Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government has inaugurated the Southern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care, charging royal fathers to become powerful agents of change in Nigeria’s drive for universal health coverage.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said sustainable progress will only come when Nigeria adapts global solutions to its local realities.
“At the end of the day, the only way that things will work is if we domesticate our approaches within the context of who we are as a people. Your Voices Carry More Weight”, he said.
The Minister praised the traditional institution for its role beyond culture, describing the royal fathers as custodians of community values, the gatekeepers of trust, and very powerful agents of change.
“In many communities, your voices carry more weight than any policy document or public document.This is why the involvement in primary health care is indispensable.”
Pate said the new committee is creating coordinating mechanism for all traditional leaders across the southern part of the country to collaborate with the existing zonal structures and the state structures.
” Their mandate is to actively champion primary health care, maternal health, immunization, and ensure advocacy for improved health.”
The Minister further charged the Traditional rulers that the inauguration is a call to action.
“We call on you to use your influence to protect the lives of our mothers and children so that our mothers don’t die needlessly, because they don’t have access to basic quality healthcare services.
“ We don’t want our children to die because they do not have the vaccines against measles, or don’t get paralyzed because there’s a virus out there that might affect them when there is a vaccine that works.”
“This is a clarion call for all of us to make primary health care a lived reality in every community where you reside.”
The Representative of Nigeria Government Forum, Halima Muhammad disclosed that Traditional leaders play a critical role in promoting trust and shaping behavior.
“They mobilize communities and their influence is critical in ensuring that key interventions in maternal and child immunisation, and nutrition outcomes for every household at the grass root level is fully improved.”
The Governor’s forum said the body is fully committed to improving initiatives at the primary health centres at the state and local government levels.
“Primary health care center is the strong foundation of our health systems in the country, and they should not be neglected “.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Muyi Aina said the health body is collaborating with Traditional leaders on the polio eradication program.
” Given the targets that have been set globally, by the end of 2027, Nigeria should be completely free of the circulating variant polio virus.
” The inauguration is a significant step for the agency to build trust between the government and communities. “
The representative of the Association of Local Governments Employers of Nigeria, Dr Ben Nwachika gave assurance that local government authorities are prepared to work with the traditional institution leaders to deliver results.
“Local government authorities are ready to collaborate to transform the health sector by partnering with relevant bodies.”
