ObjectiveTo evaluate a project that integrated essential primary health-care services into the oral polio vaccine programme in hard-to-reach, underserved communities in northern Nigeria.MethodsIn 2013, Nigeria’s polio emergency operation centre adopted a new approach to rapidly raise polio immunity and reduce newborn, child and maternal morbidity and mortality. We identified, trained and equipped eighty-four mobile health teams to provide free vaccination and primary-care services in 3176 hard-to-reach settlements. We conducted cross-sectional surveys of women of childbearing age in households with children younger than 5 years, in 317 randomly selected settlements, pre- and post-intervention (March 2014 and November 2015, respectively).FindingsFrom June 2014 to September 2015 mobile health teams delivered 2 979 408 doses of oral polio vaccine and dewormed 1 562 640 children younger than 5 years old; performed 676 678 antenatal consultations and treated 1 682 671 illnesses in women and children, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. The baseline survey found that 758 (19.6%) of 3872 children younger than 5 years had routine immunization cards and 690/3872 (17.8%) were fully immunized for their age. The endline survey found 1757/3575 children (49.1%) with routine immunization cards and 1750 (49.0%) fully immunized. Children vaccinated with 3 or more doses of oral polio vaccine increased from 2133 (55.1%) to 2666 (74.6%). Households’ use of mobile health services in the previous 6 months increased from 509/1472 (34.6%) to 2060/2426(84.9%).ConclusionIntegrating routine primary-care services into polio eradication activities in Nigeria resulted in increased coverage for supplemental oral polio vaccine doses and essential maternal, newborn and child health interventions.

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The study was about technical efficiency of women cassava farmers in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. A simple random sample of 120 women cassava farmers were interviewed with a structured questionnaire and information concerning their socioeconomic attributes, revenue realized and cost incurred in cassava production were obtained. The data were analysed with the use of stochastic frontier Cobb-Douglas production function and the inefficiency model. Results indicated that farm size, family labour, hired labour, equipment depreciation, cassava stems, fertilizers and transportation had positive coefficients and thus influenced cassava output positively.  Education, household size, farming experience and extension visits increased farmers’ technical efficiency. Many farmers had high technical efficiency. The mean technical efficiency was 76 percent with a maximum of 98 percent technical efficiency. Recommendation made to improve cassava production were making farm inputs available at affordable prices, review of land tenure system, opening up of more credit agencies and increase extension visits among others.

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