By RismadarVoice Reporters
January 4, 2026
The Federal Government says it has administered over 25 million doses of measles vaccine and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations across Nigeria, marking significant progress in immunization coverage and preventive healthcare delivery.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, disclosed this on Sunday in a broadcast on his official X handle, outlining major public health gains recorded under the current administration.
“Under this administration, over 25 million measles doses and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations have been administered, alongside Africa’s first Mpox vaccine rollout,” Pate said.
Beyond measles and yellow fever, the Minister said five million children had received the pentavalent vaccine, while more than 10 million Nigerians were vaccinated with the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine as part of the nationwide diphtheria response.
He added that over one million vaccine doses from the Gavi-funded global stockpile were deployed to contain meningitis outbreaks in northern parts of the country.
Pate also announced a historic milestone in malaria control with Nigeria’s first-ever malaria vaccine rollout, describing it as a critical intervention given the country’s disease burden.
“As the country bearing the world’s highest malaria burden – accounting for about 39.3 per cent of global malaria-related deaths among children under five – deployment of the R21 Matrix-M vaccine marks a major public health milestone,” he said.
According to the Minister, the malaria vaccine rollout began in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, with Kebbi alone targeting 179,542 children aged five to 15 months. Nigeria has so far received one million doses of the vaccine, including 846,200 doses from Gavi and 153,800 doses funded by the Federal Government, with plans for expansion.
Pate said Nigeria was increasingly being defined not only by its disease burden but also by leadership in domestic resource mobilization and global disease control.
He disclosed that in 2025, the Federal Government committed $54 million in domestic resources to the global fight against tuberculosis, making Nigeria the largest African contributor to the Global Fund, as announced at the most recent G20 meeting in Johannesburg.
“These gains are substantive,” the Minister said, attributing them to sustained increases in health sector financing at federal and subnational levels, covering primary healthcare infrastructure, workforce development and vaccination campaigns.
On cancer prevention, Pate said Nigeria had made progress in its drive to eliminate cervical cancer, noting that although about 12,000 Nigerian women are diagnosed annually, the disease is preventable through early Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.
He said that since the launch of the HPV vaccination programme in October 2023 across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory, more than 14 million girls aged nine to 14 years had been vaccinated, representing over 90 per cent coverage.
The Minister added that formal approval had been granted for an additional ₦68 billion for vaccine financing and related requirements, with funds lodged at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and scheduled for release.
Pate said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu prioritized human development alongside economic reforms and infrastructure investment.
He also cited a sharp rise in health service utilization nationwide, noting that hospital visits increased from about 10 million in the second quarter of 2024 to over 45 million by the second quarter of 2025.
According to him, the increase reflects improved access to essential health services, particularly immunization, among Nigeria’s largely youthful population.
The Minister said the administration remains committed towards ensuring that preventable illness and avoidable deaths no longer limit Nigerians’ ability to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.
