Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has reaffirmed her commitment to ending tuberculosis (TB) spread in Nigeria by 2030.
She stated this on Thursday, during the official commissioning of new molecular diagnostic machines to improve TB detection and treatment nationwide in Abuja.
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Mrs Tinubu, represented by the wife of the Kwara State Governor, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, at the commissioning in Bwari, emphasised the significance of the new diagnostic machines.
She said the machines, provided through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), are a direct fulfilment of an additional ₦1 billion pledge made earlier this year during the World TB Day outreach in Sauka Village, FCT
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“I am pleased to say again that this pledge has been translated into reality,” she said.
“Tuberculosis is curable, but far too many Nigerians are still dying from TB, not because there is no technology to detect the disease, but because access to diagnostic tools is limited.”
She explained that the new machines would be deployed across underserved areas in Nigeria to enable rapid, accurate TB detection, ultimately breaking the chain of transmission and saving lives.
The First Lady called for greater domestic resource mobilisation, stressing that ending TB required more than machines and medication but human, financial, technical, and political resources.
“As the global and national champion for TB, I assure you I will continue to advocate and lead the fight to end TB in Nigeria by 2030,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu also lauded the Federal Ministry of Health and Stop TB Partnership Nigeria for their stewardship and accountability, urging all stakeholders to “stand shoulder to shoulder” in the fight against the disease.
“Let us build a Nigeria where no life is lost to tuberculosis, where health is not a privilege but a right, and where our hope is both renewed and fulfilled,” she said.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, commended the First Lady for her leadership, adding that the federal government is working to integrate TB services into the primary health care system, improve diagnostic capacity, and incentivise health workers.
“Her Excellency has delivered decisively. She is not just our national TB champion, she’s also Africa’s regional champion and a global symbol of commitment to ending TB,” he said.
Mr Pate said in just three months of 2025, over 46 million visits were recorded across primary health care centres in Nigeria, underscoring rising public confidence in the system.
He said the Tinubu administration’s healthcare reforms, backed by state and local governments, the private sector, and global partners, are beginning to yield tangible results.
The Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Godwin Ntadom, added that with the new diagnostic innovation, test results could now be obtained in less than 30 minutes, as opposed to the previous delays for several days.
Mr Ntadom said globally, there are over 11 million new TB cases annually, with about 1.3 million deaths.
He said Nigeria accounts for the highest burden in Africa, detecting around 350,000 cases yearly.
“This marks a turning point. The end of TB in FCT starts today,” he said.
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Despite the availability of free TB treatment, he lamented that high morbidity and mortality persist due to delayed diagnosis and low awareness.
He described the new TB diagnostic facility as a timely intervention that would drastically cut diagnostic delays.
The Medical Field Epidemiologist Coordinator for the FCT at the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria, Kumshida Balami, said the machines reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering resolve to champion innovation, equity, and resilient health systems in the fight against tuberculosis.
Ms Balami assured that with strong political will, community participation, and sustained collaboration across all sectors, ending TB in Nigeria is not just a goal but an achievable reality within our lifetime.
She also called on all partners, government, civil society, communities, and the private sector, to intensify investments and actions so that no one is left behind in the journey to find, treat, and support every person affected by TB.
(NAN)
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