In a landmark stride toward public health transformation, the Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated Africa’s most extensive integrated vaccination campaign—an ambitious initiative designed to safeguard over 100 million children from preventable diseases such as measles, rubella, polio, and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
Speaking at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, described the programme as a pivotal chapter in Nigeria’s healthcare evolution. The campaign, steered by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), seeks to deliver an array of vaccines and essential health services under a unified framework, ensuring no community is excluded.
Professor Pate underscored that the drive transcends mere immunisation. It represents a re-engineering of service delivery—bringing healthcare to the doorsteps of the most vulnerable and reaffirming the nation’s pledge to equitable wellbeing. He credited the milestone to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which has positioned healthcare as a central pillar of national development, evidenced by a dramatic increase in primary health facility utilisation across the country.
Under the stewardship of Dr. Muyi Aina, the NPHCDA expanded the campaign’s scope to include malaria control, routine immunisation, and the treatment of neglected tropical diseases—ailments often borne by society’s most forgotten. The initiative also honours the steadfast advocacy of First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu, whose commitment to women’s and children’s health continues to inspire national action.
With over 4,800 new primary healthcare centres expected by the end of 2025 and thousands of women already benefitting from free emergency obstetric care, the campaign signals a profound leap toward a healthier, more resilient Nigeria. Professor Pate urged all parents to embrace vaccination, describing it as a moral duty and a scientific triumph against preventable suffering.
“This is about the health of a generation,” he declared. “Every child protected today strengthens the future of our nation.”
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