Abia emerges top performing state in primary healthcare in South-East

Abia State has been recognised as the top-performing state in primary healthcare in the South East zone, at the 2025 Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Primary Healthcare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards Night, held on December 12, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The state walked away with the zonal cash prize of  $500,000, improving on last year’s runner-up position when it earned $400,000.

The NGF Leadership Challenge is designed to evaluate and benchmark state-level progress across a range of primary healthcare indicators, guided by a Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF).

The framework, developed collaboratively with PHC stakeholders and endorsed by state health commissioners, covers areas such as governance, leadership, finance, quality of care, evidence, and sustainability.

Read also: Yobe emerges best in Nigeria in Primary Healthcare improvement, wins $1.2 million

It was updated in 2023 to include Presidential Indicators following the signing of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) compact.

Abia State’s victory reflects the significant investments made under Governor Alex Otti’s administration, which consistently allocates 15% of the state’s annual budget to health.

The state has also been recognised as the most prepared in Nigeria for health emergencies, topping the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index with a score of 26.85.

In his remarks, Vice President Kashim Shetima, represented by Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating Minister of Health, lauded state governments for increasing healthcare funding and improving service delivery.

He emphasised that good health is a fundamental investment, noting that a healthy person may have a thousand wishes, while a sick person has only one: to regain health.

Governor Otti, speaking on behalf of the winners and runners-up, highlighted his administration’s philosophy on healthcare spending.

Read also: ‘Primary Healthcare Centres should not be run by youth corps medical doctors’

“We spend on healthcare not for returns but because it is essential for the survival of our people,” he said. “When you do the right things consistently, recognition follows naturally. Now that we know there is a competition, we will raise the bar next year.”

The Governor expressed gratitude to the NGF, development partners, including the Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, World Bank, UNDP, and UNICEF, as well as other stakeholders whose support made the program possible.

He also congratulated the overall winner, Yobe State, alongside other zonal winners, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Osun, Rivers, and Abia.

The awards ceremony was attended by numerous health sector stakeholders, celebrating the progress and innovations achieved in Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.

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