Abuja, 27 February, 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has reaffirmed its dedication to supporting Nigeria’s authorities in strengthening Predominant Health Care (PHC) and addressing health arrangement disorders by implementing innovative initiatives. This dedication aligns with the country’s goal to eliminate all kinds of polioviruses by the end of 2025.
WHO Country Marketing consultant in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, talked about on the recently concluded First Quarter Review Meeting of the Northern Ragged Leaders Committee (NTLC) on PHC Delivery in Abuja.
Earlier in his opening comment, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, had liked the council’s tenacity in mobilizing their communities and overseeing polio vaccination campaigns towards eradication of the disease in the country.
An pressing clarion name
Professor Pate urged the extinct leaders no longer to relaxation on their oars. He emphasized the pressing need to eliminate the circulating variant poliovirus kind 2 (cVPV2) transmission in the country by December 2025.
Professor Pate referred to as on the extinct leaders to double their efforts by leveraging their influence to strengthen neighborhood believe 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’ve the opportunity to turn things around, and now would possibly perchance presumably perchance be the handiest time to act urgently and decisively to end cVPV2 in the country. WHO is devoted 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’ve struggled with disorders like noncompliance, vaccine hesitancy, ignored formative years, security concerns, inadequate routine immunization coverage, knowledge falsification and malnutrition.
We prefer to push past our barriers and be certain no baby is left unvaccinated. We prefer the toughen of the NTLC contributors, as neighborhood engagement is key to achieving success. We must 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 approach for us to end polio as soon as and for all. Every unvaccinated baby is a possibility to all formative years in our communities. We must strengthen newborn and defaulter tracking programs to make sure every baby receives the mandatory vaccines. We must play an lively role in planning and supervising immunization sessions,” 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.
