Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards 2025

Good evening distinguished guests, honorable colleagues, esteemed members of the healthcare community, ladies and gentlemen.

It is both a privilege and an honor to stand before you today as we gather to celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership in Nigeria’s healthcare sector. I am deeply humbled to be the recipient of the Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Leadership in Healthcare Development, especially under the auspices of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA), an event that has become a hallmark of integrity, transparency, and progress in our nation’s health sector.

This award is not just mine, it belongs to every citizen of Katsina State, every healthcare worker who serves tirelessly on the frontlines, every policy maker, donor partner, and innovator who has believed in our vision of accessible, equitable, and quality healthcare for all.

Our journey in transforming the healthcare landscape in Katsina State began with a simple but powerful conviction: Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. It is the foundation upon which education, economic growth, and national development are built. And so, we set out to build systems not just structures that would deliver real impact at the grassroots level.

Let me share with you some of the milestones that have defined this journey:

1. Revolutionary Procurement of Medical Equipment: Through strategic partnerships, we secured over $10 million worth of cutting-edge diagnostic and medical equipment, including MRI and CT scan machines, from the World Medical Relief Headquarters. This has significantly enhanced our capacity for early diagnosis and treatment across the state.

2. Primary Healthcare Transformation: We have upgraded at least seven (7) Primary Health Care Centers in each Local Government Area with modern infrastructure, solar power, boreholes, ambulances, and staff quarters ensuring that even the most remote communities can access basic healthcare services.

3. Investment in Human Capital: Through expanded residency and scholarship programs, we are nurturing the next generation of Katsina-born specialists in family medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics. We have also provided opportunities for medical students to pursue MBBS degrees abroad, ensuring that we build a sustainable healthcare workforce.

4. Transparent and ICT-Driven Insurance Model: The Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA), now twice honored as the “State Government Health Insurance Agency of the Year”, has led the way in digitizing health insurance, improving transparency, and expanding coverage to thousands of families who previously had no access to formal healthcare services.

5. Improved Access to Specialized Care: From establishing the first dialysis center in the state to strengthening immunization campaigns against preventable diseases, we are ensuring that no one is left behind in our march toward universal health coverage.

These achievements were not possible by government alone. They are the result of strong public-private collaboration, community engagement, and international partnerships, the very essence of the NHEA theme this year: "Collaborating for Impact: Strengthening Health Systems through the SWAP Approach."

I must also acknowledge the unwavering support of our Honorable Commissioner for Health, Hon. Musa Adamu Funtua, whose leadership, and strong commitment have been instrumental in driving these reforms forward.

As we celebrate tonight, let us remember that the work is far from over. The challenges in our health system be it funding, infrastructure, or manpower are still significant. But is our resolve to overcome them.

To my fellow nominees and awardees you inspire us all. To the organizers of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards, I commend your efforts in promoting accountability, transparency, and excellence in our sector. And to the people of Katsina State, this award is yours. It is a reflection of your resilience, patience, and belief in a better future.

In closing, I accept this award not as an endpoint, but as a reaffirmation of our collective responsibility to continue building a healthier Nigeria, one community at a time.

Thank you all for this great honor.

God bless you all.