The Kogi State Government, in collaboration with the Malaria Consortium and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), is set to distribute more than 3.1 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to households across the state from November 8 to 15, 2026.

The representative of the state government, Maji Enoch, disclosed this on behalf of Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, Commissioner for Health, while addressing journalists at the Kogi State Insecticide-Treated Universal Coverage Campaign Orientation of Media Parley, noting that the distribution would be carried out under the state’s Malaria Elimination Programme.

According to him, the programme is to reduce malaria infections and strengthen preventive healthcare across the state’s 21 local government areas.

“A total of 3,141,485 insecticide -treated nets would be distributed to households as part of efforts to reduce the burden of malaria in the state,” he said.

The government explained that malaria remained a major public health concern, contributing to school and workplace absenteeism, reduced productivity and significant economic losses through treatment costs and lost working hours.

Citing the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey, he said that malaria prevalence in Nigeria had declined from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.2 per cent in 2025, while Kogi State recorded a prevalence rate of 8.9 percent, noting that Nigeria accounted for 24.3 percent of global malaria cases annually, while approximately 30.3 percent of the estimated 579,000 malaria-related deaths recorded worldwide each year were attributed to the country, according to the World Health Organisation’s 2025 figures.

The government emphasised that sleeping under insecticide-treated nets remained one of the most effective ways to prevent malaria, citing studies indicating that their use reduced malaria incidence by 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Commissioner equally disclosed that Kogi State had not benefited from a free distribution of insecticide-treated nets in the past nine years, describing the forthcoming campaign as an important opportunity for residents to strengthen household protection against the disease.

Under the distribution arrangement, personnel wearing uniforms bearing the malaria campaign logo would visit households to register residents and distribute the nets free of charge.

The government urged households to ensure that at least one representative was available during the exercise to complete the registration process and collect the allocated nets.

Beneficiaries were also advised to air their newly collected nets in a shaded area for 24 hours before hanging them for use, stressing that residents should sleep under the nets every night throughout the year, ensuring that the nets were properly tucked around their sleeping areas for maximum protection.

The state government equally called on residents to cooperate with the distribution teams and make proper use of the nets, stressing that collective participation was essential to reducing malaria infections and achieving a malaria-free Kogi State.