By Muhammad Amaan
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, has urged states to mobilise domestic funding for the control and elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria.
Dr Salako, represented by Daju Kachollom, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary made the call at a media conference ahead of the 2026 NTDs day celebration on Thursday in Abuja.
The theme for the 2025 celebration is “Unite, Act and Eliminate NTDs towards achievements of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).”
Salako said that the control and elimination of NTDs remained an important element in Nigeria’s drive towards attaining UHC by 2030, achieving a disease-free SDG, and eradicating poverty.
He, therefore, urged states to create budget lines to mobilise the needed domestic funding.
“The control and elimination of NTDs in Nigeria remains an important element in our drive towards the attainment of the UHC by 2030, the achievement of SDG three, as well as the eradication of poverty.
“States should ensure the creation of budget lines to mobilise the needed domestic funding and also integrate NTDs elimination activities with other disease entities to leverage the economies of scale in their states,” he stressed.
He cautioned against allowing NTDs to translate into neglected people, emphasising the need for inclusion in efforts aimed at addressing the burden of NTDs.
“Let us not allow neglected tropical diseases to result in neglected people. There is nothing about us without us,” he said.
The minister noted that NTDs thrive in silence and neglect, calling for collective voice, action and determination to confront the challenge.
“As we commemorate this day, let us remember that NTDs thrive in silence and neglect.
“Our collective voice, our actions and determination can break that silence. Together, we can build a Nigeria and indeed, a world free from the burden of NTDs,” he said.
The minister noted that although Nigeria accounts for 25 per cent of NTDs burden across Africa, sustained commitment from stakeholders would lead to remarkable progress and total elimination by 2030.
Mr Fatai Oyediran, Director and National Coordinator NTDs Unit, Department of Public Health, said NTDs affects mostly the rural poor and few urban centres caused by poor hygiene, ventilation, water sources and lack of access to health facility care.
Oyediran explained that the federal government has implemented strategies, which has enabled the country record progress in eliminating NTDs.
“We have been able to remove about 59 million people from the onchosiarsis (river blindness) treatment in Nigeria, which has never been recorded in any country.
“We also removed 119.9 million Nigerians from the treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis).
“We have also removed about 36 million people from trachoma treatment. We are only left with about four million people to battle with in terms of trachoma.
“So, if you look at all these indices and figures, you will agree that Nigeria is on the right track to meet the 2030 NTDs elimination,” he said.
He however called for more support towards the elimination of Schistosomiasis (bilharzia); and other case management NTDs like snake bites, rabies, guinea worm.
He also encouraged citizens to improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices and create more sensitisation to reduce the menace of NTDs.
” It has also been proven in terms of publication and scientific proof that when you practice WASH, we are going to reduce the prevalence of diseases by 30 per cent.
“The implication is that when we practice WASH very well, we would have removed 30 per cent of the burden, then we would be facing 70 per cent in terms of clinical or preventive medicine,” he said.
