Maiduguri, On a quiet morning in Maiduguri, Musa Bamaiyi Joseph watched laboratory staff move samples into new freezers.
“These machines didn’t survive the flood,” he said softly. “Now, we can work again. Without fear.”
This intervention demonstrates a simple truth: reliable laboratory infrastructure is essential to protecting children from preventable diseases.
Musa is a laboratory scientist. In 2024, floodwaters swept through the Maiduguri National Polio Laboratory. Equipment was lost. Testing slowed. For months, the work that protects children from paralysis was at risk.
“When I arrived, the water level was up to my waist,” he recalled. “It was heartbreaking to see the laboratory, a place I consider my second home, in such a state of ruin.”
Today, the lab doors are open again. And this time, the lights are steady.
“This place saves lives,” Musa said. “When it stopped, we felt the danger. Now, we feel ready.”
A system under pressure
Northern Nigeria remains critical to the global fight against polio. It is also exposed to conflict, climate shocks and fragile infrastructure.
Although Nigeria has made significant progress towards polio eradication, maintaining sensitive surveillance systems remains essential to quickly detect and respond to any emerging threats, in line with global polio surveillance standards.
The Maiduguri laboratory is a key component of Nigeria’s disease surveillance network, supporting detection across multiple states in the north-east.
Before the intervention:
- The Maiduguri laboratory lost key equipment after flooding in 2024.
- Power supply was unstable.
- Turnaround time for test results increased.
- Testing volume dropped.
- Outage-related test interruptions affected laboratory operations.
- Surveillance for polio and other diseases like measles and yellow fever was at risk.
Reliable diagnostics are particularly critical for underserved and conflict-affected communities in north-east Nigeria, where access to timely care is often limited.
This mattered. Delays in testing can mean delays in response. And delays cost lives.
Evidence consistently shows that faster laboratory turnaround times enable quicker outbreak detection and response, reducing the spread and impact of infectious diseases.
The same challenge exists elsewhere. In Ibadan, staff at the National Polio Laboratory worked daily under unreliable grid power.
“When power drops, everything is at risk,” said Ogunmola Olamide, a senior laboratory technologist.
“When the grid failed, my immediate worry was the integrity of samples, reagents and weeks of surveillance work.”
Mrs Adama Musa, a mother in Borno State, Jere local government area (LGA), Old Maiduguri ward, felt the impact from afar.
“When my son’s stool sample was taken, they told me results might delay because the lab had problems. You wait and pray nothing is wrong. Every extra day brings fear.”
Strengthening the foundations of laboratory resilience
In Maiduguri, World Health Organization, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supported the renovation, expansion and upgrading of the National Polio Laboratory.
Three major improvements were commissioned on 27 April 2026:
- A renovated and expanded laboratory building, with space for diagnostics, research and training.
- A genomic sequencing facility, the only one in north-east Nigeria.
- A 125 kVA solar power system, ensuring uninterrupted energy.
In Ibadan, on 30 April 2026, WHO supported the commissioning of a 100 kVA solar power system at the National Polio Laboratory, University College Hospital.
Together, these investments addressed one core problem: reliability.
“Stable power is not a luxury in laboratories,” said Dr Alexander Chimbaru, representing the WHO Country Representative in Nigeria.
“It is what allows surveillance to work, every hour of every day.”
“These upgrades support Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and national polio eradication efforts, strengthening disease surveillance systems critical to achieving national and global health security targets.”
The upgrades are expected to improve resilience during emergencies, better protection for children — boys and girls — at risk of polio and support Nigeria’s leadership in the fight to end polio.
Evidence of impact
Since the upgrades:
- Laboratory operations now run 24 hours a day in Ibadan and Maiduguri
- The lab now processes about 23,000 stool and 400 wastewater samples every year, helping Nigeria detect polioviruses faster and strengthen surveillance across Borno and neighbouring states.
- Power outages affecting testing have significantly reduced.
- Turnaround time for priority tests has improved.
- Testing volume has increased.
- Genomic sequencing capacity now supports detection of polio, measles, rubella, yellow fever and other pathogens.
Preliminary evidence from the Ibadan sequencing laboratory shows a significant reduction in turnaround time and more consistent testing operations, with full validation underway.
“We no longer rush samples when the generator fails,” said Dr Bernard Onoja, National Polio Laboratory Coordinator in Ibadan.
“Everything is now more stable and predictable, allowing us to focus on accuracy instead of reacting to power disruptions.”
WHO’s role
In collaboration with the Government of Nigeria and partners, WHO supported activities across both sites.
In Maiduguri and Ibadan, WHO:
- Mobilized technical and financial support with partners.
- Supported laboratory rehabilitation and equipment upgrades.
- Enabled the installation of two high-capacity solar energy systems (125 kVA and 100 kVA).
- Strengthened laboratory resilience aligned with WHO standards.
- Linked energy sustainability to disease surveillance and health security.
Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, highlighted the significance during the Maiduguri commissioning.
“This investment strengthens Nigeria’s scientific and research capacity,” he said. “It positions us to monitor and respond to infectious diseases more effectively. We are grateful for WHO’s support.”
How stronger laboratories protect families
For Musa Bamaiyi Joseph, the difference is simple.
“When we detect early, children do not suffer,” he said. “Now we can detect early.”
Health workers across the north-east echo this. So do staff in Ibadan.
“When results arrive on time, we can act quickly, reassure families and protect children before diseases spread further,” said Abu Mohammed, AFP surveillance focal person.
Adama Musa agrees.
“When they called with my son’s results quickly, I felt peace. That is what every mother wants.”
These laboratories are more than buildings. They are part of a system that protects families, communities and futures.
Sustaining progress for the long term
The challenge is not over.
Solar systems need maintenance. Staff need ongoing training. More laboratories still rely on unstable power.
Next steps include:
- Monitoring performance data to support scale up.
- Building local technical capacity for maintenance.
- Integrating climate-resilient infrastructure into national health financing.
- Documenting lessons to support expansion across Nigeria and the African Region.
“This is how we protect gains,” said Prof Marycelin Mandu Baba, laboratory Director in Maiduguri.
“Not with one project, but with systems that last.”
The stakes for health security and children’s futures
When floods come, or power fails, disease does not wait.
By restoring and strengthening these laboratories, Nigeria is better prepared. And when laboratories work, surveillance works. When surveillance works, outbreaks are stopped early.
And children stay healthy.
Sustaining these gains will require strengthened collaboration and continued investment in resilient health infrastructure, particularly in underserved and high-risk regions.
