The Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that political leadership is the linchpin in the health sector.

Gbajabiamila made this declaration as the Guest Speaker at the 63^rd Founder’s Day Celebrations of College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Idi Araba, Lagos, and the 18^th Horatio Oritsejolomi Thomas Memorial Lecture Series themed “Transforming Healthcare: The Role of Political Leadership”.

Gbajabiamila stated that “Governors and state legislators must demonstrate political will and commitment to health. They must champion reforms, allocate adequate resources, and ensure transparency in implementation. Visionary leadership can galvanise stakeholders, inspire innovation, and drive systemic change. It can also foster a culture of accountability, where performance is measured and rewarded”

Gbajabiamila further itemised the teething challenges facing the health sector in Nigeria as follows:

• Inadequate Funding: “Many states allocate less than the recommended 15 percent of their budgets to health, as stipulated by the Abuja Declaration. The underinvestment leads to poor infrastructure, a lack of essential drugs, and demotivated staff. In some cases, hospitals operate without electricity or running water, compromising the safety and effectiveness of care.
• Policy Discontinuity: “Frequent changes in political leadership often result in abandoned projects and inconsistent implementation of health programmes. This lack of continuity undermines progress and erodes public trust.
• Corruption and Mismanagement: These “also pose significant barriers. Funds earmarked for health are sometimes diverted or poorly utilised, leading to substandard services. Weak accountability mechanisms make it difficult to track expenditures and evaluate outcomes. Furthermore, many states lack robust health information systems, which are essential for planning, monitoring, and decision-making. Without reliable data, it is challenging to assess needs, allocate resources effectively, or measure the impact of interventions.

Gbajabiamila stated that despite these challenges, it is possible to tackle and overcome most of the challenges facing the health sector today in Nigeria.

According to him, despite these challenges, the potential for state governments to transform healthcare access in Nigeria remains immense. He argued that by prioritising health in their development agendas, states can make strategic investments that yield long-term benefits.

“For instance”, he said, “upgrading primary health centres to meet Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) can significantly improve maternal and child health outcomes”, adding that “similarly, expanding health insurance coverage can protect families from catastrophic health expenditures and encourage early treatment-seeking behaviour”.

According to him, collaboration is key to unlocking this potential. H said that state governments must work closely with the Federal Government, local councils, civil society organisations and the private sector. Such partnerships can enhance resource mobilisation, foster innovation, and ensure that services are responsive to community needs.

Community engagement, he said, is another critical strategy. According to him, by involving communities in health planning and monitoring, state governments can ensure that services are culturally appropriate and aligned with local priorities.

He also said that technology offers promising avenues for improving healthcare services. In this regard, he said that state governments can leverage digital tools to enhance service delivery, streamline operations, and expand reach, pointing out that Telemedicine, for instance, can connect patients in remote areas with specialists in urban centres.

He noted that despite significant sums allocated to healthcare by successive federal and state governments, the nation’s health indicators remain very troubling.

“We have one of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world – over 512 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births and approximately 54 deaths per 1,000 live births, he lamented, pointing out that “less than 10% of Nigerians are covered by health insurance, and our doctor-to-patient ratio remains far below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation”. He noted that that all of these explain our life expectancy of just 55 years.

He stated that these statistics are not just numbers; they represent lives lost, families broken, and futures dimmed, insisting that political leadership must confront this reality with urgency and resolve, beginning by admitting that much of what has been done over the years has not delivered the outcomes we desire and that our people deserve.