President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Has Commissioned The Kano State Polio Emergency

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned the Kano State Polio Emergency Operations Centre EOC at the Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital in Nassarawa, marking a renewed push to strengthen disease surveillance, immunisation and outbreak response in northern Nigeria. The inauguration ceremony, held in Kano, unveiled an upgraded public health coordination facility designed to serve as a central hub for polio eradication efforts and broader infectious disease response across the state and surrounding regions. According to officials, the Emergency Operations Centre will anchor Kano State’s health emergency response architecture, focusing on coordinated immunisation campaigns, real-time disease surveillance, and improved data collection and management to support faster decision-making during outbreaks. The facility will also enhance multi-stakeholder collaboration between government agencies, international partners and health organisations working on primary healthcare delivery and epidemic preparedness in the region. The project was delivered with support from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and eHealth Africa, all of which have long been involved in Nigeria’s polio eradication and immunisation programmes. Health officials say the upgraded centre will significantly improve Kano’s capacity to respond to disease outbreaks by enabling faster coordination between field teams, laboratories and emergency response units. It is also expected to strengthen routine immunisation coverage in communities that remain vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020, but authorities continue to maintain surveillance systems to prevent resurgence, particularly in high-risk and hard-to-reach areas where immunisation coverage remains inconsistent. The commissioning of the EOC is part of broader efforts under the Renewed Hope health agenda to reinforce primary healthcare systems, improve emergency preparedness, and reduce preventable disease outbreaks across the country.

Officials at the event described the facility as a critical investment in safeguarding public health and sustaining Nigeria’s progress in disease eradication and health system strengthening.