Consultant virologist Prof. Oyewale Tomori has urged governments at all levels to collaborate with community leaders and traditional rulers to locate and vaccinate “zero-dose” children across Nigeria.
Tomori, also the Chairman of Biovaccines Nig. Ltd., revealed in an interview with our correspondence that approximately 2.2 million Nigerian children have not received any routine vaccines, a phenomenon largely concentrated in rural, northern, and conflict-affected regions.
“Nigeria accounts for about half of West Africa’s zero-dose children, making it one of the countries with the highest numbers globally,” Tomori said. He attributed the issue to insecurity, poverty, low parental education, misinformation, and limited access to healthcare services.
He stressed the importance of leveraging local knowledge: “Community leaders understand their residents and can identify unvaccinated or under-immunized children more effectively than centralized systems.” Tomori also called for proper monitoring of immunization exercises, noting that some vaccinators discard unused vaccines while falsely reporting coverage.
To address the challenge, he recommended empowering vaccination personnel with adequate resources, such as vehicles and logistical support, to reach remote villages and underserved populations.
Tomori also highlighted vaccine hesitancy as a growing threat to public health, fueled by misinformation and disinformation. “Continuous public education is essential to reassure parents and communities about the safety and benefits of life-saving vaccines,” he said.
He urged authorities to implement a coordinated, nationwide approach combining community engagement, monitoring, and public education to ensure full vaccination coverage and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
