Abia State Clinches South East Zonal Prize in NGF Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge, Wins $500,000

Abia State has been recognized as the top-performing state among South East States 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 Center in Abuja, the state walked away with the zonal cash prize of USD 500,000, improving on last year’s runner-up position when it earned USD 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. 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 recognized 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 Sen. Kashim, represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, lauded state governments for increasing healthcare funding and improving service delivery. He emphasized 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. “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.