Nigeria’s health commissioners have renewed their commitment to strengthening the country’s healthcare system through robust primary healthcare reforms, improved emergency preparedness and targeted action against emerging public health threats.
Chair of the Health Commissioners Forum and Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Ekiti State, Dr. Oyebanji Filani disclosed this during a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
Filani said the Forum convened from July 17 to 19, 2025, in Lagos, bringing together health commissioners from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The meeting focused on addressing critical gaps in the nation’s health infrastructure and advancing Nigeria’s health agenda.
“A key priority was improving health security at the state level. The commissioners commended the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for completing the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) in 13 states and called for its expansion nationwide,” he said.
The forum advocated for the establishment of public health emergency operations centres (PHEOCs) in all local government areas, along with designated isolation centres in each state. Commissioners also recommended creating emergency funds that would be shielded from year-end fiscal sweeps, enabling timely response to outbreaks and public health emergencies.
“There’s a critical need for proactive planning, not just reactionary measures. Our states must be equipped to respond swiftly to any outbreak,” Filani noted.
The commissioners also raised concerns over the slow onboarding of states onto the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS). They pledged to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee (NEMTC) to accelerate implementation and improve emergency medical response nationwide.
The forum commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu for ongoing progress under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the IMPACT programmes, which have significantly enhanced primary health service delivery. Reviewing the national health scorecard, Filani highlighted improvements from May 2023 to May 2025 in maternal and child health indicators, including greater uptake of IPTp3 among pregnant women, increased skilled birth attendance and better treatment rates for childhood diarrhoea.
To sustain these gains, the commissioners endorsed additional strategies to strengthen primary care infrastructure, ensure consistent health worker training, and improve the supply chain for essential medicines.
A major agenda item was the “Project Ten Million: Know Your Number, Control Your Number” campaign, which screened millions of Nigerians for hypertension and diabetes. The data generated will bolster non-communicable disease (NCD) surveillance and support cross-sectoral strategies to manage the rising burden of NCDs.
Filani also announced the Forum’s renewed commitment to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), ahead of Nigeria’s hosting of the 5th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR in 2026. Commissioners pledged to work with stakeholders across government, academia and civil society to scale up surveillance, advocacy and responsible antimicrobial use.
To address the rising cost of essential medicines, the Forum adopted a group purchasing framework in partnership with drug management agencies, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) and supported by ARC_ESM. The model promotes pooled procurement and aims to ensure access to high-quality, affordable medicines.
The forum urged more states to establish drug management agencies to institutionalise the procurement model.
Recognising the need for stronger health financing structures, the commissioners also announced plans for a specialised training in October 2025 focused on financial governance and leadership.
Filani closed by stressing the need for greater synergy across federal, state and local governments.
“Our collective goal is to build a resilient, inclusive and responsive health system that delivers quality care to every Nigerian,” he said.
