The Kano State Government has suspended the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme and ordered a probe into its implementation to ensure transparency and accountability.
The government also suspended the programme manager, constituted a high-level investigative committee to review the planning, distribution and execution of the intervention, and temporarily handed over the programme’s responsibilities to the most senior officer to ensure continuity.
The decisions were announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Ministry of Health, Nabilusi Abubakar K/Na’isa.
According to the statement, all field operations, distribution activities and community engagement under the programme have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The ministry said the review is aimed at strengthening oversight, promoting accountability and ensuring that the malaria prevention intervention achieves its intended objectives.
The investigative committee is chaired by the Director-General of the Kano State AIDS Control Agency, Usman Bashir.
Other members are the Director-General of the State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Salisu Ibrahim; Director-General of the Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency, Pharm. Ghali Sule; Executive Secretary of the Hospitals Management Board, Mansur Nagoda; Director-General of the Kano Centre for Disease Control, Muhammad Abbas; Executive Secretary of the Kano Health Trust Fund, Fatima Zahradden; Executive Secretary of the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Rahila Mukhtar; Acting Director-General of the Private Health Institutions Management Agency, Khadijah Said; and the Ministry of Health’s Director of Administration and General Services, Nazeer Kyaure, who will serve as secretary.
The ministry also directed the programme’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, implementing partners and other stakeholders to report to its headquarters with all relevant documents, including approved work plans, distribution records and beneficiary lists, for verification.
It reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources, assuring development partners and residents that the review is intended to improve programme implementation and strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
The government further urged all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the committee to facilitate a thorough investigation and enhance the effectiveness of future public health interventions.