The government of South Korea has pledged $5.6 million to support child immunisation efforts across Lagos and five other regions in Nigeria, aiming to reduce the number of “zero-dose” children and strengthen vaccine coverage in vulnerable communities.
The initiative, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund, will cover 40 local government areas across Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Bauchi, and Adamawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the launch in Badagry, Lagos, South Korea’s Consul-General, Sang Ho Lee, said the programme would focus on targeted vaccination campaigns, expanding access to immunisation in high-risk areas, and strengthening health systems.
“The choice of Nigeria is strategic because Nigeria records a high volume of children with little or zero-dose immunisation, which poses great danger to global health security,” Lee said.
The programme will also address social and behavioural barriers that limit vaccine uptake, a persistent challenge in many underserved communities.
Local authorities welcomed the intervention. Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Babatunde Hunpe, described immunisation as one of the most effective public health tools.
“When a child is vaccinated, we are not only protecting that one child, we are building a wall of protection around the entire community,” he said, citing diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria, and meningitis as preventable through routine immunisation.
Nigeria continues to face a significant immunisation gap. According to Wafaa Saeed, an estimated two million children in the country have never received a single vaccine dose.
“When we say zero dose, we are talking about children who are not getting a single shot of vaccination,” she explained, adding that vaccines save at least four million lives globally each year.
Nigeria’s Public Health Challenge
Despite progress including Nigeria being declared free of wild poliovirus by the World Health Organization in 2020, public health challenges persist. Circulating poliovirus cases have declined, but not been eliminated, while measles outbreaks remain a concern.
Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shows 26,866 suspected measles cases and 153 deaths recorded between January and November 2025, underscoring the urgency of sustained immunisation efforts.
Health officials say the new funding could play a critical role in closing immunisation gaps, preventing outbreaks, and strengthening Nigeria’s overall disease surveillance and response systems.
