…VP Shettima urges states to support FG’s health intervention
Yobe State has been named the overall Best Performing State at the third edition of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) National Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards.
The announcement was made on Friday night in Abuja by the NGF, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and UNICEF, with support from the Gates Foundation.
The programme is designed to drive accountability and foster healthy competition among states, aiming to improve health outcomes and the quality of care at the grassroots level.
Yobe emerged the overall winner, taking home a grand prize of $700,000 for its exemplary commitment to strengthening primary healthcare services. The state also won the North-East Zonal Best Performing State award, valued at $500,000, bringing its total winnings to $1.2 million.
Other zonal winners included Nasarawa (North-Central), Zamfara (North-West), Abia (South-East), Rivers (South-South), and Osun (South-West), each receiving $500,000. First runners-up for the national awards included Gombe, Kwara, Kaduna, Anambra, Bayelsa, and Ogun, each awarded $400,000.
The NGF stated that the $6.1 million in prizes is intended to be reinvested to enhance primary healthcare infrastructure, services, and human resource capacity.
Read Also: FEC approves three PPP projects, attracts N6.43tr private investment
Addressing the ceremony, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, represented by Minister of Health Dr. Ali Pate, congratulated the winners and commended state governors for their leadership in advancing health outcomes.
Shettima urged states to increase investment in healthcare, noting that the collective health allocation has grown to ₦2.6 trillion this year. He projected that the sector could reach ₦3.5 trillion in the next fiscal year, emphasizing that a healthy population is vital for national development.
He also called on states to support the Federal Government’s efforts to make healthcare more affordable, particularly in reducing the cost of drugs, diagnostics, and tests for low-income Nigerians. Shettima expressed optimism that Nigeria could achieve self-sufficiency in health sector funding within the next five years, reducing reliance on external assistance.
Speaking on behalf of the award-winning states, Abia State Governor Alex Otti pledged to raise the bar in 2026. He described health spending not as an investment expecting direct returns, but as a vital tool for human survival and development.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal assured that the $500,000 prize would be reinvested in PHC centres across the state, highlighting that the additional funding would supplement the state’s ongoing healthcare efforts despite persistent funding challenges.
NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq recalled that the awards come exactly two years after the landmark Compact was signed between President Bola Tinubu, the 36 governors, and development partners.
Represented by Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, AbdulRazaq said the PHC Leadership Challenge has shown that intentional leadership and accountability yield measurable improvements.
He highlighted that states’ health budgets have grown from ₦831 billion in 2022 to ₦2.36 trillion in 2025, with 30 percent dedicated to PHC. Infrastructure upgrades, recruitment of health personnel, and reduced institutional maternal mortality were cited as indicators of progress.
AbdulRazaq added that the NGF would release an expanded scorecard in 2026 to track subnational commitments to the Health Sector Renewal Compact, ensuring transparent monitoring and accountability.
“The PHC Leadership Challenge affirms that our commitments are not mere declarations but responsibilities that we pursue with diligence—so every Nigerian, regardless of location, can access quality Primary Health Care,” he said.
