Nigeria has invested $500 million in efforts to eradicate polio, but the country still faces obstacles in completely eliminating circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV).
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, raised concerns on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with the Polio Oversight Board, government officials, and development partners.
He noted that despite political commitment, operational difficulties remain a major hurdle.
One of the biggest issues, he said, is the falsification of vaccination records.
“Key among these challenges is false vaccination records, with one in four children marked as vaccinated despite not receiving the vaccine,” he said.
He also pointed to weak supervision and poor planning, which have left many vulnerable children unprotected, particularly in high-risk areas.
According to the Health Minister, the government has launched a Polio Task Force under the National Economic Council, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima to tackle these challenges.
Pate stressed that state governors must take full responsibility for driving polio eradication efforts in their regions.
He also underscored the need for strict accountability to prevent Nigeria from losing progress made in the fight against polio.
The minister explained that Nigeria is incorporating polio eradication into routine primary healthcare, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The plan includes improving healthcare facilities, training 120,000 frontline workers, and boosting local vaccine production.
Pate identified misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as major threats and urged social media platforms to take stronger action against false vaccine claims.
“We are engaging traditional and religious leaders to counter misinformation, but digital platforms must do more to curb false narratives about vaccines,” he said.
While Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, the government and its partners aim to completely stop all poliovirus transmission, including cVDPV, by 2026.
This will require stronger immunisation efforts, quick responses to outbreaks, and a reliable surveillance system to detect new cases.
