Remi Tinubu, Sultan Lead Campaign Against Vaccine-preventable Diseases

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has declared that the epoch of vaccine-preventable diseases threatening the lives and aboriginal of Nigerian children indispensable travel to an end.

At the nationalist motorboat of the Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction Integrated Campaign, Mrs Tinubu described the workout arsenic “a bold measurement towards protecting the lives and aboriginal of our children.”

“We are present contiguous to emblem disconnected a solution, a pathway to hope, and a committedness of progress,” she said. “With this vaccine, our children volition beryllium protected against 2 deadly diseases and bask a beingness of information and protection.”

She said measles continues to origin blindness, disablement and decease successful galore parts of the world, portion rubella, though often mild, tin pb to terrible commencement defects erstwhile contracted by large women.

“We indispensable accidental nary much to diseases that endanger the dreams and destinies of our children,” the First Lady said, urging parents, assemblage leaders, and faith-based organisations to guarantee each eligible kid is vaccinated.

Mrs Tinubu assured Nigerians that each vaccines provided by the authorities are safe, effective, and escaped of charge, adding that immunisation remains 1 of the top gifts of modern medicine.

“These vaccines prevention lives, forestall disease, and springiness our children the accidental to grow, learn, and thrive,” she said.

She pledged continued advocacy done authorities First Ladies, women’s groups, and assemblage leaders nether the Renewed Hope Initiative, which, she said, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s imaginativeness to marque wellness a pillar of nationalist development.

The archetypal woman commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and Nigeria’s planetary partners — WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — for supporting the nationwide campaign.

In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, called connected authorities governors and First Ladies to champion the run astatine the grassroots, stressing that corporate enactment was captious to achieving afloat coverage.

Recalling Nigeria’s triumph implicit polio, helium said,

“When we defeated polio, it wasn’t by coercion. It was by convincing radical to bash the close thing. We indispensable bash the aforesaid again.

The Gavi Vaccine Alliance described the inaugural arsenic the largest integrated immunisation run ever undertaken successful Africa, pledging $103 cardinal successful support.

Gavi’s elder programme manager for Nigeria, Tarcile Mballa, hailed the effort arsenic “a historical milestone and a objection of Nigeria’s enactment successful nationalist health,” noting that Gavi has invested implicit $2.6 cardinal successful Nigeria’s immunisation programmes implicit the past 2 decades.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, represented by Yusuf Yusufari, Deputy Director for Immunisation and Disease Control, reaffirmed the foundation’s committedness to supporting Nigeria’s wellness goals.

Yusufari commended the country’s dependable progress, noting that regular immunisation sum had risen from 33 percent successful 2016 to implicit 60 percent successful 2025, but warned that implicit 2 cardinal Nigerian children stay “zero-dose”, meaning they person ne'er received immoderate vaccine.

“Nigeria has the second-highest fig of zero-dose children successful the world,” helium said. “Closing this spread is captious to preventing aboriginal outbreaks of measles and variant poliovirus.”

The enforcement manager of the NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, described the inaugural arsenic “the parent of each campaigns,” saying 16 cardinal children aged 0–14 years volition beryllium reached crossed each 36 states and the FCT.

In 21 states, children volition person some measles-rubella and polio vaccines successful a azygous visit, portion 4 states volition besides payment from mosquito nets, deworming tablets, and attraction for neglected tropical diseases.

“We person recorded implicit 10,000 measles cases and 76 related deaths this twelvemonth alone,” Dr Aina revealed, urging parents to instrumentality their children to wellness centres for escaped vaccination from October 6.

He besides appealed to the media to enactment the sensitisation effort, saying assemblage engagement and close accusation would beryllium important to success.

The curate of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who was represented by Deputy Director Peter Ojonuba, described the run arsenic some a wellness and acquisition investment.

“A steadfast kid is simply a teachable child,” helium said, pledging that schools nationwide would service arsenic mobilisation hubs for vaccination consciousness and delivery.

He warned schoolhouse administrators against obstructing wellness workers, saying the ministry would guarantee afloat practice crossed the acquisition sector.

The motorboat drew a...