In a challenging Nigerian healthcare sector, particularly Primary Healthcare, few states have demonstrated a comprehensive, strategic, and results-driven approach to it. Among them is Kaduna State, which has over a few years achieved a transformative overhaul under the gallantry stewardship of His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani CON.
As the Independent Awards—now in its silver jubilee edition— recognized excellence in governance, Kaduna State emerged as a standout nominee for the prestigious Health Award, having fundamentally transformed medicare infrastructure, accessibility and positive outcomes for its citizens in the last three years.
The credentials are compelling.
From upgrading 255 Primary Healthcare Centers to establishing state-of-the-art tertiary facilities, from implementing universal medicine availability to recruiting thousands of healthcare workers, Kaduna State has executed a healthcare transformation that transcends a typical and rhetoric of governance to deliver measurable, tangible improvements in the lives of its citizens. This is precisely the calibre of achievement the Independent Awards recognized and celebrated. The driving force behind it is the Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Agency, Professor Bello Jamo.
Infrastructure: From Rhetoric to Reality
When Dr. Uba Sani assumed office, Kaduna State’s healthcare infrastructure reflected decades of underinvestment and neglect. The administration’s response was decisive and comprehensive. The 255 Primary Healthcare Centres upgraded to Level-2 facilities represent more than mere statistical achievement—they signify the restoration of hope and health security to rural and underserved communities across the state’s 23 local government areas.
The establishment of 23 PHC Centres of Excellence, strategically positioned one in each LGA, represents strategic thinking that moves beyond one-off projects. These centres function as data hubs, monitoring staff performance, disease conditions, and medicine consumption while establishing two-way referral networks. This systemic approach ensures sustainability and accountability—hallmarks of genuine governance reform.
The 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital stands as a monument to this commitment. By providing advanced oncological, transplant, and surgical services, the facility directly addresses a critical gap in Nigeria’s healthcare landscape: the hemorrhage of medical tourism that depletes national resources while leaving ordinary citizens without access to specialized care. The hospital’s completion and commissioning demonstrates not just ambition but execution.
Beyond tertiary and primary facilities, the administration invested in the unglamorous but essential infrastructure of healthcare systems. The upgraded KADHSMA warehouse, now pharma-grade with 1,600 square meters of storage capacity, and the completed quality control laboratory represent the backbone of reliable medicine supply. The solar-powered electricity installed at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital exemplifies the pragmatic problem-solving required in Nigeria’s context—ensuring continuity of care amid energy challenges.
Service Delivery: Reaching the Unreached
Infrastructure without service delivery is mere architecture. Kaduna State’s achievements in this arena demonstrate the integration of physical and human resources into functional, responsive healthcare systems. The establishment of 120 neonatal corners across the state directly contributes to reducing preventable neonatal mortality—a metric that resonates powerfully in global health discourse.
The deployment of the Kaduna State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (KADSEMSAS) addresses a critical gap in Nigeria’s emergency response infrastructure. In a nation where minutes can determine survival or death, this initiative saves lives daily. The free healthcare outreaches, including the May 2025 Igabi intervention that benefited 3,350 residents, demonstrate a commitment to equity and access that extends beyond formal healthcare structures.
The impact is quantifiable. According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2023-2024, births assisted by skilled providers in Kaduna increased from 26.5% to 35.6%, while institutional deliveries rose from 17.6% to 25.9%. Childhood immunization coverage increased from 23.8% to 35.7%. These aren’t marginal improvements—they represent thousands of lives protected from preventable mortality.
Workforce: Building Capacity for Sustainability
Healthcare infrastructure without adequately trained, motivated workforce collapses into dysfunction. Dr. Sani’s administration demonstrated understanding of this fundamental principle through aggressive workforce development. The recruitment of 1,800 health workers for the Primary Healthcare Board and 4,000 Community Health Influencers represents a deliberate strategy to embed healthcare delivery at the community level.
Critically, the administration’s decision to implement the 100% CONMESS 2014 salary scale for doctors and health workers—ending a decade-long stagnation at 70%—addresses a festering wound in Nigeria’s healthcare sector. Healthcare worker morale and retention directly translate to service quality. This commitment signals that Kaduna State values its healthcare professionals and recognizes that their welfare is inseparable from patient welfare.
The payment of 100% Medical Residency Training Fund to 85 resident doctors and the commencement of post-basic nursing programs represent investments in long-term capacity building. The 30% reduction in tuition fees for health training institutions, from ₦100,000 to ₦70,000, democratizes access to medical education—ensuring that healthcare workforce development isn’t limited to the privileged.
Healthcare Financing: Ensuring Equitable Access
The most sophisticated healthcare system serves no purpose if citizens can not afford services. Kaduna State’s approach to healthcare financing reflects progressive governance principles. The enrollment of 15,000 vulnerable persons into the KADCHMA Vulnerable Population Programme and 83,367 under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund represents deliberate protection of those most vulnerable to health shocks.
The enrollment of 70,000 additional vulnerable persons for one-year free healthcare coverage, combined with the establishment of three zonal offices for the health insurance scheme and a functional two-way call centre, demonstrates institutional maturity. Healthcare financing isn’t treated as a bureaucratic necessity but as a strategic lever for equity.
Governance: Institutionalizing Excellence
Perhaps most impressively, the administration finalized and launched four critical policies: the Public Health Law, One Health Strategic Plan, Human Resource for Health Policy, and Integrated Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent, Elderly Health, and Nutrition Strategy. These instruments institutionalize achievements, ensuring they transcend individual leadership tenures.
A Moment of Recognition
As the Independent Awards—now in its 25th year—prepares to honour excellence in governance, Kaduna State’s healthcare transformation demands recognition. On April 18, 2026, at the Eko Hotel & Suites grand ceremony, chaired by the Soun of Ogbomoso and graced by the Olubadan of Ibadan, this achievement deserves celebration before the nation and the world. With 28,000 votes already cast for other categories and coverage by three television stations plus international journalists, the event presents the perfect platform to validate and celebrate genuine governance excellence.
Kaduna State’s healthcare journey under Dr. Uba Sani, who entrusted Prof. Jamo, with this onerous task, isn’t merely worthy of an award—it represents the gold standard towards which all Nigerian states should aspire and emulate.
Sa'idu Idris Dibis is the Special Assistant on Sport Matters to HE Governor Uba Sani