Nigeria has taken a fresh step toward strengthening its immunisation programme with the release of $46.6 million for vaccine procurement, amid renewed calls for sustainable domestic financing to protect children and national health security.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), Mrs Chika Offor made this known during the 2025 Association of Nigeria Health Journalist conference, (ANHJ), in Abuja.
She described childhood vaccination as an imperative for national security and the building of a resilient human capital base.
Mrs Offor said; ” Nigeria records an annual birth cohort of between seven and nine million children, stressing that timely access to vaccines remains critical to reducing preventable deaths.
According to her, “about 2.3 million Nigerian children are currently classified as zero-dose,having missed out on routine immunisation.”
Mrs Offor noted that health security extends beyond military defence, explaining that a healthy population underpins economic growth and social stability.
Mrs Offor said that Nigeria’s health indicators reveal deep challenges, with about 40 percent of children affected by malnutrition, a situation she said weakens the country’s future workforce.
Mrs Offor called on the government to prioritise vaccine funding as a first-line charge, warning that delays in budget releases have previously resulted in vaccine stock-outs across health facilities.
She also commended recent interventions that reportedly reached over 17 million children within 10 weeks, describing the outcome as proof that effective delivery is achievable with political will and adequate funding.
Mrs Offor urged legislators to strengthen oversight of health budgets, security agencies to support access to hard-to-reach-communities, civil society organisations and the media to track accountability.
She called on government and partners to leave no child behind, eliminate zero-dose children, make no compromise on national health security, and fully fund immunisation.