7.7 million girls to receive HPV vaccine in Nigeria to combat cervical cancer

Nguvu Changeleader Itoro Usoro’s campaign was fundamental to the Nigerian government introducing the HPV vaccine into its routine immunization program, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls – the largest number in a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region. This is the first time the Nigerian government has introduced the vaccine in Nigeria with support from development partners like World Health Organisation, Gavi, to mention a few.

Itoro noted that the government had not kept a similar promise to launch the HPV vaccine in 2020, and then missed a deadline for launching the vaccine in September 2023. When this deadline was not met, Itoro’s campaign sought accountability from the government through social media engagement, media advocacy, and direct communication with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). After constantly keeping up public pressure on the issue, the government eventually set a new date of October 24, 2023, and the vaccine was launched.

Nguvu Collective Staff supported Itoro through the following ways – 

  • Provided strategic and interpersonal support to brainstorm and cheer Itoro as he navigated the challenging aspects of his campaign while trying to secure meetings with decision-makers and prepare for media interviews. 
  • Supported Itoro to engage with decision makers including the Head of Immunization at the National Center for Disease Control, the CEO and Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Health.
  • Helped Itoro to shape a strong personal story and connect with media platforms in the 3-month period of his campaign. This led to Itoro’s voice being one of Nigeria’s strongest civil society voices advocating on this issue:
  • Featured on News Central TV, a Sub-Saharan cable TV station, alongside the decision maker of his campaign, CEO of NPHCDA
  • Featured on Silverbird TV, Plus TV, and XL FM 106.9 to build public support, linking the HPV vaccine with Nigeria’s future.
  • Itoro’s opinion piece “Why the HPV vaccine is important to Nigeria’s future” reached over 500,000 readers and syndicated on 8 media platforms across Nigeria including The Herald, Heritage Times, The Nigerian Voice and Opinion Nigeria.

Image: Itoro (right) appears on PlusTV Africa alongside Dr. Nwagwu Obinna Anthony, medical practitioner to discuss the campaign victory.

Itoro was selected for Moth’s HPV Storytelling workshop in Nairobi where he learned how to sharpen the public narrative on his HPV advocacy. Moving forward as the vaccine is administered across the country,

Itoro’s personal story, media advocacy, and community engagement will continue to play a huge role in ensuring the adoption of the vaccine in Nigeria especially in rural areas with low internet use.