Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has officially launched the Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction Integrated Campaign, a groundbreaking health initiative set to immunize over 106 million Nigerian children and adolescents against measles, rubella, and other preventable diseases.
The flag-off ceremony took place at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, marking what experts describe as Africa’s largest health campaign and the second largest globally.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Tinubu emphasized that the campaign reflects the nation’s unwavering commitment to child health and national progress under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This flag-off signals a collective national resolve to end the devastation caused by measles and rubella,” she said. “These diseases steal the future of our sons and daughters. Measles can cause blindness, disability, and even death, while rubella—though often silent—can lead to blindness, deafness, or severe heart defects in unborn children.”
She stressed that vaccination is only effective when administered, urging parents to take responsibility.
“A vaccine in a vial does not save a child; protection becomes real only when it is injected into the arm of a child,” the First Lady noted. “Mothers, take your children to be vaccinated. Fathers, support them. And to our traditional and religious leaders—your influence matters; use it to save lives.”
Mrs. Tinubu also commended traditional and religious leaders for their roles in the successful rollout of the HPV vaccine, reaffirming that all vaccines provided are safe, effective, and free.
The integrated campaign not only targets measles and rubella but also combines efforts to combat polio and expand the HPV vaccination for adolescent girls, maximizing health outcomes nationwide.
In his remarks, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described the campaign as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s health system, praising it as a “bold reimagination” of healthcare delivery in Africa.
“Under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, health has become a central pillar of national development—bringing healing, unity, and renewed strength to our nation,” Pate said.
The nationwide vaccination campaign will run in two phases, reaching millions of children across Nigeria’s states and rural communities in a unified effort to build a healthier, safer nation.
Not every child