The Rivers State Government has announced plans to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to more than nine million residents as part of renewed efforts to curb the spread of malaria across the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Vincent Wachuku, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, when he received the Programme Director of the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), UK, Shaun Walsh, during an advocacy visit to the state government.
Wachuku said the distribution of the mosquito nets would play a significant role in reducing malaria infections across Rivers State, adding that the exercise is scheduled to take place in May 2027.
“This is the formative stage of what we are going to do. So even though you leave us now, we will have to sit down and begin to work towards achieving that, even before you come back. I know you said everything will be done electronically, even though it will be done electronically, we also have to plan manual first then you feed the manual into the electronics to work.
We will start the plan of how these things will be distributed when they come, not minding the number you are bringing, Rivers State is over 9 million, population-wise. So we will be planning what you are going to give to us, I believe that we should be working with 10 million and above”.
The Permanent Secretary also explained that careful planning would be required to ensure effective distribution of the treated nets to residents across the state.
“However we are going to do it, all hands will have to be on deck to make sure we get it right, we will ensure we get it right. The idea of bringing in an independent monitor for the pre-distribution, distribution, and post-distribution is fine because that will help you plan for the next one, how did we fare before we started, how do we fare after distribution, it will help you for the next one”.
Wachuku identified pregnant women and children under five as priority groups in the malaria prevention campaign, citing the severe consequences of malaria among pregnant women and unborn children.
He reiterated the Ministry of Health’s commitment to supporting the campaign and ensuring that the intervention achieves its intended purpose.
“We will give preference to pregnant mothers, and under 5 children as far as the distribution of mosquito treated nets is concerned, because of the effect of malaria on pregnant mothers vis-a-vis the babies that are in the womb, so that the deaths that will be caused by malaria that is very high in Nigeria would be reduced.
I assure you that you have come to the right place, as far as Rivers State and the Ministry of Health is concerned, we will give you the necessary support”.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), UK, Shaun Walsh, said the organisation had chosen to partner with the Rivers State Government as part of efforts to contribute to the elimination of malaria in the state before the end of 2030.
Walsh explained that the foundation would provide an independent monitoring organisation to work alongside the state during the mosquito net distribution campaign.
“We will provide your state, when the campaign comes, an organisation that will be independent monitoring alongside the actual monitoring plan. This is part of what we say to our donors that keep coming back and supporting us, that they will independently monitor every aspect of the campaign, not the whole of it, but we will give them samples of our trainings, of the communities we go to for registration, etc.
Another thing that we bring is post-distribution monitoring, we will hope to make that long term commitment equally for Rivers. So we are not going to be here and say ‘it’s been a great two thousand and twenty-seven’ and take off again. Our commitment is to be here in the long term, so that means in 2030, we will be having another conversation about the next co-campaign, and in-between them, we do this post-monitoring campaigns”
He further disclosed that arrangements were being made for an independent monitoring body to visit 1.5 per cent of households that received the mosquito nets immediately after the distribution exercise.
“There is what we call the zero post-distribution monitoring, which is 9 months after the campaign, 18 months, and 27 months, so all these data are collected in collaboration with the State, but the actual data is the State’s data.
We collect it because it is part of our commitment to our donors, but all of it is very transparent so you could see the impart of the nets over the three years which they have the campaigns”.