Abuja, 27 February, 2025 – The World Effectively being Organization (WHO) has reaffirmed its dedication to supporting Nigeria’s govt in strengthening Main Effectively being Care (PHC) and addressing successfully being system points by implementing innovative initiatives. This dedication aligns with the nation’s aim to eliminate all forms of polioviruses by the end of 2025.
WHO Nation Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, stated at the recently concluded First Quarter Overview Meeting of the Northern Former Leaders Committee (NTLC) on PHC Birth in Abuja.
Earlier in his opening reveal, the Coordinating Minister of Effectively being and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, had appreciated the council’s tenacity in mobilizing their communities and overseeing polio vaccination campaigns towards eradication of the illness in the nation.
An urgent clarion name
Professor Pate recommended the outmoded leaders now no longer to rest on their oars. He emphasized the urgent need to eliminate the circulating variant poliovirus sort 2 (cVPV2) transmission in the nation by December 2025.
Professor Pate referred to as on the outmoded leaders to double their efforts by leveraging their influence to strengthen community belief and participation in immunization efforts.
“This council has remained the most steadfast primary healthcare structure in Nigeria, Africa, and possibly the world. For 16 consecutive years, you have convened quarterly meetings without fail.
Delivering his goodwill message, Dr Mulombo also set the tone with a call to action, lauding the Nigerian government’s and traditional leaders’ unwavering commitment and underscoring their critical role in championing the fight against polio in Nigeria.
“Whereas 2024 has been a challenging 365 days for Nigeria’s polio program, we have the change to flip things spherical, and now may maybe maybe presumably be the fitting time to act urgently and decisively to end cVPV2 in the nation. WHO is committed to supporting Nigeria in addressing the challenges, even in the face of geopolitical complexities”, said Dr Mulombo.
The Country Representative also pledged WHO’s support in fast-tracking the accreditation of the Ibadan polio laboratory while announcing that the laboratory is fully accredited to conduct polio sequencing.
The polio laboratory in Ibadan, established in 1993, is one of the iconic polio laboratories in Nigeria that can detect, identify, and promptly report wild polioviruses (WPV), cVPVD2, as well as other enteroviruses that may be present in clinical and environmental specimens.
Tackling Challenges with Renewed Commitment
Despite the progress made, Nigeria is still reporting cases of cVPVD2.
Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), pointed out some of the challenges deterring the nation from achieving its polio eradication goal said, “For too long, we have struggled with points like noncompliance, vaccine hesitancy, missed children, security concerns, inadequate routine immunization protection, knowledge falsification and malnutrition.
We prefer to push beyond our boundaries and be certain no baby is left unvaccinated. We prefer the enhance of the NTLC contributors, as community engagement is crucial to achieving success. We have to rewrite the story this 365 days,” said Dr Muyi.
Traditional Leaders Vow to Strengthen Efforts
In his remark, Alhaji Sama’ila Muhammad Mera, the Emir of Argungu, who double as the NTLC chair, expressed gratitude to the government and partners for their continued support.
The Emir called on his fellow traditional leaders to collaborate with religious figures and community influencers to drive vaccination demand.
Raising concerns over the suboptimal performance of routine immunization in the country’s North Central and North West geopolitical regions in 2024, he said, “The time has come for us to end polio once and for all. Every unvaccinated baby is a likelihood to all children in our communities. We have to strengthen newborn and defaulter tracking methods to create optimistic every baby receives the mandatory vaccines. We have to play an spirited role in planning and supervising immunization lessons,” the Emir urged.
The Emir welcomed the strategic shifts introduced by the government, including increased accountability, localized advocacy, improved data integration, and synchronized campaign efforts.
A Unified Effort to End Polio
The NTLC’s quarterly meetings serve as a vital platform for reviewing progress and tackling challenges in polio eradication, routine immunization, maternal and child health, and primary healthcare service delivery.
The latest gathering featured presentations on the state of Nigeria’s polio program, updates on routine immunization, maternal and newborn health, and the introduction of the rubella vaccine. Participants also discussed previous meeting resolutions, with various partners delivering goodwill messages.
