The Federal Government has administered over 25 million doses of measles vaccine and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has confirmed.
Pate disclosed this on Sunday in a broadcast on his official X handle, highlighting progress in immunisation coverage and preventive healthcare across the country.
“Under this administration, over 25 million measles doses and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations have been administered, alongside Africa’s first Mpox vaccine rollout,” he said.
He added that five million children had received the pentavalent vaccine, while over 10 million Nigerians were vaccinated with the tetanus diphtheria vaccine through the nationwide diphtheria response.
More than one million doses from the Gavi-funded global stockpile were also used to support meningitis outbreak control in northern regions.
The minister said Nigeria had introduced its first-ever malaria vaccine to address the country’s high malaria burden.
“As the country bearing the world’s highest malaria burden, accounting for approximately 39.3 percent of malaria-related deaths among children under five, deployment of the R21 Matrix-M vaccine marks a major public health milestone,” Pate said.
The rollout of the malaria vaccine started in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, with Kebbi alone targeting 179,542 children aged five to 15 months.
Nigeria received one million doses, including 846,200 from Gavi and 153,800 financed by the Federal Government, with further scale-up planned.
Pate also highlighted Nigeria’s contribution to global disease control. In 2025, the Federal Government committed 54 million dollars in domestic resources to the global fight against tuberculosis and became the largest African contributor to the Global Fund, as announced at the recent G20 meeting in Johannesburg.
He cited the country’s drive to eliminate cervical cancer through HPV vaccination.
“Since the Oct. 2023 launch across 15 states and the FCT, over 14 million eligible girls aged nine to 14 years have been vaccinated, representing more than 90 per cent coverage,” he said.
The minister attributed these gains to sectoral reforms and strengthened coordination through the Sector Wide Approach, which aligns all levels of government with development partners and NGOs.
He noted that an additional 68 billion naira has been approved for vaccine financing, with funds lodged at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
According to Pate, Nigeria’s population of over 240 million is increasingly accessing quality health services.
“In the second quarter of 2024, health facilities nationwide recorded approximately 10 million hospital visits. By the second quarter of 2025, visits exceeded 45 million, representing a more than fourfold increase,” he said.
He explained that the rise reflects increased use of essential services, particularly immunisation, among Nigeria’s youthful population.
Pate concluded that the administration remains committed to ensuring that preventable illness and avoidable death no longer limit the capacity of Nigerians to live healthy and productive lives.