The Oyo State Government has denied having any confirmed case of diphtheria, faulting the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) over its claims of an outbreak in several local government areas and its criticism of the state’s childhood immunisation coverage.

The government said surveillance data showed suspected diphtheria cases in 10 local government areas, but none had been confirmed, contrary to SSACO’s claim that the disease was affecting 16 local government areas.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the government described the campaign organisation’s claims as misleading and accused it of misrepresenting public health data for political purposes.

SSACO had expressed concern over reported diphtheria cases and fatalities among children in the state, faulting Oyo’s reported 55 per cent childhood immunisation coverage and demanding accountability for funds received under the World Bank-supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project.

The organisation had also called on the state government to publish updated financial and implementation reports on the project, which it said had received approximately ₦9.832 billion in cumulative World Bank and International Development Association funding as of December 31, 2024.

However, the government, citing the Ministry of Health’s Diphtheria Outbreak Surveillance Update for epidemiological week 40 of 2026, said no suspected case had been confirmed.

It said the 16 local government areas listed by SSACO were not supported by official surveillance data, adding that the campaign organisation’s claims could create unnecessary public anxiety.

According to the statement, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said the government had activated preparedness and response measures despite the absence of confirmed cases.

The measures, it said, included the procurement of antibiotics by the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and a request for buffer stocks of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT).

The government added that rapid response teams had been activated to respond to suspected cases in line with the 7-1-7 framework, while suspected patients had been isolated and treated at the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, with antitoxin and appropriate antibiotics.

On immunisation coverage, the government disputed SSACO’s claim that Oyo ranked lowest among South-West states.

SSACO had cited figures which it said showed that the state’s childhood immunisation coverage increased from 51.3 per cent in the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey to 55 per cent in a 2025–2026 survey, describing the increase as inadequate compared with other states in the region.

But Olanrewaju said verified National Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and Demographic and Health Survey (NmDHS) 2025–2026 data showed that Oyo’s basic antigen coverage was at the South-West average, while its national immunisation schedule coverage exceeded the zonal average.

He added that full national schedule coverage among children aged 24 to 35 months in Oyo was above the South-West average.

The government also faulted SSACO’s use of the IMPACT Project funding figures to question the effectiveness of the state’s immunisation programme.

It argued that the project covered multiple components and that comparing its cumulative receipts with a single immunisation indicator did not provide a sufficient basis for concluding that the programme had failed.

“The funds received under IMPACT are not free money, and the government has used them strictly for their intended purposes,” the statement said.

The government challenged SSACO to provide specific evidence of alleged mismanagement, insisting that concerns about public expenditure should be raised through appropriate channels.

It added that financial and implementation reporting under the IMPACT Project followed established audit and disclosure procedures, and welcomed scrutiny through the relevant audit processes.

SSACO had called for the publication of updated project reports showing subsequent disbursements, expenditure by component, vaccination targets, actual coverage achieved and measures taken to reach underserved communities.

The organisation also questioned the continued engagement of a retired IMPACT programme manager under the Primary Health Care Board, arguing that the scale of the funding and concerns about programme outcomes required transparency in staffing and management.

The government, however, maintained that it was responding to suspected cases and would continue to protect children through vaccination and evidence-based public health measures.

It urged the public to rely on accurate information on disease surveillance, warning against the circulation of unverified claims capable of generating fear.