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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to eliminating malaria and strengthening Nigeria’s public health response.
This is even as the Federal Government moves towards adopting Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC) to protect children in areas with year-round malaria transmission.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the national dissemination of findings from the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Implementation Research Study.
The event was organised by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with Malaria Consortium.
Salako said the possible adoption of PMC was among the “bold steps” the Federal Government was prepared to take based on evidence generated by the implementation research, as Nigeria intensified efforts to reduce malaria-related illness and deaths.
He said President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Nigerians remained firmly anchored on strengthening national public health responses, stressing that malaria elimination was “not as a slogan but as a strategic priority.”
According to him, “Together with commitment and partnership, we will change the story.
“Together we will drive down the burden of malaria and together we will move decisively towards a malaria-free Nigeria.”
Salako said the PMC study, which began in 2023 following its inclusion in the 2021-2025 National Malaria Strategic Plan, was designed to generate evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention in Nigeria.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through NMEP, prioritised the piloting of PMC, formerly known as intermittent preventive treatment in infants, particularly in areas not eligible for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC).
“The intervention is targeted at protecting children under 24 months in regions where malaria transmission occurs throughout the year,” the minister added.
He further said the research findings would be critical to shaping Nigeria’s decision on the adoption of PMC as a targeted sub-national intervention to reduce the malaria burden and accelerate progress towards elimination.
He said the strategy was also consistent with the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of PMC for malaria-endemic countries, noting that it would complement existing interventions such as vector control, effective testing and treatment, surveillance and other prevention measures.
Salako said Nigeria had recorded significant progress in malaria control, with the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showing a decline in malaria prevalence from 42 percent in 2010 to 15 percent in 2025.
Despite the progress, he said Nigeria still accounted for 24.3 percent of the global malaria burden, making the adoption of additional evidence-based interventions imperative.
The minister noted that the proposed adoption of PMC would also promote equity in Nigeria’s malaria elimination efforts, particularly because SMC had already contributed significantly to saving the lives of children in northern Nigeria.
“Seasonal malaria chemoprevention has contributed to a lot of under-five children’s lives being saved in the northern parts of our country,” he said.
Salako reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the Nigerian Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030, which he said would provide strategic leadership for maximising resources, integrating services and strengthening healthcare systems.
He commended funding and implementing partners, including Malaria Consortium, as well as Federal Government agencies, sub-national governments and frontline health workers for their contributions to the malaria elimination effort.
