The Adamawa State Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to vaccinate no fewer than 1.4 million children as part of the 2026 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), aimed at sustaining Nigeria’s polio-free status.
The campaign, which will see children receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine, is scheduled to take place across 12 states nationwide, with Adamawa identified as one of the priority states due to its unique public health challenges.
Speaking during a media dialogue held in Yola, the Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Suleiman Bashir, said the state has concluded extensive preparations to ensure the success of the exercise.
According to him, the vaccination campaign will cover all 226 political wards across the 21 local government areas of the state, with a target population of 1.4 million children under the age of five.
Dr. Bashir revealed that a total of 1,685 vaccination teams have been carefully trained and fully equipped to carry out house-to-house immunisation, ensuring that no eligible child is left behind.
The campaign is being implemented by the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with the Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN), with technical and logistical support from UNICEF and other development partners.
Despite Nigeria being officially declared free of wild poliovirus, health authorities have continued to emphasise the importance of routine immunisation and supplementary campaigns to prevent a resurgence of the disease.
Dr. Bashir noted that Adamawa State remains particularly vulnerable due to its proximity to conflict-affected regions, which has led to increased population movement across borders. This, he explained, has contributed to pockets of vaccine resistance and heightened the risk of virus importation.
He therefore called on parents, caregivers, community leaders, and religious institutions to support the campaign by ensuring that all eligible children are vaccinated during the exercise.
Stakeholders at the media dialogue—including journalists, social media influencers, and development partners—were urged to amplify awareness messages and counter misinformation surrounding vaccination.
Health experts stress that maintaining Nigeria’s polio-free certification requires sustained vigilance, high immunisation coverage, and strong community engagement, especially in high-risk states like Adamawa.
The 2026 National Immunisation Plus Days campaign is expected to play a critical role in reinforcing herd immunity and protecting children from preventable diseases.
