The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, has urged Nigerians to work together to ensure readiness for the next pandemic.

Salako issued this advice on Monday at the public health symposium on ‘Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Insights from China and Nigeria’ in Abuja, with the minister saying that pandemics are inevitable and nations must be ready to respond swiftly.

“The next pandemic is not a matter of if but when,” NAN quoted the minister as saying, while he noted the importance of coordinated, equitable, and innovative preparedness.

Salako also lamented that COVID-19, which claimed over seven million lives worldwide, exposed vulnerabilities in global health systems while demonstrating the value of collaboration and resilience.

The minister said: “Nigeria has recorded progress in strengthening its health security landscape including the digitalisation of infectious disease surveillance with SORMAS, training of health workers, expanded diagnostic infrastructure with over 100 public health laboratories, and the establishment of infectious disease centers and public health emergency operation centers in all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

According to him, these measures helped improve Nigeria’s technical evaluation score from 39 percent in 2017 to 54 percent in 2023.

Salako explained that under the government of President Bola Tinubu, health security is prioritised as the fourth pillar of the health sector renewal investment initiative.

“State-level preparedness is being strengthened through the 7-1-7 target and the SITAware Transition Project, while the One Health approach ensures coordinated attention to human, animal, and environmental health,” the minister said.

He added that Nigeria is also engaged in WHO pandemic agreement negotiations, reflecting its commitment to multilateral cooperation.

Salako said pandemic preparedness requires a whole-of-society approach, involving governments, private sector, communities, researchers, and international partners, urging stakeholders to focus on actionable policies, partnerships, and innovations to ensure global readiness and equity.

“Let us work together across borders and sectors to ensure full readiness for the next pandemic, leaving no one behind,” he added.