The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has rated Nigeria as a country with the highest number of children who have never received a single routine vaccine.
DAILY POST reports that Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, stated this on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the flag-off of the Republic of Korea–UNICEF Investment in Routine Immunisation in Badagry Local Government Area, Lagos State.
Saeed who put the estimated number of zero-dose children at 2.2 million noted that the figure places a shared responsibility on all stakeholders.
He also added that the numbers are not just statistics but real children often living in fragile urban settlements, border communities, conflict-affected settings, and hard-to-reach areas; without access to essential services.
“Today’s event is more than a launch. It is a shared political and moral commitment to the right of every Nigerian child to life-saving vaccines, regardless of where they are born or live.
“This burden is not a failure of science. Vaccines work. Rather, it reflects enduring challenges related to equity, access, and service reach, and this is why political leadership and strong partnerships are really possible.
“UNICEF is deeply grateful to the Government of the Republic of Korea for its leadership and solidarity. Through this partnership, Korea has demonstrated a clear understanding that global health security begins by reaching those who are most excluded.
“Nigeria’s inclusion in this investment reflects both the scale of the need and the confidence in Nigeria’s systems and capacity to deliver results.
“This investment is about strengthening existing national and sub-national systems, supporting government efforts to extend routine immunisation services, strengthen primary health care, rebuild trust, and ensure that vaccines consistently reach every child, especially those who have historically been left behind.
“Lagos State, and Badagry Local Government Area in particular, illustrate this challenge clearly. Even in areas experiencing growth and opportunity, pockets of exclusion persist.
“Reaching zero-dose children here sends a strong national signal, equity is not optional; it is foundational to sustainable development and stability”, he said.
He noted that UNICEF’s roles remain to support the government, bringing global experience, operational reach, and community trust so that national commitments translate into results where they matter most among the communities that are hard to reach.
Saeed also commended the Federal Government of Nigeria, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, and State Primary Health Care Boards for placing zero-dose children at the centre of national health priorities, particularly through targeted interventions in Local Government Areas and communities with the highest burden of unreached children.
In his remarks, LEE Sang Ho, Consul General of the Korean Embassy, Lagos Office, said the flag-off ceremony was for the commencement of the routine immunisation programme in Nigeria under the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) Investments Project through the UNICEF – Republic of Korea global partnership.
Sang Ho said the Republic of Korea’s ACT-A global partnership with UNICEF began in 2023 with the contribution of $70 million spread over three years of implementation.
He said in the first year from 2023 the sum of $20 million was budgeted for 22 countries, $30 million for 34 countries between 2024 and 2025) while in the final stage, between 2025 and 2026, the sum of $20 million is budgeted for 12 countries.
He added that out of the $20 million budget for 2025 and 2026, the sum of $5.6 million is earmarked for Nigeria’s project, which will last for one year.
“The purpose for funding this project is to ensure that cases of zero-dose vaccination in children are reduced in selected targeted areas comprising a total of 40 Local Government Areas in five states which are Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Bauchi, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
“The choice of Nigeria is strategic because Nigeria records a high volume of children with little or zero-dose Immunization, which poses great danger to global health security”, he added.
UNICEF rates Nigeria as country with highest number of unvaccinated children in Africa
