To prevent a potential stockout of critical vaccines for routine immunisation, the Federal Government has released N68 billion as counterpart funding for Nigeria’s vaccines in partnership with the Gavi Vaccine Alliance.
The disclosure was made by Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), during a quarterly media briefing in Abuja. He highlighted the agency’s massive vaccination campaign, which targeted 106 million Nigerians aged zero to 14 years, covering vaccines such as measles-rubella, polio, HPV for nine-year-old girls, and malaria vaccines in high-burden states.
Aina noted that 378,677 zero-dose children, those who have never received any routine immunisation, were reached during the integrated campaign. Nigeria currently has the highest number of zero-dose children globally, estimated at 2.2 million.
The first phase of the campaign covered 21 states, including 19 in the North, Oyo State, and the FCT. During this phase, 39 million children were vaccinated against polio, 677,789 adolescent girls received the HPV vaccine, 949,401 children received the malaria vaccine, and 59,395,912 children were immunised against measles-rubella, achieving 92 per cent of the target. In addition, the campaign provided treatment for Neglected Tropical Diseases, reaching 1,422,673 persons for Onchocerciasis, 659,978 for Lymphatic Filariasis, and 353,232 for Trachoma.
The second phase of the campaign is scheduled for January and February 2026, targeting the remaining states. Aina stated that the agency had completed mapping of zero-dose locations, which overlap with areas of high maternal mortality, and is implementing the Identify, Enumerate and Vaccinate (IEV) strategy, a house-to-house approach to reach under-immunised children and pregnant women.
He added that 7.4 million people in priority, hard-to-reach areas have been identified for vaccination. Efforts to reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality are being scaled up in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive.
To prioritise maternal and child health investments. Other initiatives include direct funding to PHCs, improved availability of essential commodities, and recruitment of additional community health workers, who are now identifying pregnant women at home and linking them to healthcare facilities for timely care.
Aina also noted that 5,212 PHCs have been newly added to the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, ensuring operational support for previously uncovered facilities. Facility performance dashboards are now publicly accessible, and electronic medical records under the National Digital Health Initiative have improved service delivery, with facility visits increasing from 39 million in 2023 to 47 million in 2025, reflecting growing public confidence in primary healthcare services.
