The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced stricter enforcement of child immunisation regulations in all public and private schools across Abuja.

Dolapo Fasawe, mandate secretary for Health Services and Environment Secretariat, disclosed this at a press briefing at the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC).

She said the government requires schools to verify the vaccination status of pupils before admission, re-admission, or transfer.

She warned that schools failing to comply with the directive would face sanctions under existing public health and education laws. She said the enforcement is based on the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003, which grants every child the legal right to full immunisation.

“Denying children access to vaccines is not just an administrative oversight; it violates a fundamental child right. Sections 13 and 14 of the CRA assign parents, guardians, and institutions the duty to ensure no child is left exposed to preventable illnesses,” Fasawe said.

The directive follows reports of some schools obstructing vaccination teams during the ongoing Measles-Rubella campaign, putting many children at risk of missing immunisation.

She acknowledged the efforts of the FCTA, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and development partners for achieving significant coverage in the vaccination drive.

The exercise, which began on October 8 and has been extended by one week, covers measles-rubella vaccination for children aged nine months to 14 years, polio vaccination for children aged 0–59 months, HPV vaccination for nine-year-old girls, and general immunisation for children aged 0–23 months. It also includes other vaccines against neglected tropical diseases and malaria.

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Fasawe said some schools’ refusal to allow vaccination teams access not only deprives children of protection against diseases but also disrupts the vaccination plan. “Non-compliance undermines public health efforts and puts children at unnecessary risk,” she added.

To ensure compliance, the FCTA has instructed schools to verify pupils’ immunisation status during admission, re-admission, and transfer, maintain a Child Health Register, collaborate with nearby Primary Health Care Centres for on-site vaccination, promote immunisation awareness at assemblies and PTA meetings, and submit monthly compliance reports to the Health Secretariat via the Education Secretariat.

The FCTA will also conduct a three-day mop-up exercise with 132 vaccination teams to reach children who missed previous rounds. Schools that fail to comply with the directives will face administrative sanctions under FCT education and public health regulations.

“Ensuring children are fully immunised is not optional it is a legal obligation and a fundamental child right,” Fasawe concluded, urging parents and school administrators to support the vaccination campaign.