President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday commissioned a series of new and upgraded healthcare facilities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, in what the Federal Government described as the largest single-day commissioning of federal health investments in the nation’s history.
The nationwide rollout formed part of activities marking the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration and underscored the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
At the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja, the President inaugurated the newly completed Bola Tinubu Specialist Complex, a modern two-storey facility designed to provide integrated specialist and VIP healthcare services. The complex features eight consulting rooms, twin theatre suites, specialised Ophthalmology and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) departments, a fully equipped laboratory, pharmacy, nine VIP wards, four general wards and dedicated private clinic facilities.
The President also launched the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) Emergency Response Fleet at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja. The deployment represents the largest single-day rollout of emergency medical transport assets ever undertaken in Nigeria.
The fleet includes 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances and 79 newly acquired emergency ambulances designated for federal tertiary hospitals nationwide. To support digital coordination and rapid response capabilities, the initiative also includes 45 laptops, 20 printers and 320 mobile phones.
According to government officials, the fleet will operate under the SAVEMAMA programme, focusing on emergency obstetric and newborn care services in underserved communities, particularly riverine, rural and hard-to-reach areas across the country.
Later in Lagos, President Tinubu flagged off a new fleet of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered ambulances for all 73 federal tertiary healthcare facilities. The ambulances, delivered under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and coordinated by NEMSAS, are expected to reduce operating costs, lower carbon emissions and strengthen referral systems between secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions.
The nationwide commissioning exercise extended to several states and regions. In the North-West, the President commissioned upgraded Polio Emergency Operations Centres (PEOCs) in Kano, Katsina and Sokoto States. Originally established in 2013 with support from the Gates Foundation and managed by eHealth Africa, the facilities have undergone extensive expansion, renovation and re-equipping to improve immunisation coordination, disease surveillance and outbreak response capabilities.
In Kano State, Tinubu also commissioned the newly constructed Gadon Kaya Primary Health Centre in Gwale Local Government Area. The facility was developed under the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project, a World Bank-supported programme that has revitalised thousands of primary healthcare facilities nationwide.
A similar IMPACT-funded project, the Aboh Primary Health Centre in Delta State’s Ndokwa East Local Government Area, was also commissioned as part of the nationwide healthcare expansion programme.
Further investments were unveiled in tertiary healthcare institutions across the country. At the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, the President commissioned a new two-storey laboratory complex containing 16 specialised laboratories, seminar rooms, a library, call rooms and administrative offices.
At the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, a new administrative complex was commissioned through a hybrid virtual ceremony, while at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika, Zaria, Kaduna State, the President inaugurated a state-of-the-art Pharmacy Quality Control Laboratory.
The laboratory will provide regulatory-grade quality assurance services for medicines entering the hospital system and includes dedicated Microbiology, Chemistry and Instrumentation units operating in line with British Pharmacopoeia and United States Pharmacopoeia standards.
In the North-East, the administration commissioned a newly constructed 50-bed Mental Health and Drug Rehabilitation Centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The specialist facility is designed to provide care for patients suffering from mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders in a region heavily impacted by years of insurgency and conflict-related trauma.
The South-West also benefited from the healthcare expansion programme with the commissioning of the Lagos Immunisation Supply Chain Hub located at the Federal Medical Stores in Oshodi. Built under the World Bank-supported IMPACT Project, the facility is the first completed centre under Nigeria’s new Three-Hub Immunisation Supply Chain Model and is expected to serve both the South-West and South-South regions.
Speaking during the virtual commissioning ceremony, President Tinubu described the projects as part of the most ambitious healthcare infrastructure renewal programme undertaken in decades.
“We are determined to give Nigerians the kind of care that, for too long, only those who could travel abroad enjoyed,” the President said.
Highlighting the importance of an integrated emergency healthcare system, Tinubu added: “From the rivers of the Delta to the streets of Lagos, from rural Sokoto to tertiary Maiduguri, our emergency response system must work as one. Today, we put another major piece of that system in place.”
The President commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the management of NEMSAS, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, development partners including the World Bank, the Gates Foundation and eHealth Africa, as well as state governments and federal teaching hospitals involved in delivering the projects.
Data released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare showed that nearly 3,000 primary healthcare centres have been revitalised under the IMPACT programme over the past two years. The ministry also reported that 27 Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care sites have been established nationwide, while 1,602 Level One and 1,360 Level Two health facilities have undergone revitalisation across all six geopolitical zones.
The sweeping investments represent one of the most extensive healthcare infrastructure expansion efforts in recent Nigerian history, as the administration seeks to improve access to quality medical services, strengthen emergency response systems and reduce dependence on medical tourism.
