The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has expanded its tuberculosis (TB) awareness and anti-stigmatisation campaign to both junior and senior secondary schools throughout Jigawa State, aiming to boost early detection and understanding of the disease among young people.
As part of the outreach, the campaign team, led by NOA’s State Director, Mr Ahmad Tijjani, visited Dutse Mega School on Thursday to engage with students directly.
Speaking during the visit, Mr Tijjani highlighted that tuberculosis remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health concerns, with many deaths resulting from limited public knowledge and misconceptions surrounding the illness.
“This campaign is designed not only to reduce the spread of TB, but also to address and eliminate the stigma surrounding those who are affected,” he stated.
He reaffirmed NOA’s resolve to collaborate with key stakeholders to educate the wider public—students included—on recognising symptoms of TB, how it spreads, and the importance of timely treatment and prevention.
Also addressing the students was Mr Sani Yusuf, Deputy Director of Health Education at the Jigawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency, who delivered a talk on fundamental disease prevention methods and health education.
The school outreach is one component of a broader four-month campaign launched on Wednesday, which is focused on combating both TB and the stigma attached to it across the state. The campaign targets a wide audience, including schoolchildren, religious and traditional leaders, and the general public, with the aim of fostering a well-informed and compassionate society.
A key moment during the Dutse Mega School visit was an interactive session in which students actively participated, posing questions to health professionals and receiving clear, practical responses—an approach intended to deepen understanding and engagement.