The Federal Government has launched what it described as Africa’s biggest integrated health campaign, aimed at vaccinating over 100 million Nigerian children against measles, rubella, polio, and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), among other preventable diseases.
Speaking at the national flag-off ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the initiative marks “a historic moment” in Nigeria’s health system and the largest integrated campaign ever undertaken on the African continent.
According to him, the campaign led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is an expanded drive to deliver multiple vaccines and essential health services simultaneously, ensuring that “no one is left behind.”
“This is not only about vaccination,” Pate said. “It is about reimagining how we deliver health services to our people getting as close to them as we can and ensuring that no one is left behind.”
The Minister credited the achievement to the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose Renewed Hope Agenda, he noted, has repositioned health as a central pillar of Nigeria’s national development.
“At the heart of this milestone is the vision and commitment of our President,” Pate said. “His leadership has provided an enabling environment for the reforms that are now transforming our health sector.”
He highlighted that the President’s prioritisation of health is evident in the ongoing transformation of the primary health care system, where facility utilisation has surged from 10 million visits per quarter in 2023 to 47 million in the second quarter of 2025 representing nearly a fourfold increase.
Pate emphasised that the campaign goes beyond disease prevention to strengthening healthcare delivery at the grassroots, improving accessibility, and promoting the overall well-being of Nigerians.
