By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a mass distribution of 4.9 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets across the six area councils to strengthen malaria prevention.
Speaking at the launch over the weekend, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said Nigeria recorded an estimated 68 million malaria cases in 2024, representing 24.3 per cent of the global burden.
She added that the country accounted for 30.3 per cent of global malaria-related deaths, with children under five among the most affected, according to the 2024 World Malaria Report.
Fasawe said malaria prevalence in Nigeria declined from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15.3 per cent in 2025, while the FCT recorded a reduction from 18.8 per cent to 7.9 per cent within the same period.
She attributed the improvement to interventions by health workers, community structures and development partners, stressing the need to sustain the gains.
However, she noted that previous assessments showed that only 22 per cent of FCT residents had access to insecticide-treated nets, while just 14 per cent of households slept under them.
She said the campaign would cover Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari and Abuja Municipal Area Council, adding that the FCTA would work with security agencies to ensure effective supervision and safe distribution.
The West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr Kolawole Maxwell, said the decline in malaria prevalence reflected the impact of sustained government and community interventions.
He, however, warned that fewer than one in 10 households in the FCT had sufficient mosquito nets for all family members.
Maxwell disclosed that the 4.9 million nets would be distributed across 62 wards through approximately 1,580 distribution hubs.
Similarly, the National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Nnenna Ogbulafor, said more than 350 million insecticide-treated nets had been distributed nationwide since 2009.
Represented by the Director of the PM-Impact/LLP Project, Mr Philip Okoro, she said the FCT had not conducted a mass mosquito net distribution campaign since 2011.
She described the 2026 exercise as a significant step towards expanding access to mosquito nets and reducing malaria infections.
Okoro pledged that the campaign would reach communities across the territory and urged residents to cooperate with distribution teams during the exercise.
