ABIA STATE EMERGES BEST IN SOUTH EAST AT NGF PRIMARY HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE, WINS USD 500,000 ZONAL PRIZE

Abia State has emerged as the best-performing state in the South East 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 clinched the zonal prize of USD 500,000, improving on its 2024 outing where it finished runner-up behind Anambra State and received USD 400,000.

According to the organisers, the NGF PHC Leadership Challenge is designed to periodically measure and benchmark states’ performance across key primary healthcare system indicators. These indicators are guided by a Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) jointly developed by PHC stakeholders and endorsed by all states through their Commissioners for Health and Executive Secretaries. The PMF focuses on the Seattle Commitments, including governance and leadership, financing, quality of care, evidence, and sustainability. Following the signing of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) Compact in 2023, the framework was reviewed to incorporate Presidential Indicators.

Abia State’s emergence as the South East zonal winner reflects the significant investments made in the health sector by the administration of Governor Alex Otti since assuming office. This commitment is further demonstrated by the consistent allocation of 15 per cent of the state’s annual budget to healthcare.

Recently, Abia also ranked as Nigeria’s most prepared state for health emergencies, topping the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index (HPI) with a score of 26.85.

Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, commended state governments for increasing healthcare funding and improving service delivery across the country. He noted that good health is a critical investment, adding that while a healthy person has many wishes, a sick person has only one, to be healthy.

He urged states to sustain and expand their investments in the health sector while ensuring affordability and access to quality care for citizens.

Responding on behalf of the award recipients, including the overall winner, Yobe State, Governor Otti said his administration does not view healthcare spending primarily as an investment with expected returns, but as a necessity for the survival and wellbeing of the people.

“For us, healthcare spending is a necessary condition for our people to stay alive. Once you begin to look at it strictly as an investment, the next thing is to expect returns. Our focus is to ensure that our people live,” Governor Otti stated.

He added that the state did not set out to compete but remained committed to doing the right things consistently. “If you keep doing the right things, someone will eventually notice. Now that we know there is a competition, we will raise the bar next year,” he said jocularly.

Governor Otti expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and development partners, including the Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the World Bank, UNDP, and UNICEF, as well as other international and local partners, noting that the success of the programme was made possible through their support.

“On behalf of Yobe State, the overall winner, and the other award-winning states, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Osun, Rivers, and Abia, we are grateful. We recognise that the reward for hard work is more work, and we assure you that we will continue to raise the bar,” Governor Otti concluded.

The event attracted a wide range of stakeholders in the health sector.