Abuja: Dr. Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, has announced that approximately 47.1 million Nigerians no longer require treatment for lymphatic filariasis (commonly known as elephantiasis) and onchocerciasis (river blindness). Salako made this announcement during the close-out ceremony of the BLON Project in Abuja, which provided Nigeria’s largest-ever assessments for these diseases across 13 states.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the minister highlighted that the project was designed to address a significant gap in Nigeria’s elimination roadmap for these neglected tropical diseases and received $4.9 million in funding from the Gates Foundation. Salako stated, “Nigeria has exceeded its disease-control targets for these two neglected tropical diseases and conducted significantly more assessments than originally planned.”
Salako explained that while many implementation units met the World Health Organization thresholds for stopping mass drug administration, they lacked resources for the necessary disease-specific assessments. Previous efforts led by partners were fragmented and costly, complicating nationwide scale-up. This challenge led to 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 aimed to generate evidence to support the cessation of mass drug administration, strengthen health systems, and introduce replicable models that enhance efficiency and sustainability. The project began in 2022 as a 17-month intervention but was extended at no additional cost, concluding in September 2025 to ensure a lasting impact. Salako noted that Nigeria delivered beyond its targets, with 31.1 million people no longer requiring treatment for lymphatic filariasis and 16 million people no longer needing treatment for onchocerciasis, surpassing the initial target of 27 million.
The project conducted 46 Pre-TAS, 116 TAS 1, and 3 epidemiological surveys, along with one breeding-site assessment. As a result, Nigeria achieved 148% of lymphatic filariasis assessments and 150% of onchocerciasis assessments. The project also strengthened the health system by upgrading and building capacity in four laboratories-UniOsun, TCC Lab, NIMR Lab, and ABU Lab-which led to ISO 15189 accreditation. Sixty-five laboratory technicians were trained on standardized blood collection, while more than 300 personnel were trained as card readers, data recorders, and field sample collectors.
In addition, staff were trained on sample transportation using certified third-party logistics, and annual work-plan harmonization meetings and filariasis transmission survey quantification were conducted. Sightsavers Nigeria Country Director, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, remarked that the programme’s achievement extended 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 mentioned that partners were seeking additional funding to expand the programme nationwide. Fatai Oyediran, National Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the ministry, stated that 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,” Oyediran said. “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 appealed for an extension of the project, stating, “We want another series of these projects and more laboratories brought on board.”