As Nigeria launches a historic national immunisation campaign in Abuja, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has renewed its call for stronger collaboration between government, partners, and communities to ensure that more than two million unvaccinated, or “zero-dose” children across the country are reached, vaccinated, and protected.
Wife of Nigeria’s President, Oluremi Tinubu, officially flagged off the National Integrated Measles-Rubella and Polio Immunisation Campaign on Monday at the Presidential Villa.
The campaign aims to boost Nigeria’s routine immunisation coverage, which currently stands at about 60 per cent, and is expected to be the largest in the nation’s history, targeting 106 million children across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the flag-off, the Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director for Immunisation and Disease Control, Yusuf Yusufari, reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to ensuring that no child in Nigeria dies from preventable diseases.
Yusufari said, “Nigeria became a global exemplar in what can be achieved to protect the lives of young girls from cervical cancer. And today, as we did two years ago, we stand united behind one goal: that no child or woman in Nigeria should be left unprotected against preventable diseases. This is the No. 1 goal, an ambitious vision that Mr. Bill Gates set when he announced his generous $200 billion commitment over the next 20 years.”
The Gates Foundation has played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s immunisation journey, especially in the eradication of wild poliovirus, a milestone that transformed Nigeria from the world’s highest polio-burdened nation into a global success story.
On the new national campaign, Yusufari highlighted the introduction of additional vaccines, including pneumococcal, rotavirus, HPV, and the measles-rubella vaccine, calling it “a landmark step to prevent two deadly diseases at once.”
Addressing the challenge of zero-dose children, he stressed the urgency of closing the immunisation gap.
“These children are completely unprotected, and too many continue to be missed, fuelling outbreaks of measles and the spread of circulating variant poliovirus type 2. This is the urgent gap we must close,” he said.
The campaign will reach 21 states, where children will receive both measles-rubella and polio vaccines in one visit. In four states, families will also receive malaria nets, deworming tablets, and other essential health services alongside vaccines.
The Gates Foundation urged government, development partners, and local communities to continue working as one team to reach every last child, close the zero-dose gap, and build a stronger foundation for Nigeria’s public health future.
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