RismadarVoice Reporters
November 13, 2026
The Nasarawa State Government has announced plans to distribute 1.8 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to households across its 13 local government areas as part of efforts to reduce malaria infections.
The exercise, supported by the United States Government and the National Malaria Elimination Programme, is expected to benefit approximately 3.6 million residents, particularly children under five and pregnant women.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Gaza Gwamna, disclosed the initiative during a media briefing in Lafia, the state capital.
Gwamna explained that the campaign would begin with household registration from November 15 to 21, while distribution of the free mosquito nets would take place from December 6 to 12, 2026.
He said approximately 9,000 trained personnel would be deployed across 147 electoral wards to register households and coordinate the distribution.
According to the commissioner, malaria remains a major public health challenge in the state, accounting for a significant proportion of hospital visits.
He noted that previous interventions had helped reduce malaria prevalence, with the government reporting a decline to approximately 11 per cent.
The Director of Public Health, Dr Peter Attah, said Karu Local Government Area would receive about 300,000 mosquito nets, while Lafia would receive approximately 250,000, reflecting their relatively large populations.
Attah explained that digital registration systems would be used to identify beneficiaries, monitor distribution and prevent diversion of the supplies.
He assured residents that remote and hard-to-reach communities would also be included in the exercise.
The Campaign Manager of the Global Health Supply Chain Programme, Patience Ochibe, disclosed that the mosquito nets were valued at more than ₦6 billion, excluding operational expenses.
She explained that registration teams would visit households with electronic devices and issue slips to residents for collecting their nets during the distribution period.
Ochibe urged beneficiaries to preserve their registration slips and cooperate with mobilisation officials.
She also encouraged households to return old, damaged or expired mosquito nets for proper recycling or disposal to prevent environmental contamination.
The state government warned residents against selling the free nets or using them for fishing, stressing that the materials were intended exclusively for malaria prevention.
Health officials encouraged families to sleep consistently under insecticide-treated nets and support the campaign to reduce preventable malaria infections and deaths.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening preventive healthcare and improving access to malaria-control interventions across Nasarawa State.
