July 14, 2025
Nigerian lawmakers are advocating for a new mechanism to guarantee the country’s timely, uninterrupted funding for vaccines and immunization programs. At the heart of their agenda is a proposal to make immunization a first-line charge on the national budget—ensuring that funds approved by parliament for vaccines within yearly health budgets, are automatically released without bureaucratic delays.
Instituting such a ring-fenced budget mechanism is a top priority of the newly formed the lawmakers Parliamentary Caucus on Immunization and Primary Health Care Financing. The Caucus was launched on July 1, 2025, in Abuja during a high-level meeting convened by members of the National Assembly. The 13-member group brings together lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, united by one mission: secure and oversee sustainable domestic funding for immunization and primary health care. Upon the MPs’ request, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC) facilitated the meeting.
Senator Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, who officiated the launch referred to the caucus formation as a crucial turning point. She said the first-line charge idea which has been proposed by members of the MP Caucus will insulate vaccine funding from the red tape and delays that have harmed so many Nigerian children.
The proposed mechanism would mandate the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to release immunization funds directly to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), bypassing administrative hurdles that often cause critical delays. According to Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director and CEO of NPHCDA, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“Nigeria needs at least $1 billion over the coming years to sustain the gains we’ve made in immunization,” he said to Premium Times.
The numbers are sobering—2.2 million zero-dose Nigerian children, the highest globally. But the cost of inaction is far worse than the cost of funding, officials at the workshop agreed.
Zero-dose children—those who have never received any routine vaccines such as those for measles or polio— are at highest risk of severe illness, disability or death. Experts agree that consistent and predictable domestic financing is essential to closing this gap.
To further dissect the problem, VNDC’s Chief Executive Officer, Chika Offor, revealed that “even when vaccines are paid for, it can take up to six months for delivery,” requiring the “need innovative strategies and proactive financing to ensure vaccines reach those in need.”
The new Parliamentary Caucus will be chaired by Hon. Amos Magaji, who also leads the House Committee on Health. He committed to ensuring the Caucus becomes more than just a talk shop. “We will not rest until immunization is treated as a budgetary priority and funding is predictable,” he said. “We have to take ownership of our health security as a nation.”
This step follows growing global momentum for stronger parliamentary leadership in health financing. In April 2025, GHAI, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, convened 21 parliamentarians from 10 countries to the Istanbul Forum, which resulted in the Istanbul Call to Action that urges governments and other stakeholders to prioritize immunization financing for health security. Nigeria’s new Caucus is the sixth of its kind to emerge from that platform. Cameroon, Côte Ivoire, Madagascar, Sierra Leone and Zambia have already installed theirs.
The Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President on Health, Dr Salma Anas, emphasized the role of such a Caucus, stating that “beyond [their responsibility on] resource mobilization, effective oversight is crucial.”
“This is the power of committed legislators,” said Professor Emmanuel Alhassan, GHAI’s In-Country Coordinator for Nigeria. “The Istanbul Forum wasn’t meant to end in a conference room. It was meant to spark action. What we are seeing now is the impact of that commitment.”
The Caucus aims to work with civil society and health institutions to ensure oversight and accountability in vaccine funding. As the MPs ideate on the first-line charge mechanism, advocates believe the collaboration between parliament, civil society and technical agencies is what will turn this policy idea into law.
“This is not just about MPs doing their work to enact bills,” said Professor Alhassan. “It’s about creating a system that guarantees every Nigerian child has access to life-saving vaccines—not because of global generosity, but because their government made it a national priority.”
