A former member of the House of Representatives, Wale Okediran, has warned that the persistent insurgency in Northern Nigeria has deprived thousands of children and infants of access to life-saving immunisation over the past five years.
Okediran raised the concern on Thursday while speaking on Guest Platform, a monthly programme of the Oyo State-owned Broadcasting Corporation, in Ibadan.
His remarks come amid renewed security concerns following a deadly attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, where gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram killed scores of residents and razed several houses on Tuesday evening.
The attackers, believed to have emerged from the Borgu National Park forest in neighbouring Niger State, reportedly invaded the communities around 6:00 pm, firing sporadically and forcing residents to flee in panic.
Okediran warned that unless the insurgency is urgently addressed, the situation could lead to increased infant and child mortality, as well as outbreaks of preventable diseases.
“Boko Haram’s onslaught has restricted the movement of people in several northern states,” he said. “This has affected commerce, reduced Internally Generated Revenue and severely disrupted healthcare delivery, especially child immunisation.”
Health, Education, Economy Hit
The former lawmaker, who is also a medical practitioner and Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers Association, lamented that insecurity has reversed decades of social integration and development in the North.
“The North of Nigeria has become a very difficult story,” he said. “There was a time when many Nigerians loved going to the North. The railway system unified the country, and people moved freely.”
Recalling Nigeria’s past, Okediran noted that prominent figures such as the late Chief Bola Ige were born and raised in the North, where inter-ethnic coexistence was once peaceful.
“In those days, many Yoruba families lived and worked in the North. Movement was peaceful, and people felt safe,” he said.
He contrasted that era with the current reality, describing the region as increasingly unsafe over the last decade due to insurgency.
Immunisation Gaps Raise Alarm
Drawing from personal experience, Okediran said his research work on his book, Madagali, gave him first-hand exposure to the devastation caused by Boko Haram across Adamawa and Borno states.
“I was totally depressed by what I saw,” he said. “Apart from the destruction, the insurgency has worsened the crisis of out-of-school children and severely affected health indices.”
He expressed particular concern about immunisation gaps, describing them as a looming public health disaster.
“As a health practitioner, what worries me most is that many children in the North have not been immunised for years because of insecurity,” Okediran said. “When you look at Nigeria’s vaccination indices, the North consistently performs poorly.”
He added that farming, education and other sectors of human endeavour have also been badly affected, deepening poverty and social instability.
Hope for Recovery
Despite the grim outlook, Okediran expressed optimism that ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and foreign partners to combat insurgency could help restore stability to the region.
“I am hopeful that with sustained efforts and international cooperation, the North can regain the glory of its earlier years,” he said.
