explained that the exercise was designed to mobilize stakeholders and communities to protect children from malaria during the peak transmission season.

He disclosed that community drug distributors, health workers, and supervisors would commence house-to-house visits from June to October to administer preventive malaria medicines to children aged three to 59 months across the state.

“The aim of this medication is to prevent children from coming down with malaria. We want to reach over one million children, and we urge parents and guardians to make every eligible child available for this free and safe intervention,” he stated.

Zuhumnan noted that Plateau State had recorded remarkable success in malaria control, attributing the achievement largely to the SMC programme and sustained collaboration among government agencies, health workers, development partners, the media, and community leaders.

In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, Dr. Mbwas Mashor commended the Plateau State Government and its partners for their commitment to malaria control efforts.

He stated that despite Nigeria’s high malaria burden, Plateau State had achieved significant progress in reducing malaria prevalence through sustained interventions and effective partnerships.

Dr. Mashor disclosed that the 2026 SMC campaign would target over one million eligible children across the state.

He reaffirmed Malaria Consortium’s continued support for malaria elimination efforts and called for stronger government ownership, sustained funding, and continued collaboration to sustain the gains already achieved.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Primary Healthcare, Chundung Maina, commended Plateau State for its commitment to strengthening the health system through data-driven planning and implementation.

She noted that the progress recorded in the state reflected stronger political will, improved investment, and effective use of evidence in public health decision-making.

According to her, Plateau State is increasingly gaining national recognition as a model for health sector improvement, adding that sustained commitment and adequate financing remain critical to consolidating and expanding the gains already achieved in the health sector.

Former factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has acknowledged that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, brought significant prominence to the party ahead of the 2023 general election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, Abure said Obi’s entry into the Labour Party boosted its national profile, although he maintained that the party had already established itself as a viable political force before the former Anambra State governor joined.

According to Abure, the Labour Party and Obi contributed equally to the party’s success during the 2023 elections, describing the relationship as a “50-50 contribution.”

He said Nigerians were already searching for an alternative political platform, while the Labour Party provided a credible structure that attracted Obi and other politicians.

Abure noted that the party was not without achievements before Obi’s arrival, recalling that it had previously produced a governor and elected public office holders.

He also stated that several prominent politicians, including Pat Utomi and Alex Otti, had joined the party before Obi, adding that the Labour Party was already emerging as a third-force movement in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Abure said: “There’s no gainsaying the fact that Mr. Peter Obi brought prominence to the Labour Party.

“But to say very clearly, it is a ’50-50 contribution’. Nigerians were determined to have an alternative political platform to the other platforms. I want to believe that we created and made the platform available. We created that opportunity, and we brought our own credibility and platform to the party.

“I’m sure that that was what Peter Obi saw that attracted him to the party. The party wasn’t completely empty.

“You recall that the party had once had a governor before. We have had elected office holders before.

“And let me say this very clearly: even before Peter Obi came, a lot of prominent Nigerians had already joined the party. So, it was very clear that the party was already becoming the third-force political party in Nigeria before Peter Obi came.

“Don’t forget that politicians like Pat Utomi, Alex Otti and some other political heavyweights had already joined the party before Peter Obi joined.

“But I want to agree completely that he brought prominence, and we also complemented that. And that was what resulted in what we had in the 2023 general election.”