Spread the word
The National Coordinator of the Tinubu Health Sector Practitioners Alliance (TIHSEPA), Dr Ogechi Lokpobiri, has urged health professionals to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing government investments in medical education, healthcare infrastructure, workforce development and health insurance.
Lokpobiri said the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda had initiated reforms that could strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, expand access to medical services and improve the training of health professionals.
She commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, for their roles in advancing initiatives aimed at improving healthcare delivery and professional training.
According to her, collaboration between the two ministries is critical to producing skilled health workers, upgrading medical institutions and improving the quality of healthcare available to Nigerians.
Lokpobiri, wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, said sustaining investment in the sector would be essential to consolidating ongoing reforms and addressing persistent challenges in healthcare delivery.
On nursing education, she cited Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare figures indicating that annual enrolment quotas for nursing and midwifery training institutions rose from 28,000 in May 2023 to 115,000 for the 2025 academic year.
She also highlighted the reported retraining of more than 69,000 frontline health workers nationwide and the Federal Government’s approval of recruitment waivers for 20,000 additional health personnel, with nurses and midwives expected to account for 60 per cent of the positions.
The TIHSEPA coordinator welcomed the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030, which provides a framework for strengthening professional education, leadership, regulation and workforce development.
She, however, stressed that expanding training and recruitment must go hand in hand with improved welfare, adequate staffing, modern equipment and better working conditions to retain skilled professionals.
According to her, the success of workforce development initiatives would depend on the ability of the health system to provide an environment where trained personnel could work effectively and deliver quality patient care.
On medical education, Lokpobiri cited programme information indicating a reported ₦110 billion investment in 18 medical schools under the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative.
The initiative also reportedly includes the rehabilitation of 12 engineering and technology faculties and the development of 20 institutions specialising in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical sciences.
She called for effective monitoring to ensure that beneficiary institutions had functional laboratories, modern equipment, qualified personnel and adequate clinical training facilities.
Lokpobiri warned that expanding enrolment without corresponding improvements in infrastructure and practical training could undermine the quality of graduates produced by the institutions.
She also welcomed healthcare infrastructure projects announced by the Presidency in May 2026, including a laboratory complex at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, a mental health and drug rehabilitation centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and an immunisation supply chain hub at the Federal Medical Stores in Oshodi, Lagos State.
Other interventions she highlighted included primary healthcare facilities in Kano and Delta states, as well as plans to improve emergency medical transportation.
The emergency response initiative, according to the details she cited, comprised 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances and 79 ambulances for federal tertiary hospitals. It also included plans to deploy compressed natural gas-powered ambulances across all 73 federal tertiary health facilities.
She said the interventions could reduce delays in accessing emergency treatment, particularly in rural and underserved communities, but emphasised the need for proper maintenance, trained personnel and functional referral systems.
On health financing, Lokpobiri commended the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative for prioritising primary healthcare, expanding insurance coverage and improving coordination among the federal, state and local governments.
Citing government reports, she said health insurance enrolment had exceeded 22 million Nigerians by July 2026, representing an increase of approximately 35 per cent since 2023.
She said sustained expansion of coverage could reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses and protect households, particularly low-income families, from financial hardship caused by illness.
She called for improved public awareness, effective implementation of insurance schemes and better service delivery to ensure that more Nigerians benefited from health financing reforms.
Lokpobiri also advocated increased investment in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing to boost local production of medicines, diagnostic products and medical equipment, reduce import dependence and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare supply chain.
On maternal and newborn health, she cited a 2025 review by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which reportedly recorded a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent decline in newborn deaths across 172 high-burden local government areas targeted by specific interventions.
She said sustaining the reported progress would require continued investment in antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric services and newborn care.
She also called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, alongside effective monitoring and accountability, to extend maternal and newborn health interventions to more communities.
Making a case for Tinubu’s re-election, Lokpobiri urged doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other health-sector professionals to support the President in the 2027 election.
She argued that a second term would provide an opportunity to consolidate healthcare reforms, sustain investment and improve service delivery nationwide.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that the health of Nigerians is fundamental to the country’s productivity, prosperity and future. Investments in healthcare infrastructure, professional training, maternal health and insurance coverage provide a foundation for building a stronger health system,” she said.
Lokpobiri maintained that sustained funding, effective implementation and stronger partnerships among government institutions and professional associations were necessary to improve healthcare delivery.
She added that the impact of reforms should ultimately be measured by improvements in access to treatment, patient outcomes, health facilities and the financial protection available to Nigerians seeking medical care.
Spread the word