By Iyemah David
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has inaugurated a reformed National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) dedicated to polio eradication, marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s fight against the disease.
Executive Director/CEO of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina told newsmen in Abuja that the initiative is more than a structural reset.
He said the development was a dedication by stakeholders united to eradicate polio in Nigeria.
Highlighting a renewed focus on accountability and results, he urged partners and institutions to prioritise action, data, and evidence over routine meetings.
“To every partner, institution, and individual, your role is crucial. This is about all of us. The work starts now. Let’s chase down every poliovirus, together,” he said
Dr Aina added that the NEOC, now restructured, is expected to streamline coordination among government agencies, international partners, and local stakeholders to strengthen surveillance, vaccination campaigns, and outbreak response efforts across the country.
Health experts said the move comes at a critical time as the country continues to battle sporadic polio cases, with the renewed emphasis on collaboration and data-driven interventions aimed at finally achieving a polio-free Nigeria.
Nigeria has been at the centre of global efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis, a highly infectious virus that can cause paralysis, mainly in children, for decades.
At its peak, the country accounted for a large proportion of the world’s polio cases, and transmission in northern Nigeria contributed to outbreaks across West Africa in the early 2000s.
Decades of coordinated vaccination campaigns and surveillance helped drastically reduce wild polio virus transmission.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed Nigeria from the list of polio‑endemic countries after the country went more than a year without a wild polio case.
Later, in 2020 Nigeria and the entire African region were certified free of wild poliovirus, marking a historic milestone for public health.
However, the battle has not been fully won. Although wild poliovirus has been stopped, circulating vaccine‑derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), a rare form of the virus that can emerge in under-immunised populations, has continued to cause cases in parts of the country.
In 2024 and 2025, epidemiological data showed persistent cVDPV2 cases across several states, even as overall numbers declined by around 40 per cent compared to the previous year.
Nigeria, with support from the WHO and partners, is intensifying surveillance and response efforts to ensure any virus circulation is detected quickly and vaccination gaps are closed.
This approach aligns with the Polio Eradication Roadmap 2022–2026, which aims to end all forms of poliovirus in the country by reinforcing rapid detection systems and targeted vaccination.
This broader context illustrates why the reformed NEOC initiative is timely as it aims to build on past gains while tackling the remaining challenges through better coordination, data‑driven action, and stronger accountability among stakeholders.
