By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says it has contingency plans in place to ensure that the recently displaced persons in Benue state are reached and availed vaccination. 

Health Specialist, UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo made this known during the Media Dialogue on 2025 World Immunization Week organized by UNICEF Enugu Field Office in collaboration with Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State, BCA. 

The theme of the 2025 World Immunization Week is “Immunization for all is Humanly Possible.” 

Dr. Anyanyo who spoke on Accessibility in Nigeria was responding to the question of plans by the global organisation to reach the newly displaced persons with its interventions following the recent attacks in parts of Benue state. She acknowledged the enormous work the global organisation was in doing in the state with presence in 11 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp noting that the intervention could not be left to partners alone to shoulder. 

According to her, “the geographical space of the displaced is quite much. But we have contingency plan in place to reach the newly displaced and ensure impacful interventions. 

“We have our presence in the IDPs camps but the needs are much and the demand is huge. It cannot be left in the hands of partners alone. The government must step in to play its roles in the various areas.” 

The Health Specialist who noted that all hands must be on deck to reach set targets pointed out the factors that create hindrances and barriers to access to vaccination emphasizing the need for every stakeholder to hold each other accountable in the task of vaccine service delivery. 

Another Health Specialist in the Enugu Field Office, Dr. Olusoji Akinyele who spoke on ‘Availability’ pointed out that “vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements” with the reduction on infant mortality rates. 

He said “vaccination has reduced infant mortality rate by 40 percent. Today, more children live to see their first birthday and beyond than at any other time in human history. 

“Vaccine has helped check disease outbreaks. It has helped save the lives of people of all ages. The vaccination of one individual helps to keep others safe. That is how important vaccination is to humans.” 

Introducing the meeting objectives earlier, 

the Communications Officer, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe harped on the need to get media practitioners fully aware and prepared for the critical role they needed to play to ensure the success of the immunization week and beyond. 

In her opening remarks, the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, noted the significance of the World Immunization Week and the importance of reaching targeted vaccination coverage. 

In his welcome address the Director General of Broadcasting Corporation of Abia, BCA, Francis Nwubani who pointed out the life transforming impact of vaccination said “more lives are now being saved, among people of all ages, with more recent vaccines against malaria, Human Papiloma Virus, cholera, meningitis, RSV, Ebola and mpox, reflecting an era of massive scientific advancements in vaccine development and delivery.”