- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has declared about 47.1 million Nigerians free from treatment for lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and onchocerciasis (river blindness).
Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja at the close-out ceremony of the BLON Project, which delivered Nigeria’s largest-ever assessments for the two diseases across 13 states.
According to the minister, the project was designed to close a major gap in Nigeria’s elimination roadmap for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis and received $4.9 million in funding from the Gates Foundation.
“Nigeria has exceeded its disease-control targets for these two neglected tropical diseases and conducted significantly more assessments than originally planned,” Salako said.
He explained that although many implementation units had met World Health Organisation thresholds for stopping mass drug administration, they lacked resources to carry out the required disease-specific assessments.
“Previous partner-led efforts were fragmented and costly, making nationwide scale-up difficult,” he added.
Salako said the challenge prompted a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Sightsavers, Christian Blind Mission International, Helen Keller International, and MITOSATH to implement a coordinated and cost-effective assessment programme.
“The initiative was aimed at generating evidence to support the cessation of mass drug administration, strengthening health systems, and introducing replicable models that enhance efficiency and sustainability,” he said.
The minister noted that although the project began in 2022 as a 17-month intervention, it was extended at no additional cost and concluded in Sept. 2025 to ensure lasting impact.
“Nigeria has delivered beyond its targets.
“About 31.1 million people no longer require treatment for lymphatic filariasis, while 16 million people no longer need treatment for onchocerciasis, compared to the initial target of 27 million.
“We conducted 46 Pre-TAS, 116 TAS 1 and 3 epidemiological surveys, and one breeding-site assessment. By implication, Nigeria achieved 148 per cent of LF assessments and 150 per cent of onchocerciasis assessments,” Salako said.
Salako also said the project strengthened the health system by upgrading and building capacity in four laboratories—UniOsun, TCC Lab, NIMR Lab, and ABU Lab—leading to ISO 15189 accreditation.
“Sixty-five laboratory technicians were trained on standardised blood collection, while more than 300 personnel were trained as card readers, data recorders, and field sample collectors,” he said.
In addition, he noted that staff were trained on sample transportation using certified third-party logistics, while annual work-plan harmonisation meetings and filariasis transmission survey quantification were conducted.
Sightsavers Nigeria Country Director, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, said the programme’s achievement went beyond healthcare cost savings.
“The remarkable achievement is that 31 million Nigerians will no longer be required to take medication to prevent blindness,” she said.
“This allows people to live productive lives and engage in economic activities. It is not just about stopping ivermectin treatment, but about empowering communities.”
On sustainability, Shuaibu said partners were seeking additional funding to expand the programme nationwide.
Fatai Oyediran, National Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the ministry, said the project strengthened laboratory capacity, data management, and disease assessment.
“Some of the achievements that will remain our legacy are the standard operating procedures we have adopted for future assessments.
“Four laboratories have been accredited to international ISO 15189 standards, and policies on sample retention and disposal have been developed to guide future implementation,” Oyediran said.
Oyediran appealed for an extension of the project, saying, “We want another series of these projects and more laboratories brought on board.”
The close-out ceremony also featured panel discussions on ov/lf assessments, Nigeria’s elimination roadmap, and awards to individuals and organisations for their support in project implementation.