Nigeria is currently grappling with a significant immunization gap, with over two million children yet to receive life-saving vaccines.
This was revealed by Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, who cited insecurity and systemic challenges as key factors behind the alarming statistics.
Speaking during a training workshop in Kano for health managers across the country, Dr. Labaran emphasized the urgency of addressing the immunization shortfall.
The workshop was organized under the Nigeria Healthcare Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), implemented by the Kano State Ministry of Health in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
According to the commissioner, the session was designed to enhance the capacity of monitoring and evaluation officers in the state.
“This workshop is aimed at building a rational, realistic, and pragmatic strategy that will guide health budgeting and implementation for the people of Kano State,” Dr. Labaran noted.
He expressed deep concern over the large number of un-immunized children in the country, most of whom, he warned, are likely concentrated in the northern region.
“In Nigeria we discovered that more than two million children are un-immunized and going by this figure you know what it means, that over 60% or 70% of this un-immunized children will be northern part of the country, and by so doing I am sure northwestern states will take the lion share due to insecurity in the area, and also Kano received these in-secured people now with this you may say that significant number of these un-immunized may be in Kano,” he said.
Dr. Labaran called on participants to fully engage with the training content, noting that the knowledge gained could significantly improve healthcare outcomes in the state.
He highlighted the efforts by the Kano State Government over the past two years, including strategic coordination among health stakeholders to bridge immunization gaps.
