Pate highlighted significant gains in immunisation coverage and preventive healthcare delivery across the country.
He said, “Under this administration, over 25 million measles doses and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations have been administered, alongside Africa’s first Mpox vaccine rollout.”
The Minister explained that beyond measles and yellow fever, five million children had received the pentavalent vaccine, and 10 million Nigerians were vaccinated with the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine through the nationwide diphtheria response.
According to the Minister, more than one million vaccine doses from the Gavi-funded global stockpile were also deployed to support meningitis outbreak control in northern regions.
“As the country bearing the world’s highest malaria burden, accounting for approximately 39.3 per cent of malaria-related deaths among children under five, deployment of the R21 Matrix-M vaccine marks a major public health milestone,” he said.
He explained that the malaria vaccine rollout commenced in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, with Kebbi alone targeting 179,542 children of age five to 15 months.
“Nigeria received one million doses of the malaria vaccine, including 846,200 doses from Gavi and 153,800 doses financed by the Federal Government, with plans underway for further scale-up,” he said.
The Minister stated that in 2025, the Federal Government committed 54 million dollars in domestic resources to the global fight against tuberculosis and emerged as the largest African contributor to the Global Fund, as announced at the most recent G20 meeting in Johannesburg.
“These gains are substantive,” Pate said.
Pate also highlighted Nigeria’s drive to eliminate cervical cancer, noting that although about 12,000 Nigerian women are diagnosed annually, the disease is preventable through early Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination.
He said that since the launch of the HPV vaccination programme in October 2023 across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory, over 14 million eligible girls aged nine to 14 years had been vaccinated, representing more than 90 per cent coverage.
He added that formal approval had recently been granted for an additional 68 billion naira for vaccine financing and related requirements, with funds lodged at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and scheduled for release.
He said Nigeria’s population of over 240 million was increasingly demonstrating commitment to accessing quality health services and preventive tools that protect lives, reduce avoidable illness and sustain productivity.
“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,” Pate said.
He explained that the rise reflected increased use of essential and life-saving services, particularly immunisation, among Nigeria’s youthful population, which had previously been constrained by misinformation, distrust and limited access.
According to the minister, the administration remains committed to ensuring that preventable illness and avoidable death no longer limit the capacity of Nigerians to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.
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