By Eunice Orike
The National Coordinator of the Tinubu Health Sector Practitioners Alliance (TIHSEPA), Dr Ogechi Lokpobiri, has highlighted the expansion of nursing and midwifery training quotas from 28,000 in May 2023 to 115,000 for the 2025 academic year as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare workforce under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Lokpobiri also cited the retraining of more than 69,000 frontline health workers and the Federal Government’s approval of recruitment waivers for 20,000 additional health personnel as measures aimed at improving healthcare delivery across the country.
She called for sustained investment in professional training, better working conditions and modern medical facilities to ensure that the growing number of health workers can meet the healthcare needs of Nigerians.
Lokpobiri, who is the wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, for their roles in reforms aimed at strengthening medical education and healthcare services.
She said collaboration between the two ministries was necessary to produce skilled professionals, equip medical institutions and improve access to quality healthcare.
The TIHSEPA coordinator also welcomed the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030, which provides a framework for improving professional education, leadership, regulation and workforce development.
However, she stressed that expanding training opportunities must go hand in hand with improved welfare, adequate staffing, modern equipment and better working conditions to retain skilled professionals in the country.
On medical education, Lokpobiri highlighted investments under the Federal Ministry of Education’s Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, which reportedly includes N110 billion for 18 medical schools, the rehabilitation of 12 engineering and technology faculties and the development of 20 institutions specialising in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical sciences.
She urged the government to ensure that beneficiary institutions have functional laboratories, modern equipment, qualified personnel and adequate clinical training facilities.
Lokpobiri also cited healthcare infrastructure projects announced by the Presidency in May 2026, including a laboratory complex at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, a mental health and drug rehabilitation centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and an immunisation supply chain hub at the Federal Medical Stores in Oshodi, Lagos State.
Other interventions include primary healthcare facilities in Kano and Delta states and emergency medical transport intended to improve access to urgent care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The emergency response initiative comprises 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances and 79 ambulances for federal tertiary hospitals, alongside plans to deploy compressed natural gas-powered ambulances across all 73 federal tertiary health facilities.
On healthcare financing, Lokpobiri cited government reports indicating that health insurance enrolment exceeded 22 million Nigerians by July 2026, representing an increase of approximately 35 per cent since 2023.
She said expanding insurance coverage could reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses and protect households from financial hardship, while calling for stronger coordination among the federal, state and local governments.
She also advocated increased investment in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing to boost local production of medicines, diagnostic products and medical equipment, reduce import dependence and strengthen the healthcare supply chain.
On maternal and newborn health, Lokpobiri cited a 2025 review by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which reportedly recorded a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent decline in newborn deaths across 172 high-burden local government areas targeted by specific interventions.
She called for sustained investment in antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric services to extend the reported gains to more communities.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that the health of Nigerians is fundamental to the country’s productivity, prosperity and future. Investments in healthcare infrastructure, professional training, maternal health and insurance coverage provide a foundation for building a stronger health system,” she said.
As the 2027 presidential election approaches, Lokpobiri urged health-sector professionals and Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election, saying a second term would provide an opportunity to consolidate ongoing reforms and sustain investment in healthcare delivery nationwide
