Abia State has been officially recognized as the top-performing state in primary healthcare within the South East geopolitical zone, securing the coveted zonal cash prize of $500,000 at the 2025 Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Primary Healthcare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards Night. The prestigious event, held on December 12 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, marked a significant improvement for the state, which had earned the runner-up position and $400,000 in the previous year’s challenge.
The NGF Leadership Challenge employs a comprehensive Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF)—developed collaboratively with PHC stakeholders and endorsed by state health commissioners—to rigorously evaluate and benchmark state-level progress. The framework measures performance across critical areas, including governance, leadership, finance, quality of care, sustainability, and data utilization. The framework was updated in 2023 to integrate key Presidential Indicators following the signing of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative compact.
Abia State’s victory is viewed as a direct consequence of the significant and sustained investment under Governor Alex Otti’s administration, which consistently allocates fifteen percent of the state’s annual budget to the health sector, a commitment that meets the Abuja Declaration benchmark. Furthermore, the state recently received separate national recognition as the most prepared in Nigeria for health emergencies, topping the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index with a score of 26.85.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, lauded state governments for increasing healthcare funding and demonstrably improving service delivery, emphasizing the fundamental truth that good health is an essential investment for national progress.
Governor Otti, who spoke on behalf of all the zonal winners and runners-up, highlighted the guiding philosophy of his administration’s healthcare spending. “We spend on healthcare not for returns but because it is essential for the survival of our people,” he stated. The Governor acknowledged that consistent and correct actions naturally lead to recognition and pledged to intensify efforts, adding, “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.” Governor Otti also expressed profound gratitude to the NGF and all development partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the World Bank, UNDP, and UNICEF, for their unwavering support. He extended congratulations to the overall national winner, Yobe State, as well as fellow zonal champions: Zamfara, Nasarawa, Osun, and Rivers states. The awards night served as a major gathering for health sector stakeholders, celebrating the visible progress and innovation across Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
