The Federal Government has named Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Delta, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory as the leading states in carrying out the resolutions adopted at the 2024 Council on Health meeting.
We gathered that the disclosure came from Dr Kamil Shoretire, Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, who presented the national implementation review during the 66th Council on Health meeting held in Cross River on Wednesday.
This year’s gathering, themed “My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage Through Equity, Resilience and Innovation,” brought together a wide range of sector players to evaluate progress and identify persistent gaps in the country’s health system.
Shoretire noted that Abia, Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu and Osun were among the states moving at a slower pace in executing the resolutions agreed upon during the 2024 session, compared to others demonstrating stronger capacity.
He explained that Sokoto ranked highest, followed closely by Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Delta, the Federal Capital Territory and Plateau, while states such as Kebbi, Abia, Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu and Osun occupied the lower end of the table.
Recalling the previous meeting in Maiduguri, he highlighted that 58 memos were approved to strengthen Nigeria’s health system, with a focus on boosting the workforce, improving nutrition, enhancing primary healthcare and advancing maternal and child health.
Shoretire cautioned that several states were still struggling to convert these resolutions into concrete programmes, stressing that the lingering implementation gap continued to slow national progress and jeopardise key health targets.
He attributed the delays to challenges that often arise after states conclude their budgets, in addition to weak dissemination, limited advocacy and funding shortages. He stressed that better coordination and sufficient financing were critical to driving full implementation.
He urged states to deepen collaboration with universities, research institutions and policy experts to enhance execution, while calling on commissioners for health to intensify advocacy to ensure resolutions receive adequate attention and funding.
Shoretire estimated that only about one-third of the resolutions had been implemented so far, putting the national implementation rate at 31 per cent, while clarifying that the goals were never intended to be fully achieved within a single year.
