The key stakeholders in Lagos State health sector converged and resolved on a strengthened commitment towards routine immunisation and an end to the scourge of vaccine-preventable diseases among children in the State.
Representatives of the Lagos State government, professional health associations, the academia, the media, and development partners among others who gathered at a stakeholder dialogue resolved to work in collaboration to drive the fight against zero-dose and under-immunised children.
At the event put together by Save the Children International under the GSK-supported Better Opportunities for Optimised Targeted Intervention (BOOST) project for Zero-Dose and Unimmunised Children in Nigeria, the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the BOOST Project, Dr Itunu Dave-Agboola, said that despite remarkable progress, challenges still prevail.
Some of the barriers identified include inadequate funding, shortage of skilled manpower in hard-to-reach areas, and attitude from both caregivers and health workers. We largely focus on attitude because attitude can be an issue on the part of both the health worker and the caregiver.
"When the caregiver misses appointments or comes late, it could be an issue, and then that's why health workers in not showing empathy or not being kind to the caregiver or long waiting times could be things that would put off parents and caregivers from bringing their children for immunisation.
"Our expectation going forward is that all hands will be on deck from both the public and private sectors to improve service delivery and ensure that every child receives life-saving vaccines," she said.
The BOOST activities include sensitization, creation of awareness about the benefits of routine immunization and why prevention is better than cure, especially in the face of prevalence, childhood killer diseases that are prevalent in our environment.
She said the activity was largely to call stakeholders together from both the public and private sector to identify the enablers and barriers to routine immunization. Among barriers identified include inadequate funding, inadequate manpower especially in reaching rural and hard-to-reach areas, and then attitude.
The recommendations comprised practical steps in overcoming these barriers through improved service delivery, training for the health workers, enhanced care giver education, and feedback meetings to provide an opportunity for review of progress or sharing of best practices.
“We expect all hands will be on deck from both the public and private sector in ensuring optimal routine immunization through improving service delivery, improving the attitude of caregivers and health workers,” Dave-Agboola said.
In attendance were representatives of the Association of General Medical and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Nursery and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Nursery Council, Pediatric Association of Nigeria, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, among other health workers associations.
Others were the Lagos State Ministry of Health and Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, while the Provost of the College of Nursing, Lagos University Teaching Hospital was in the house, so it was a rich
Meanwhile, there have been concerns about the falling routine immunisation coverage across several Local Government Areas in Lagos State as revelations show that over 63,000 children were unvaccinated in the state between January and September 2025.
The State Immunisation Officer, Lagos, Mrs. Kemi Oshodi, decried uneven progress of routine immunisation across the LGAs, saying some councils failed to meet even minimum coverage targets.
In a review of the 2025 Quarter 3 Routine Immunisation report for Lagos State, Oshodi reassured that there was, however, hope on the horizon.
"We have seen some improvements, but overall, our coverage remains below expectation. For a megacity like Lagos, 78 percent Penta 1 coverage is not where we should be; the expected threshold is 90 percent, while measles 2 coverage dropped as low as 21 percent in some local government areas.
“Surulere has consistently underperformed despite full data entry. We’ve had several engagement meetings with them and hope to see progress by the last quarter. Alimosho alone accounts for more than 14,000 unimmunized children, and by year’s end, we may be looking at up to 20,000 unvaccinated children,” Oshodi warned.
On a brighter note, Lagos recorded strong performance in the HPV vaccination campaign, particularly in the school-based programmes targeting girls aged nine years. Oshodi said the school-based strategy has proven most effective, noting that consent is easier to get in schools, while it is still a challenge in communities.
"We have engaged the underperforming LGAs and shared approaches for reaching children in high-density areas, so we expect to see significant improvement towards the end of the year," she said.
Also speaking, the Director of Nursing Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Olusola Aketi, assured that the State was more committed than ever to strengthening immunisation systems and community health engagement, while charging partners, health workers, and parents to scale up efforts toward attaining universal vaccination coverage by 2030.
The distribution of vaccination in Nigeria faces significant challenges that range from data inconsistencies, through worker attitudes, to the public's hesitation and misinformation; however, Lagos is making conscious efforts to bridge these gaps by strengthening monitoring systems, improving community engagement, and ensuring that every child has access to life-saving vaccines.
“We need to show the international community that we are serious about our health systems. When the partners lift their hands, our transparency and commitment should be apparent,” Aketi said.
Explaining that COVID-19 exposed weaknesses in Nigeria's health infrastructure, she said it equally taught lessons of resilience and adaptability to the extent that Lagos State has now prioritized initiatives that strengthen the immunization value chain-from vaccine logistics to public trust.
“Post-COVID, many believed that we could not sustain essential health services but we proved otherwise. Lagos State health workers have demonstrated capacity, professionalism, and courage. The moment trust is eroded, it takes years to rebuild. That’s why communication and attitude among health workers are crucial. The way a service is delivered determines whether people will accept or reject it.
"Our nurses, midwives, and vaccinators must see themselves as ambassadors of care. Our CSOs play a great role; they are the bridge between the health system and the community. They help us identify dark spots and reach the unreached," she said.
He highlighted the recent introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine for young girls as a game-changing intervention by the state in securing the future of its women. He explained this by noting that “A young lady vaccinated today is a woman protected tomorrow. That is how we prevent needless complications like cervical cancer.
"Through advocacy and engagement with school associations, we are encouraging parents to vaccinate their children. Immunisation is both a right and a duty," she maintained.
Aketi further called for stronger collaboration with the media and implementing partners to promote accurate information and sustain public confidence. “The media is a powerful ally. Help us to tell the right stories, stories of hope, of survival, and of the government’s genuine effort to protect every Lagos child.”
She hailed Save the Children and GSK for their financial and technical support but reminded them that sustainable progress depends on continued funding and policy enforcement.
"Financial sustainability and accountability are key. We must ensure that every resource received is put to good use and accounted for transparently. Lagos State is ready; it is leading by example in achieving Nigeria's immunisation goals. We have done a lot, but there's still more to do.
In her remarks, the Provost of the College of Nursing, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Olubukola Adebebe, has urged renewed advocacy and better partnerships in overcoming the lingering vaccine hesitancy among Nigerian parents, notably mothers within markets, schools, and religious settings.
But he emphasized that effective community sensitization had to be taken away from the clinics and hospitals into people's immediate environments.
“It's almost 2026, and let me assure you that we are ever ready to partner with you anytime. We need to plan early, collaborate, and ensure that all - from health workers to community members - are prepared to play their role.
“Sometimes, people refuse to present their children for immunisation not because they don’t believe in it, but because of how they perceive the people delivering the service.
"If we can teach children from an early age what immunisation means and why it's important, they will grow up understanding that it's part of their wellbeing. Advocacy must start from the classroom."
She expressed concern about the misinformation and the conspiracy theories that surround vaccines; for example, infertility issues have wrongly been associated with the HPV shot.
"We must take our advocacy to the markets, churches, mosques, and women's groups, radio jingles, community visits, and visible presence are important. The women need to hear from us and not from those spreading fear," she said. Her speech reinforced a growing consensus among health leaders in Lagos that effective immunisation requires more than logistics, it needs empathy, education, and collaboration with voices trusted by the communities.
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