On June 3rd, C-WINS participated in a key advocacy meeting with the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation (FMoINO) to discuss national strategies for improving awareness and uptake of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine in Nigeria.

Attendees Included:

• Mr. Mohammed Idris – Hon. Minister, FMoINO

• Mr. Chinasa Nyam – Permanent Secretary, FMoINO

• Directors of the Ministry

• Dr. Nihinlola Mabogunje – Project Lead, C-WINS

• Dr. Mohammed Lecky -Chairperson, HSRC

• Members of the MR Vaccine Advocacy Team including  Dr. Isa Vatsa, Dr. Eugene Ivatse, Mr. Jafar Lawal, Mrs. Ndidichukwu Odoh, Dr. Emeka Martin, Mr. Atta Ibrahim, and Pharm. Ahmad Rufai

Meeting Overview

The session began with welcome remarks from the Honorable Minister, followed by an introduction of the C-WINS team, delivered by Mr. Kelvin. Dr. Nihinlola Mabogunj, the Project Lead, led the core presentation on MR vaccine advocacy. She outlined the serious health burden posed by measles and rubella in Nigeria, especially among children and pregnant women and highlighted the low public awareness of rubella. She stressed the urgent need for increased vaccination coverage, emphasizing that achieving 95% coverage is critical for elimination.

Key Advocacy Requests Made to the Ministry:

On behalf of Nigerian children, women, and the MR advocacy team, Dr. Lola requested the Ministry’s support to:

• Promote accurate, trusted MR vaccine information through public communication.

• Launch a coordinated national media campaign in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health.

• Provide official ministerial endorsement of the MR vaccine.

• Facilitate engagement at the state level.

• Mobilize the Ministry’s communication arms and partner agencies for message dissemination.

She highlighted that misinformation remains a major barrier and that strategic, well-crafted messaging is essential to building public trust and increasing vaccine demand.

Minister’s Response and Commitments

Hon. Minister Mohammed Idris welcomed the initiative and expressed strong support for the MR Vaccine Advocacy Campaign. He affirmed the Ministry’s alignment with the campaign’s goals and committed to granting all advocacy requests. Specific commitments included:

• Full endorsement of the campaign by the Ministry.

• Partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for national outreach.

• Collaboration with the communication department to co-develop materials for public distribution.

• Encouragement to engage the National Assembly for additional legislative support.

• Facilitation of further coordination through key personnel, including Mallam Rabiu.