The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary leadership with ushering in one of the most transformative eras in Nigeria’s health sector. Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review in Abuja, Pate highlighted measurable progress across states and local government areas, praising the President for his clear vision and the competent team he assembled to implement it.
“Years from now, when the story of this period is told, President Tinubu’s leadership will be remembered as one of the most remarkable chapters in our nation’s history,” Pate said. He commended the discipline and focus of government officials who have navigated the country through challenging times and expressed gratitude to traditional rulers, development partners, state health commissioners, and civil society organizations for strengthening the health system.
The 2025 review, themed “All Hands, One Mission Bringing Nigeria’s Health Sector to Light,” emphasizes the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in improving health outcomes. Pate stressed that in Nigeria’s mixed health system, government alone cannot meet every need. Success requires a whole-of-society approach, leveraging private sector strengths, civil society, traditional and religious institutions, and active citizen participation. Transparency, accountability, and data-driven performance tracking are central to achieving this goal.
The review builds on last year’s baseline and expands the Health Sector Renewal Compact to include local governments, private sector actors, traditional leaders, and civil society organizations. By the third quarter of 2025, 84 percent of key performance indicators under the Presidential Bond had been achieved. Among the milestones are 35 states and the FCT completing annual performance reviews with citizen involvement, operational plans in all states aligned with the National Health Sector Strategic Blueprint, systems to manage non-communicable diseases in 72 percent of states, and the deployment of National Health Fellows and Public Financial Management Officers across all 774 local government areas. Additionally, 60 percent of National Council on Health resolutions have been implemented.
These accomplishments mark a shift from fragmented donor-led programming to coherent, nationally owned systems. Health outcomes have improved significantly: skilled birth attendance now exceeds 90 percent, antenatal care coverage has remained above 50 percent for two consecutive years, family planning acceptance has grown by 10 percent, and vaccination coverage continues to rise. Primary healthcare visits increased from 10 million in Q1 2024 to 45 million in Q2 2025, reflecting growing public confidence. Maternal deaths have declined by 17 percent and newborn deaths by 12 percent across 172 high-burden LGAs under the Miyami Model. Over 15,000 community health workers have been recruited, 435 health facilities revitalized, and nearly 70,000 frontline workers retrained, moving Nigeria closer to its 2027 target of 120,000 trained personnel.
Emergency obstetric care has been integrated into the national health insurance scheme, with 4,000 free caesarean sections conducted in NHIA-accredited facilities in priority LGAs. Public perception surveys show rising trust in the system: 55 percent of Nigerians now express confidence in the health sector’s direction, 67 percent believe the government can manage health emergencies effectively, and 74 percent report satisfaction with primary healthcare services. Affordability remains a challenge, but new initiatives, including the Medical Relief Programme and expanded social health protection, are being rolled out to reduce cost barriers. Health insurance coverage has doubled from 6–7 percent to 12 percent, driven by mandatory insurance enforcement and the Vulnerable Groups Fund.
Pate also urged greater domestic resource mobilization, local manufacturing of medicines and vaccines, and innovative financing mechanisms, including fiscal measures on sugar-sweetened beverages and digital transparency systems. He called on state and local governments to increase investments in health, education, water, sanitation, and nutrition, aligned with President Tinubu’s ward-based development strategy, describing it as the most practical path to community upliftment. Over 20,000 frontline health workers have been recruited into tertiary hospitals in the past year, and ₦50 billion has been approved to settle arrears and allowances for health personnel.
“Put the Nigerian person at the centre, and every other issue can be addressed,” Pate said, emphasizing that transformation is already underway. He thanked commissioners, local government leaders, legislators, civil society, and development partners for their commitment, declaring that Nigeria’s health sector is no longer just a vision it is in motion.
“Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are not merely reforming the health sector; we are restoring confidence, rebuilding systems, and renewing hope for every Nigerian family,” he concluded.
