The Senate Committee on Health has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing immunisation efforts, pledging to ensure the timely release of funds to support frontline workers and boost vaccination drives nationwide.
The committee’s Chairman, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Barigo, made the commitment on Monday, during an outreach and sensitisation exercise in Galadimawa community, FCT in commemoration of the 2025 World Immunisation day celebration.
The event tagged, “World Immunisation Day: Immunisation is Humanly Possible for All” was organised by the committee in collaboration with Caywood Brown Foundation, and other partners.
Harry-Barigo, while noting the importance of immunisation to saving lives and improving health, said the community outreach would help to cancel myths against vaccination.
“As a committee on the Senate, we are always trying to make sure that we provide enough budget appropriation for immunisation,” she said.
Dr Ruqaya Wamakko, Acting Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, stressed the need to ensure that all children were immunised to prevent diseases.
“We urge every household to bring out their children for this vaccination. It is our responsibility to ensure we vaccinate our children and protect them against diseases.
“We also urge all traditional, religious leaders, households’ heads and women to allow their children access this initiative,” she said.
Similarly, Mrs Chika Offor, CEO Vaccine Network for Disease Control, said that as Nigeria targets 106 million children, vaccination was one of the activities the network was deploying to support the government.
In the same vein, Emmanuel Alhassan, Country Director, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), emphasised the importance of funding to improve access to immunisation.
“It is very significant because there are so many vaccine preventable diseases. VAccination is very important that is why partners are coming to support government ambitious targets of reaching 106 million children.
“It is achievable; and we will continue to advocate that they should increase funding in a sustainable manner for immunisation and strengthening of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the country,” he said.
Some of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) expressed appreciation to the stakeholders for their initiative, which they said would improve the health status of their children and protect them against diseases.
The stakeholders also engaged in road show and sensitisation exercise around the community to create more awareness on the importance of immunisation.
