Oyo govt faults Alli’s campaign diphtheria claims, says no confirmed case

By Gbenga Adejayan

The Oyo State Government has dismissed claims by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) that diphtheria is affecting several local government areas in the state, insisting that no case of the disease has been confirmed.

The government, in a statement on Tuesday, accused the campaign organisation of exaggerating disease surveillance figures and misrepresenting childhood immunisation data for political purposes. It said the Ministry of Health’s Diphtheria Outbreak Surveillance Update for Epidemiological Week 40, 2026, recorded suspected cases in 10 local government areas, but none had been confirmed.

According to the government, SSACO listed 16 local government areas as affected, including Atisbo, Ibadan North-West, Oyo West, Akinyele, Saki, Egbeda, Oriire, Ibadan North, Ibadan South-West, Iwajowa, Ona Ara, Atiba, Lagelu, Ogbomoso North, Surulere and Oluyole. It maintained that the list was not supported by official surveillance data and warned that presenting suspected infections as a confirmed outbreak could cause unnecessary public anxiety.

The government said the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, explained that the state had activated preparedness and response measures despite the absence of confirmed cases. It added that the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre had procured antibiotics, requested buffer stocks of diphtheria antitoxin and activated rapid response teams to manage suspected cases under the 7-1-7 public health response framework.

It further said suspected cases had been isolated and treated at the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, with diphtheria antitoxin and appropriate antibiotics. The government maintained that these measures demonstrated its readiness to respond to potential public health emergencies while surveillance continued across the state.

The state government also rejected SSACO’s claim that Oyo ranked lowest in childhood immunisation coverage in the South-West. The campaign organisation reportedly cited coverage figures of 51.3 per cent in the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and 55 per cent in the 2025-2026 survey to support its position.

However, the government said verified data from the 2025-2026 Nigeria Malaria and Demographic Health Survey showed that Oyo’s basic antigen coverage was at the South-West regional average, while its coverage under the national immunisation schedule exceeded the zonal average. It added that full coverage under the national schedule among children aged 24 to 35 months was also above the regional average.

The government also defended its participation in the Immunisation Plus component of the IMPACT Project, describing comparisons between cumulative project receipts and a single immunisation indicator as misleading because the initiative covered multiple components. It maintained that the funds were being used for their intended purposes and said the Ministry of Health welcomed scrutiny through established audit and disclosure procedures, urging political organisations to rely on verified information when discussing public health issues.