Korede Abdullah 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria records 30 circulating variant poliovirus infections in 2026, six years after the World Health Organization certifies the country free of wild poliovirus, prompting intensified vaccination campaigns nationwide.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Muyi Aina, reveals on Wednesday that the infections include 27 cases linked to cVDPV2 and three linked to cVDPV3.
Speaking at a quarterly review meeting of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery in Abuja, Aina says emergency interventions are ongoing in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.
He says immunisation campaigns now show improvements in “quality, coverage and data reporting.”
According to the agency, Katsina, Kaduna and Yobe record zero cases in 2026, while Borno achieves an 86 per cent decline in infections.
Aina also discloses that authorities identify more than 65,000 cases of vaccine non-compliance across 15 states, with 71 per cent already resolved through community engagement.
Coordinating Minister of Health Muhammad Ali Pate says traditional and religious leaders remain critical in addressing vaccine hesitancy, particularly in rural communities.
“Stronger community participation is essential to achieving universal health coverage and sustaining gains in polio eradication,” Pate says.
Chairman of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee Sama’ila Mera and Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III both pledged continued grassroots mobilisation to support vaccination campaigns.
Health officials warn that political activities ahead of elections must not disrupt ongoing polio eradication efforts across Nigeria.
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Mirian Gom 
