The President-elect of Rotary International, Yinka Babalola, has warned that Nigerian children are still at risk of polio if routine immunization is neglected.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Babalola explained that although Nigeria has been certified polio-free, vaccination coverage in the country remains very low.
He stressed that no child is completely safe until routine immunization reaches the required level.
“There are lessons from other countries where polio was eradicated. Children must continue to receive vaccines because, until there are no cases at all, the risk remains,” he said.
Babalola noted that Nigeria needs at least 80 percent immunization coverage to achieve herd immunity, but in some states, particularly in the Northwest, coverage is as low as 13 percent.
He added that weak immunization rates have also contributed to the spread of other diseases, such as COVID-19 variants, in those same areas.
Beyond polio, Babalola highlighted Rotary Clubs’ support for health centres across the country, including providing nutritional aid and helping expectant mothers register for antenatal care to reduce maternal and infant deaths.
He revealed that Rotary is supporting a \$2 million pilot project in Gombe, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory to lower maternal and childhood mortality, with encouraging results already recorded.
In addition, Rotary has launched a \$9.8 million health programme targeting malaria, diarrheas’, and pneumonia — three of the leading killers of children under five in Nigeria.
Reflecting on the global fight against polio, Babalola recalled a time when the disease killed or disabled 1,000 children every day across 125 countries. Today, he said, only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain polio-endemic, with fewer than 50 cases reported last year.
He reaffirmed Rotary’s global mission to ensure no child, anywhere in the world, suffers from polio.
“Our promise is that polio shall not kill or cripple any child. Until that promise is fulfilled, we will not shift our focus to any other initiative,” he declared.
Babalola was recently announced as the president-elect of Rotary International for the 2026/2027 Rotary year.
His election makes him the second African and Nigerian to head the global humanitarian body. He will officially assume office on July 1, 2026.
