Federal Government is to convene the first National Traditional and Religious Leaders’ Summit on Health as part of efforts to strengthen community engagement and accelerate healthcare reforms across the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja ahead of the summit.
Professor Pate said the summit marks a major milestone under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, aimed at improving governance, strengthening service delivery, and building trust between government and communities.
“This is the first time we are bringing traditional and religious leaders together in a holistic manner on health,” he said. “They play critical roles in immunisation, maternal and child health, HIV, TB and other areas, but they can also do more by helping us mobilise communities and bring citizens’ perspectives to the table.”
According to him, the engagement aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive on citizen participation, noting that health outcomes cannot be achieved by government action alone.
“Many health decisions happen at the household level. A hospital may offer antenatal care, but it is families who decide whether pregnant women attend. That is why trusted community voices are essential,” Pate explained.
He noted that traditional and religious leaders often serve as first responders during disease outbreaks and can help improve early detection, service uptake, and accountability at the community level.
The minister said the summit which is scheduled to hold in Abuja would also provide a platform to launch the second cohort of the National Health Fellows Programme, comprising young Nigerians selected from every local government area to support health delivery nationwide.
Pate revealed that discussions would also feature the recently signed Nigeria–United States Memorandum of Understanding on HIV, TB and malaria, which provides nearly $2 billion over five years, alongside Nigeria’s own domestic health financing commitments.
“The health of Nigerians is the responsibility of Nigerians. External partners will not be here forever, and we must prepare our systems and financing so that when they exit, we are ready,” he said.
The minister noted that 10 percent of the US funding would support faith-based health facilities, stressing that the initiative is strictly for service delivery across all communities, regardless of religion.
He also attributed the recent nationwide achievements in vaccination campaigns, including HPV immunisation against cervical cancer, to community mobilisation led by traditional and religious authorities.
“We have carried out the largest vaccination campaign in Africa, reaching over 60 million children. But beyond vaccines and logistics, it is community trust that makes such efforts succeed,” he said.
Professor Pate said the summit would strengthen community-level accountability, improve healthcare utilisation, and harness Nigeria’s social capital to advance national health goals.
The Co-chair of the Health Development Partners Group, Fatima Zanna, described the summit as a vital step toward community-driven healthcare interventions.
Fatima said, “Traditional and religious leaders provide critical feedback from communities, and that evidence helps inform better decision-making. We are excited to support this important engagement,”
RN
