THE Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating rabies in Nigeria by 2030, calling for stronger cross-sectoral collaboration to intensify mass dog vaccination, surveillance, and access to post-exposure prophylaxis across the country.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr Chinyere Akujobi, made the call at the 2026 World Rabies Day Symposium themed ‘Stronger Together’, yesterday in Abuja.

She described the disease as a devastating but fully preventable public health challenge.

Noting that the disease is virtually 100 per cent fatal once clinical symptoms appear, Akujobi stressed that dogs account for over 99 per cent of human rabies deaths globally.

She explained that “Rabies deaths can be prevented through responsible animal ownership, vaccination, timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis, and effective surveillance.”

The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the ministry procured 26,000 doses of rabies vaccines last year and is acquiring more to ensure a coordinated national vaccination plan.

Akujobi urged state and local governments, traditional leaders, and dog owners to actively participate in annual mass vaccination campaigns.

Also speaking, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Anzaku, advocated a coordinated ‘One Health’ approach involving the veterinary, human health, and environmental sectors.

He identified inadequate vaccination coverage, limited access to treatments, weak surveillance, and poor funding as major setbacks to rabies control in Nigeria.

The Chief Veterinarian however, noted that these challenges present opportunities for innovative, evidence-based interventions to advance the country’s journey towards a rabies-free status.

In their goodwill messages, representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Federal Ministry of Health pledged their support.

The WHO specifically emphasised the urgent need to protect children, who constitute a significant proportion of rabies victims, while the Core Group Partners Project reaffirmed its dedication to driving community-based surveillance and vaccine demand at the grassroots level.