As poverty and malnutrition deepen, many Nigerian children are battling preventable killer diseases because low-income families cannot afford basic healthcare and adequate nutrition. The 2025 Joint Health Sector Report by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shows rising cases of malaria among children under five, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and other vaccine-preventable diseases despite the availability of free vaccines. DEBORAH TOLU-KOLAWOLE writes
When 20-month-old Batula stopped walking, her family believed something supernatural was happening.
The little girl from Nigeria’s conflict-ravaged North-East had become so weak she could barely move. Painful boils appeared on her cheeks, followed by diarrhoea and persistent fever. Convinced evil spirits were responsible, her mother, Aisha, invited a traditional healer who cut Batula’s cheeks with a razor blade and applied herbal remedies.
Still, the toddler’s health did not improve.
“I was convinced it was an evil spirit behind Batula’s illness, and I was so afraid of losing her. I had lost six infant children. Batula is my eleventh child,” Aisha recalled.
