Nigeria’s resolute efforts to revitalize routine immunization services reached a significant milestone last week as key stakeholders gathered in Abuja to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the National Emergency Routine Immunization Coordinating Center (NERICC). Established in July 2017, NERICC has been widely hailed for its success in reversing years of decline in vaccination coverage, a triumph attributed to a blend of innovative strategies and exceptionally strong leadership.
A pinnacle of the anniversary celebration was the presentation of the Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Immunization and Public Health to Adekunle Akerele, a renowned public health informatics expert and a pivotal technical advisor to the NERICC program among other receipients. This highly coveted award, the highest national honor bestowed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) specifically for advancements in immunization and public health data systems, recognizes individuals whose work has had a transformative and measurable impact on public health outcomes nationwide.
The selection process for this prestigious award is rigorous and highly competitive. Nominations are typically solicited from across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, encompassing a broad spectrum of public health professionals, academics, and policymakers. A distinguished panel, comprising senior officials from the NPHCDA, representatives from major international health organizations (such as WHO and UNICEF), and leading Nigerian public health experts, evaluates nominees against stringent criteria. These criteria include: the originality and innovation of their contributions, the demonstrable scale and impact of their work on national health indicators, their leadership in implementing large-scale health initiatives, and their sustained commitment to improving public health systems. While the exact number varies annually, the pool of qualified nominees often exceeds fifty highly accomplished professionals from across the country, making Akerele’s recognition a testament to his exceptional standing.
Adekunle Akerele was lauded for his groundbreaking work in strengthening Nigeria’s immunization information systems, which has enabled the real-time monitoring of vaccination services across all 774 local government areas of the country. His visionary leadership in the nation-wide deployment of the District Health Information System (DHIS2) Routine Immunization Module, coupled with his introduction of intuitive, user-friendly dashboards, has empowered health officials to track immunization performance with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. This critical infrastructure has transformed how Nigeria identifies gaps in coverage and deploys targeted interventions.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, underscored the monumental importance of Adekunle Akerele’s contributions. “Data is the lifeblood of effective health interventions,” Dr. Shuaib stated emphatically. “Adekunle Akerele’s innovations have not merely improved data collection; they have given us the essential tools to pinpoint gaps with surgical precision and take decisive action to reach every single child. This award is a profound reflection of his unwavering dedication and the critical, life-saving impact of his work on millions of lives across Nigeria.”
Further highlighting his ingenuity, Adekunle Akerele co-led the development of an SMS-based daily reporting system. This innovative system, piloted successfully in Nasarawa State, dramatically boosted daily reporting rates from a meager 24% to an astonishing nearly 88% in targeted communities. This achievement decisively proved that even the most remote health facilities in Nigeria could contribute to robust, real-time data streams, thereby vastly improving the country’s ability to respond to immunization needs.
The anniversary event also celebrated broader progress made under NERICC’s strategic leadership, including the impactful rollout of the Optimized Integrated Routine Immunization Sessions (OIRIS) strategy. Within mere months of its implementation, the proportion of urban health facilities offering daily vaccination sessions in priority states surged from 29% to an impressive 83%. This significant improvement is directly supported by the enhanced data visibility and actionable insights provided by systems championed by Adekunke Akerele.
As Nigeria steadfastly sets its sights on achieving an ambitious 84% routine immunization coverage by 2028, public health experts universally agree that innovations like those pioneered and championed by Adekunle Akerele will remain absolutely pivotal to reaching this national goal. His receipt of this esteemed award serves not only as a deserved recognition of his individual brilliance but also as a powerful reminder that behind every meticulously collected data point is a child whose life may be profoundly impacted, even saved, because Nigeria’s health systems now possess the vital information they need to act effectively and decisively.
