• As President returns to Abuja after 10-day Lagos visit
Federal Government has launched an integrated nationwide vaccination campaign aimed at closing immunity gaps and protecting millions of Nigerian children from preventable diseases, including measles, polio and other infections.
This followed President Bola Tinubu’s return to Abuja after a 10-day working visit to Lagos, during which he engaged with key investors, attended major national events, and undertook official duties across several states.
Speaking at the national flag-off ceremony yesterday in the State House, Abuja, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, described the initiative as the “mother of all campaigns.”
He said the campaign targets 16 million children aged 0 to 14 years across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The campaign integrates measles and polio vaccinations with other life-saving health interventions and will be implemented in two phases. The first phase begins immediately in 19 northern states, the FCT, Oyo and Osun states, while the second phase will cover the remaining southern states between January and February 2026.
The initiative also includes seasonal malaria chemoprevention and treatment for neglected tropical diseases such as lymphatic filariasis in high-burden states, including Kano and Oyo.
Aina noted that all 36 states and the FCT had reported cases of measles, with over 10,000 infections and 76 deaths recorded so far this year, figures he described as “unacceptable.”
In her remarks at the State House Banquet Hall venue of the event, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, flagged off the National Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction Integrated Campaign, describing it as “a bold step towards protecting the lives and future of our children.”
She said: “We are here today to flag off a solution, a pathway to hope, and a promise of progress. With this vaccine, our children will be protected against two deadly diseases and enjoy a lifetime of safety and protection.”
Tinubu highlighted the devastating consequences of measles, including blindness, disability and death, and warned that rubella, though often silent, could cause severe birth defects if contracted during pregnancy.
She urged parents, community leaders, and religious and traditional rulers to work together to ensure no child is left unvaccinated.
During his visit to Lagos, President Tinubu, among other engagements, held strategic meetings with prominent investors, including the Chief Executive Officer of Global Infrastructure Partners, Mr Bayo Ogunlesi, and a former Chairman of United Bank for Africa and Etisalat, and now Chairman of Metis Capital Partners, MrHakeem Belo-Osagie.
