…Coverage hits 21.1 million Nigerians as reforms deepen health access
The Federal Government has stepped up enforcement of mandatory health insurance to accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and protect Nigerians from catastrophic health spending, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced.
Speaking at a one-day Sensitization Workshop for Self-Paying Government Agencies in Abuja, the Director, Formal Sector Department, NHIA, Pharmacist Nuhu Ajodi, said the move is part of sweeping reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system in line with the NHIA Act 2022, which made health insurance compulsory for all citizens.
Quoting the NHIA Director-General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Ajodi revealed that before the law was enacted, coverage stagnated at around 7 percent for nearly two decades. “With the new legal framework and the Presidential circular mandating compulsory health insurance, coverage has now increased to over 21.1 million enrollees as of August 2025,” he stated.
Ajodi said the NHIA is collaborating with other agencies to enforce compliance, ensure Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) remit the mandatory five percent health insurance contribution, and rebuild public confidence in the system.
He explained that the reforms are built on four strategic pillars expanding coverage, promoting equity through subsidies for the vulnerable, improving healthcare quality via strategic purchasing, and enhancing efficiency through private sector participation.
The Director also highlighted new NHIA programmes such as the Obstetric Fistula Care Programme and Emergency Care Initiative, aimed at removing financial barriers for women and vulnerable groups in accessing life-saving services.
He added that interventions under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC), and Fistula Free Programme (FFP) are already providing hope for thousands of women nationwide.
Ajodi urged participants to leverage the workshop to strengthen awareness and improve service delivery. “This engagement is meant to deepen understanding and foster collaboration among stakeholders to enhance the experience of enrollees,” he said.
A participant, Ms. Juliana Ogboyi, Administrative Officer at the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), commended the reforms but called for improved accountability and responsiveness from healthcare providers.
“Sometimes staff spend the entire day at the hospital without being attended to, or are told to wait while their HMO is contacted. Even the drugs dispensed are not always the right or original ones,” she lamented, urging continuous sensitization for both employers and employees.
“When every staff understands their rights and MDAs fulfill their obligations, health insurance will truly serve its purpose,” she added.
