In a significant move to address Nigeria’s persistent immunisation gaps, lawmakers from Bauchi, Borno, Kano, and Sokoto States have unveiled a coordinated legislative agenda to reduce the number of zero-dose children—those who have never received any routine vaccine.
This bold commitment, termed the “Lagos Declaration”, emerged from a two-day Legislative Retreat on Immunisation Equity held in Lagos from July 18–19. The retreat was part of the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) initiative and themed “Legislative Partnerships for Reaching Zero-Dose Children in Nigeria.”
Hon. Amos Magaji, Chairman of the House Committee on Health Care Services, described the declaration as a crucial step towards closing immunisation gaps and advancing health equity for vulnerable children across the country.
“We are confronting a preventable tragedy. Too many Nigerian children are still missing life-saving vaccines. This retreat is about taking legislative responsibility for health equity,” Magaji stated.
The retreat brought together lawmakers from the National and State Assemblies alongside primary health care leaders, creating a collaborative platform for developing evidence-driven strategies. Key challenges identified during the sessions included:
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Absence of routine immunisation budget lines in several state budgets, threatening the sustainability of vaccination programmes.
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Low vaccine uptake, driven by socio-cultural barriers, remote geography, and conflict-related access issues.
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Governance gaps, such as the absence of functioning boards within some State Primary Health Care Development Agencies, limiting oversight and coordination.
These challenges, the lawmakers noted, contribute to Nigeria’s ranking among the top five countries globally with the highest number of zero-dose children.
The Lagos Declaration concluded with a communique outlining firm legislative commitments, including:
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A national convergence of Health Committee Chairmen from all 36 states, scheduled for Q4 2025.
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Advocacy for dedicated immunisation budget lines in the 2026 state budgets to ensure sustainable vaccine financing.
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Oversight visits to ZDLH focus states, beginning with Borno, to assess funding implementation and evaluate progress under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
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Strengthening decentralised immunisation monitoring (DIM) surveys, aimed at boosting local accountability.
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Quarterly legislative oversight on fund disbursement and utilisation for primary health care and immunisation.
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Community-level engagement, including briefings for local government chairpersons and lawmakers in ZDLH-supported LGAs to foster deeper accountability.
“This isn’t just a health issue—it’s a national development emergency. The time for fragmented efforts is over. The legislature must lead from the front,” Magaji emphasized.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, over two million Nigerian children remain unvaccinated, particularly in rural, hard-to-reach, or conflict-affected areas.
The ZDLH initiative, backed by a consortium of development partners, is leveraging the IRMMA strategy—Identify, Reach, Monitor, Measure, Advocate—to pilot and scale innovative interventions in priority states.
With the National Assembly now taking a proactive stance, attention turns to how these commitments will be translated into concrete action at both federal and state levels. For many observers, the Lagos Declaration represents a potential turning point in Nigeria’s drive to leave no child behind in the quest for universal immunisation.
