The Ekiti State government has urged the Council of Traditional Rulers to assist in facilitating advocacy, sensitisation, and endorsement of the Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction campaign in the state, to prevent the outbreak of measles and its devastating effects on children.

The appeal was made on Thursday during a visit by a team from the Primary Health Care Development and the Centre for Well-being Integrated Nutrition Solutions (C-WINS), the initiator of the sensitisation and advocacy. The team was led by the Technical Assistant for C-WINS, Dr. Olajumoke Ibitoye, to the monarch of Ido-Ekiti and Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers, the Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro.

Others on the team included representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for the advocacy, sensitisation, and endorsement by traditional rulers.

Recall that the advocacy and sensitisation were launched by the wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, on 3rd May 2025, where all stakeholders in the state were informed and sensitised to create awareness in all their MDAs and LGAs.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Ibitoye said that the purpose of the visit was to create awareness and appeal to traditional rulers to help sensitise and endorse the Measles-Rubella campaign ahead of the vaccination, which is due in January next year.

“We have come to meet the paramount ruler for sensitisation and also endorsement of the Measles-Rubella vaccine campaign introduction in Ekiti State. We are here to create awareness, to inform the Chairman of Traditional Rulers in Ekiti State, to help us sensitise all the Obas and people in the state so that there will be awareness. We don’t want misinformation, and we don’t want any rumours.

“We don’t want to experience non-compliance when we start the programme. We want all the eligible children between 9 months to 14 years to get vaccinated by the time we introduce the vaccine in January 2026.

“Some states are starting in October this year, but Ekiti falls into the second phase. That is why we are starting the awareness now. By coming to this monarch, we know that we are leveraging him to help us sensitize all the people in the state through his fellow traditional rulers. The areas we are targeting are schools, mosques, churches, and homes where we know we can reach the eligible children.”

In his remarks, Oba Ilori-Faboro pledged the support of the Ekiti monarchs for the campaign, urging parents, guardians, and caregivers to ensure that all children between the ages of 9 months to 14 years receive vaccination.

“We don’t want to have a problem with measles and Rubella. This is not the first time we are dealing with measles, but it will come back. So, it is with a sense of responsibility that, as the Chairman of the Traditional Rulers in Ekiti State, I address you today.

“As a traditional ruler and father, I urge every parent, guardian, and caregiver to ensure that all children between the ages of 9 months to 14 years receive the Measles-Rubella vaccination during the coming national and state vaccination exercise. We must act now to protect our children, our families, and our future generations.”

Also speaking, the World Health Organisation (WHO) State Technical Assistant supporting the measles campaign, Dr. Eronini Ebubechi, said Nigeria has the second-highest measles prevalence in Africa after the Republic of Congo.

“The vaccination is going to last 10 days with a 2-day mop-up. The campaign is starting in January next year. The motive is to reduce the incidence of measles and Rubella. So we are looking at reducing the prevalence to five cases per one million by 2026 and less than one case per million by 2030.”