Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Civil society organisations (CSOs) advocating for child health have urged the Federal Government to immediately release N231 billion earmarked for vaccines in the 2025 budget, alongside N87 billion outstanding from 2024.
The urgent appeal was made on Thursday in Abuja during a joint media conference by the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), and other partners.
According to the groups, delays in releasing immunisation funds were pushing the country toward a national emergency that could be catastrophic for child survival in Nigeria.
The group demanded prompt disbursement to prevent an imminent vaccine stockout, which could leave millions of Nigerian children unprotected and jeopardised ongoing vaccination campaigns and routine immunisation efforts.
They stressed that
to avoid a stockout by early December, which could expose more than eight million children to measles, polio, diphtheria, pneumonia, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, an urgent release of funds is imperative.
According to Mrs Chika Offor, Executive Director of VNDC, Nigeria is “standing at a dangerous crossroads” and risked losing decades of immunisation progress if funds remained unreleased.
Her words: “The truth is stark and painful: a vaccine stockout is imminent if we do not release pending funds now. Time is running out, and so are our vaccine supplies,”
She further warned that failure to meet Gavi co-financing obligations could lead to suspension of financial support, including 110 million dollars already approved, jeopardising Nigeria’s eligibility for further assistance from 2028.
Dr Muhammed Lecky, Chairperson of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, stated that health allocations remained unreleased even as the year nears its end.
Dr. Lecky also queried: “Funds appropriated to the Ministry of Health are yet to be released.
“If not now in November, then when?” .
He emphasized that the national immunisation programme has already been disrupted on account of the shortfalls in donor support and unreleased budgeted funds.
Lecky urged the Ministry of Finance to prioritise health by releasing all 2024 and 2025 allocations, highlighting that timely disbursement would prevent outbreaks and reduce long-term healthcare costs.
Dr Chizoba Wonodi, Convener of WAVA, in her contribution, also appealed for immediate action, saying children should be placed “first in line” for vaccine funding.
“Diseases cannot wait. Our children cannot wait,” Wonodi stressed.
She made a passionate call to the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, a “proven champion of health,” to intervene, warning against situations where mothers travelled long distances only to find no vaccines available.
The CSOs pledged to support transparency and accountability in the use of the funds once released.
The groups reaffirmed that immunisation remained one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, stressing that every day of delay increased the risk of deadly outbreaks.
END
