WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said Monday at Africa CDC ministerial briefing that DRC national risk was raised to very high due rapid transmission and absence vaccines therapeutics rare Bundibugyo strain.

Ghebreyesus said the risk was raised to “very high” last Friday, citing rapid transmission and the absence of vaccines or therapeutics for the rare Bundibugyo strain, according to WHO assessment and official statements this week.

WHO is finalising multi-agency Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan aligned with national plans for DRC and Uganda as teams expand contact tracing treatment centres laboratories community engagement ongoing outbreak response efforts

He reported that “So far, 101 cases have been confirmed in DRC with 10 confirmed deaths. In Uganda, five cases and one death have been confirmed, linked to cross-border movement,” he said.

According to him, WHO assesses regional risk as high and global risk as low but warned bordering countries face high risk and should act immediately according to latest WHO update report.

He said response complicated by insecurity in Ituri and North Kivu provinces where fighting displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months ongoing humanitarian crisis affecting outbreak control and surveillance efforts seriously.

The boss said that two security incidents at health facilities were reported in the past week and distrust of outside authorities was hampering community-based interventions according to WHO field reports update.

He said building trust in affected communities was now one of WHO’s highest priorities to improve outbreak response effectiveness and community engagement across affected regions in DRC and Uganda urgently required.

“To address lack of countermeasures, WHO convened interim Medical Countermeasures Network last week and recommended prioritising two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials,” he said according to WHO emergency response update report.

“The agency is also developing a trial for the antiviral obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contacts in partnership with Africa CDC and the Collaborative Open Research Consortium on filoviruses research.

“Discussions are underway with partners on candidate vaccines in the pipeline,” he said.

He said evaluation of vaccine candidates and strengthening regional preparedness against Ebola outbreaks in DRC and Uganda was currently ongoing

Ghebreyesus said he would travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo on 26 May with Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, to directly review ongoing response operations.

He also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for cancelling Uganda’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration, which attracted up to two million people, as a preventive measure against further spread of the outbreak.

“We are facing an extremely serious and difficult outbreak. It will get worse before it gets better.

“But we know this virus, and we know how to stop it. With unity under the leadership of the governments of DRC and Uganda, and in close partnership with Africa CDC and all partners, we will stop this outbreak.”

According to him, WHO credited the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda for leading the response and said it remained fully committed to supporting them.

He urged neighbouring countries to strengthen surveillance, infection prevention and control, and readiness at points of entry to contain further spread.

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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, gave the assurance in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja by Mr Ado Bako, Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations.

Pate said the government had activated precautionary measures following recent Ebola outbreaks in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to strengthen national health security.

He said surveillance systems had been reinforced across the country, while relevant agencies such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Port Health Services were closely monitoring developments.

According to him, the ministry is also collaborating with the World Health Organization and regional health authorities to ensure early detection and rapid response to any potential threat.

“While Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease, the Federal Government is taking all necessary proactive measures to strengthen national preparedness, surveillance and coordination mechanisms,” he said.

He added that ongoing measures included enhanced surveillance, improved monitoring activities nationwide and strengthened screening protocols at all points of entry into the country.

Pate also said health declaration procedures had been reinforced in collaboration with Port Health Services to reduce the risk of importation of the disease into Nigeria.

He said that coordination with state ministries of health and other stakeholders had been intensified to ensure effective response mechanisms across all levels of government.

According to him, laboratory preparedness and diagnostic capacity had also been strengthened to enable prompt detection and confirmation of suspected cases.

The minister said infection prevention and control measures were being reinforced in health facilities, while public awareness campaigns and community engagement activities had also been stepped up.

Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid panic, and refrain from spreading misinformation that could cause unnecessary fear among the public.

He advised citizens to observe preventive measures such as regular handwashing and avoiding contact with bodily fluids of persons showing symptoms of illness.

He also encouraged the public to promptly report any unusual illness to the nearest health facility for timely investigation and medical attention.

“Healthcare workers across the country have also been advised to maintain a high index of suspicion, adhere strictly to infection prevention and control protocols, promptly isolate suspected cases,” he said.

He added that they should report all suspected cases through established public health channels to ensure swift response and containment.

Pate reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting public health through coordinated preparedness, surveillance and rapid response systems nationwide.

Our correspondent reports that Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

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WHO added that the numbers are expected to rise, given the time the virus circulated ‌before the outbreak in Congo and Uganda was detected.

The Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus was a public health emergency of international concern but not a pandemic emergency.

Tedros said the WHO Emergency Committee meeting on Tuesday in Geneva, confirmed the latest Ebola outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain.

“The risk of the epidemic is high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level.’’

“Our absolute priority now is to identify all the existing chains of transmission that will then enable us to really define the scale of the outbreak and be able to provide care.’’

Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO emergencies chief, said the outbreak has alarmed experts because it has been able to spread for weeks undetected across a densely populated area ravaged by widespread armed violence.

A 2018-2020 outbreak of the Zaire strain of Ebola in the same region was the second deadliest on record, killing nearly 2,300 people.

According to WHO, the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals, has an average fatality rate of around 40 per cent.

Breaking down the figures in this outbreak, the WHO said 51 cases had been confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.

Uganda has also informed the WHO of two confirmed cases in the capital, ‌Kampala, including ⁠one death among two individuals who travelled from Congo to Uganda.

A U.S. citizen who was working in Congo has also been confirmed positive and has been transferred to Germany, the WHO said.

WHO experts said that they suspected the outbreak likely started a couple of months ago, with the first suspected death reported on April 20, investigations were ongoing.

On May 12, the provisional government along with the WHO sent an investigation team where they collected samples. Eight out of the 13 samples were confirmed as Ebola.

Tedros highlighted difficulty in detecting the rare strain through testing, due to the conflict-hit environment, this added to the complexity of limiting ⁠the early onset of the outbreak.

The early symptoms of the disease also resemble many other illnesses endemic in the region, such as malaria, he said.

Tedros ⁠said that it was too early to say whether funding cuts in Congo or the WHO had contributed to any delays in detecting or responding to the outbreak.

There is currently no vaccine available for the Bundibugyo strain.

WHO experts said that two possible vaccines are under consideration , but could take between three to nine months to be developed and need clinical trials.

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According to it, “Fear by itself is an outbreak” and “Ebola is highly manageable”

Prof. Mohamed Janabi, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, said this while reacting to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.

Janabi, a Cardiologist, urged the public to rely on accurate information.

He explained that the classification would help to bring Ebola to international attention, mobilise resources more quickly and ensure countries worked together in a coordinated way.

“Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.

“But it does not mean people should panic. It means the global system is working as it should be, detecting and responding very decisively,” he added, calling on the media to disseminate correct information

“Fear by itself is an outbreak,” he said.

According to him, Ebola is a very serious disease, but it is one that we know how to control.

“`At now, we have seen the outbreak in two countries: DRC and Uganda.

“Health authorities with the WHO support have already identified cases, tracing contacts. Putting together health response strategies in these two countries.

“WHO had classified it as emergency of international concern.

“This the highest alert WHO can issue, which helps to bring international attention, moblise resources more quickly and ensure countries work together in a coordinated way.”

Janabi said WHO had been working to stop the outbreak in two counties with relevant authorities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in contact tracing and treatment.

“We are engaging communities to create awareness; we are trying to strengthen cross border surveillance to prevent the spread.

“We are mobilising partners across Africa to make sure that these countries get the experience and expertise they needed. We are applying the experience we used in the past to curtail it this time around.”

The UN official, however, said that vaccine was not the only way to curtail Ebola, adding it was important to heighten surveillance, trace contact and treatment, noting that “all of these is what we call management of Ebola cases”.

As of Saturday May 16, health authorities had recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri province in eastern DRC.

On Sunday, unconfirmed reports indicated that an individual had tested positive for Ebola in the rebel-held city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province and home to one million people.

The confirmed case was believed to be the wife of a man who died after contracting Ebola in Bunia, capital of Ituri province.

Another individual who had travelled from Bunia to Beni in North Kivu also tested positive for Ebola.

Cases have also been confirmed in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, and across the border in Uganda, where two infected individuals travelled from DRC and were admitted to intensive care.

The Ugandan capital, Kampala, was also impacted, WHO said.

The agency is supporting the Government-led response with 42 health professionals on the ground and supplies already deployed.

The agency has warned that the outbreak was likely larger than currently detected, pointing to clusters of unexplained deaths, a high positivity rate among tested samples and limited understanding of transmission patterns.

At least four deaths among healthcare workers had raised concerns over infection prevention measures in health facilities.

In a statement, the UN agency noted that there was no approved therapy or vaccine to treat the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak.

“The ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the urban or semi-urban nature of the current hotspot and the large network of informal healthcare facilities further compound the risk of spread, as was witnessed during the large Ebola virus disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2018-19,” WHO said.

Meanwhile, experts have stressed that the chances of another global pandemic like the 2019 coronavirus emergency were increasing all the time.

“The world is not safer from pandemics”, experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), who underscored how the world’s vulnerability was exposed by an Ebola outbreak a decade ago and then by the “global catastrophe” of COVID 19, said.

“As infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging, with widening health, economic, political and social impacts, and less capacity to recover from them,” the experts said in a new report.

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On a wooden bench at the health centre, Mrs Funmi Ariyo, a 34-year-old cassava farmer and mother of two, clutched her eight-year-old son tightly.

His body burned with a fever that refused to break, in spite of two rounds of over-the-counter malaria medication from a nearby chemist.

“For the first five days, I thought it was malaria. In my village, every fever is malaria or typhoid.”

According to her, seeking care was not a simple choice.

She said that the nearest standard hospital was three hours away by motorcycle over broken roads, at a cost higher than her weekly earnings from selling garri.

“People kept telling me, ‘It is just stubborn malaria,’ but by the sixth day, he started vomiting blood.

“At that point, fear replaced doubt.”

When they finally arrived at the local clinic, she said that the community health worker’s expression changed instantly.

“There was no personal protective equipment, only a few worn latex gloves left from an old donor supply.

“There was no running water. Staff fetched water from a borehole 200 metres away just to wash their hands.

“The nurse suspected Lassa fever immediately, but there was no way to confirm it.”

It was January 2026, the peak of the dry season, when Mastomys rats—carriers of Lassa fever—fled the burning bushes and invaded human homes in the community.

She alleged that the clinic had no Polymerase Chain Reaction diagnostic machine. A blood sample was taken, placed in a makeshift cooler, and sent on a public bus to a distant laboratory.

“We waited 48 hours; by then, my son’s condition had worsened.

“The doctor gave me a list—fluids, syringes, Ribavirin—from a private pharmacy.

“The cost was N120, 000, an impossible sum for a family surviving on less than N30, 000 a month.

“I had to beg my cooperative; they sold my stored grain at a loss just to start treatment. My son survived.”

But survival came at a cost that would follow the family long after they left the clinic.

Back in the village, she said that stigma awaited them. Neighbours kept their distance, fearing what they called “the bleeding sickness.”

Yet nothing about her environment had changed.

“To feed my children, I still spread cassava by the roadside to dry. I know the rats are there, watching from the grass.

“But without money for those drying tents, what choice do I have?” she asked.

Public health experts say Nigeria’s outbreak response system has improved significantly on paper.

Surveillance is faster, coordination is stronger, and more treatment centres exist than in previous years; yet survival is not improving at the same pace as detection.

As of mid-May 2026, Nigeria recorded 190 deaths by late April, with a case fatality rate of 25.2 per cent, up from 18.5–19.1 per cent in 2025, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

In spite of expanded response efforts across Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, and Benue, the outbreak continues to worsen.

A community health worker, Mrs Mary Edet, said the gap lay not in detection but in the system meant to convert detection into survival.

“For most families, the first barrier is financial.

“With health insurance coverage still critically low, treatment is largely out-of-pocket—covering Ribavirin, supportive care, and hospitalisation.

“Primary healthcare centres remain underfunded, often without PPE, isolation units, or outbreak preparedness capacity,” Edet said.

She added that laboratory systems relied heavily on centralised funding, delaying mobile diagnostic deployment during outbreaks.

“In a disease where hours determine survival, delays become fatal,” she said.

Patients in rural communities often travel long distances to reach specialist centres in Edo, Ondo, or Bauchi, losing critical time in transit.

At the primary level, most Primary Health Care Centres lack rapid diagnostic tools, forcing reliance on distant laboratories.

Dr Solomon Chollom, a virologist and public health expert, said misdiagnosis remains a major driver of mortality.

“Early symptoms are often treated as malaria or typhoid. Patients self-medicate for days before seeking care.

“By the time they arrive at a facility, the disease is often advanced. Early treatment is everything, but most patients come in too late,” Chollom said.

Dr Olayinka Badmus, former Deputy Project Director of Risk Communication at Breakthrough ACTION, said stigma was also fueling the outbreak.

“Families sometimes hide sick relatives to avoid isolation or discrimination, increasing household transmission.”

Badmus added that survival practices such as drying cassava on open roadsides exposed food to contamination from infected rodents.

“These behaviours are not negligence, but survival strategies shaped by poverty,” she said.

Experts say Lassa fever thrives in poor sanitation, overcrowding, and rodent infestation.

Rodent control remains reactive rather than sustained.

The disease peaks during the dry season when rodents move indoors, while climate change is expanding rodent habitats and increasing human exposure.

Healthcare worker infections, with more than 38 cases by March 2026, also highlight weaknesses in infection prevention systems.

Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, said the agency’s 2025–2029 strategy focused on state-level accountability.

Idris said the plan included mandatory real-time data sharing across states, permanent activation of emergency operations centres, and dedicated state outbreak budgets.

“It also includes subsidised treatment in high-burden states, expansion of the community health workforce, and year-round environmental sanitation and rodent control,” he said.

However, he noted that implementation remained uneven across states.

In spite of reforms, critical gaps persist, including weak legal enforcement at the state level, delayed PCR diagnostics, underfunded local governments, poverty-driven behavioural constraints, and poor rural health infrastructure.

These gaps have kept the case fatality rate at 25.2 per cent.

A longer-term solution is emerging through the West African Lassa Fever End-to-End (E2E) Access Roadmap, led by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI).

The framework aims to accelerate access to a licensed vaccine through clinical trials, ECOWAS fast-track approval, and targeted rural deployment.

The strategy prioritises high-burden areas such as Edo, Ondo, and Bauchi, States using predictive modelling, unified regulatory pathways, and pooled financing to reduce out-of-pocket costs.

However, gaps remain, including weak cold-chain infrastructure, limited trial capacity, and inadequate financing for last-mile delivery.

Health remains on the concurrent legislative list, limiting federal enforcement power.

States can legally ignore NCDC directives, creating a structural enforcement gap.

Proposed reforms include expansion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and conditional federal funding tied to outbreak reporting compliance.

However, both passage and enforcement remain uncertain.

At the community level, innovation is emerging.

Experts say traditional roadside drying of cassava exposes food to rodents and contamination.

Safer alternatives include elevated solar mesh dryers, rodent-proof enclosures, and metal base guards designed to prevent rodent access.

However, costs ranging from N45,000 to N75,000 limit adoption without government or microcredit support.

Nigeria has improved its ability to detect Lassa fever outbreaks.

But detection without survival is not success.

Prof. Oyewale Tomori, a renowned virologist, said the country must close the gap between policy and reality.

“Until farmers, clinics, and local governments are fully supported, the virus will continue to exploit systemic weaknesses,” Tomori warned.

For families like Ariyo’s and countless others across rural Nigeria, those gaps are not theoretical; they are fatal.

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WHO cited the rising cases, cross-border spread and significant uncertainties about the scale of the epidemic.

The decision, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Sunday, follows reports of both confirmed and suspected infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

While the situation is serious, it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency under the WHO’s international Health Regulations.

As of May 16, health authorities had recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province in eastern DRC.

Cases have also been confirmed in the capital, Kinshasa, and across the border in Uganda, where two infected individuals travelled from DRC and were admitted to intensive care.

WHO warned that the outbreak was likely larger than currently detected, pointing to clusters of unexplained deaths, a high positivity rate among tested samples and limited understanding of transmission patterns.

At least four deaths among healthcare workers have also raised concerns over infection prevention measures in health facilities.

The agency stressed that the outbreak poses a risk to neighbouring countries due to high population mobility, trade links and ongoing humanitarian challenges in affected regions.

In spite of the risks, WHO does not recommend restrictions on international travel or trade.

It, however, urged countries to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and community engagement, while ensuring accurate public information.

Authorities in DRC and Uganda have been advised to activate emergency response mechanisms, enhance contact tracing and laboratory testing, improve infection prevention and scale up treatment capacity.

Community engagement, including working with local and religious leaders, is also considered critical to controlling the outbreak.

WHO highlighted that no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently exist for the Bundibugyo strain, underscoring the importance of accelerating research and clinical trials.

An Emergency Committee, it said, would be convened to provide further recommendations, as global health authorities step up efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent wider spread.

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The suspected cases and 65 deaths were recorded mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara, with four deaths among confirmed cases.

According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), hundreds of suspected cases have been reported in Ituri Province and Bunia.

Africa CDC said in a statement, that preliminary tests by the National Institute of Biomedical Research detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples, citing consultations with the DRC’s Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute.

Africa CDC has warned of a high risk of further spread due to urban settings, population movement, mining activities, insecurity, and proximity to Uganda and South Sudan.

The agency is convening an urgent meeting on Friday afternoon with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as key international partners, to strengthen cross-border coordination, surveillance and response efforts.

Africa CDC Director General, Jean Kaseya stressed that rapid regional coordination is essential due to the high mobility between affected areas and neighboring countries.

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The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made this known on Tuesday at the 2026 Lagos State Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja

The briefing was to commemorate the third years of the second term in office of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Abayomi, however, said the state was facing a major shortage of healthcare workers.

He said that Lagos State required additional 30,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses to meet its growing healthcare demands.

He said malaria prevalence in Lagos reduced through sustained reforms and improved healthcare interventions.

“Although malaria prevalence has reduced drastically, it remains a major public health concern because of the large population of Lagos State,” he said.

The commissioner said there had been reforms in diagnostic systems as well as policies discouraging indiscriminate use of antimalarial drugs.

According to him, the state government has promoted evidence-based treatment aimed at reducing excessive medication and improving accurate diagnosis and patient prognosis.

“These reforms are helping us to reduce unnecessary use of antimalarial medicines and curb what we describe as sledgehammer polypharmacy,” he said.

Abayomi said the state was also targeting reduction in antimicrobial resistance associated with medicines used for parasites, bacterial infections and tuberculosis.

The commissioner said that Lagos State Government had about 7,000 doctors at the moment.

He said that inadequate number of health workers could lead to burnout of the available ones.

Abayomi said that the ministry had begun expansion of the Lagos State University College of Medicine across Ikeja, Yaba and Gbagada to boost manpower development.

According to him, the expansion will increase the training capacity of the college.

“We are increasing lecture capacity from 300 seats to about 1,600 seats, while laboratories and academic office spaces are also being expanded significantly,” he said.

The commissioner said the state government had completed a 72-room complex for house officers at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

He added that staff quarters in Odan, Gbagada and Ojo were nearing completion as part of measures to improve welfare and working conditions for health workers.

“All future medical facilities in Lagos will include staff accommodation close to hospitals to improve convenience and productivity for healthcare personnel,” he said.

Abayomi also said that the Massey Children’s Hospital on Lagos Island was nearing completion, while some general hospitals were undergoing reconstruction or renovation.

He listed some of the hospitals to include the 280-bed Iba-Ojo General Hospital.

The commissioner said the 1,500-bed Mental Health Institute at Ketu-Ejinrin, Epe, had reached 65 per cent completion.

On primary healthcare delivery, Abayomi said 47 primary health centres were undergoing renovation across the state, while some others had been completed.

He said that the state government was committed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and ensuring disease control, manpower development and access to quality healthcare services.

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The dispute surfaced days after the national leadership publicly reaffirmed Dr Babajide Saheed as chairman of the Lagos branch.

Fresh controversy emerged after a faction within the Lagos chapter announced that Saheed had been removed from office over alleged constitutional violations.

In a statement, the faction said Saheed’s removal followed a properly constituted Emergency General Meeting held on April 18.

The meeting reportedly took place at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where members reviewed allegations and alleged infractions against him.

According to the statement, the NMA Congress, described as the association’s highest decision-making organ, deliberated extensively before voting on his removal.

“The process was constitutional, valid and in accordance with the association’s regulations,” the faction stated.

It added that Dr Ewonowo Temidire had assumed office as chairman, in line with established constitutional provisions.

The faction further declared that Saheed no longer possessed authority to act or correspond on behalf of the Lagos chapter.

It also warned institutions, partners and stakeholders against engaging with him in any official capacity as chairman.

However, the declaration appears to conflict with the national leadership’s earlier position on the matter.

During its National Executive Council meeting and Annual General Scientific Conference in Kano, the national body reaffirmed Saheed’s recognition.

The communiqué covered deliberations held between April 26 and May 3 and addressed the leadership status of Lagos.

It stated that the Lagos State Officers Committee under Saheed “remains recognised” by the national association.

The communiqué was signed by Dr Afekhinde Omoti and Dr Tamunokuro Diamond.

Relying on the communiqué, Saheed issued a statement on May 8 reaffirming his position as Lagos chairman.

“The recognition by the national body confirms the legitimacy of our leadership,” Saheed said.

The conflicting declarations have now exposed widening divisions within one of the association’s most influential state branches.

The development has also raised questions over constitutional authority, legitimacy and control of the association’s affairs in Lagos.

In spite of the leadership dispute, both camps insisted that doctors’ welfare remained a shared priority.

The faction announcing Saheed’s removal also condemned growing cases of harassment and assault against healthcare workers.

“Attacks on doctors and healthcare personnel will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the group warned.

It also expressed concern over delays in salary payments affecting some medical practitioners across the state.

According to the faction, engagements with relevant authorities were ongoing to resolve the welfare concerns.

In spite of the internal divisions, the Lagos leadership maintained that the association remained united in defending members’ interests.

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Prof Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, made this known at an event to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife 2026.

Pate, was represented by Dr Abisola Adegoke, the Director, Hospital Services of the ministry.

Other key actions, the minister said, include deploying 19,000+ skilled birth attendants, increasing midwifery training enrollment from 28,000 to over 110,000, and launching new policy documents to improve emergency care and reduce preventable deaths.

He said that the ministry had launched the Nigeria Strategic Direction for Midwifery 2025-2030 and a comprehensive national roadmap designed to strengthen education, expand workforce capacity, leadership and service delivery processes of midwives.

Pate said that through the strategy, the federal government is expanding training institutions and increasing student intake for midwifery programmes, as well as standardising and modernizing midwifery education to meet local best practices.

He said that the idea would also create additional employment opportunities and remove barriers to recruitment, and promote equitable deployment of midwives, especially to rural and underserved areas.

“The ministry has prioritised continuous professional development for midwives by investing in competency-based training and life-saving skills to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns.

“Furthermore, the ministry is targeting high-volume areas through the MAMII.
“One million more midwives, the theme for this year International day of the Midwife’s celebration is appropriate and timely because it serves as a reminder of the critical shortage of midwives globally.

“The shortage does not exempt our health institutions and the need to scale up the midwifery workforce. Midwifery is a critical strategy for improving maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes.

“Midwives play an indispensable role in safeguarding lives, providing care from pregnancy through childbirth and beyond.They remain at the front line of maternal and newborn healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved and rural communities.

“No health system can provide optimal maternal and child health services without having an adequate number of skilled midwives,” Pate stressed.

Also speaking, Dr Ndagi Alhassan, the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), said that for Nigeria to secure the future of its healthcare, its must forge a workforce that is more technically brilliant and globally competitive by investing in quality education.

According to him, investing in quality education will ensure that midwives are able to gain their confidence, critically valued and posses the leadership skills required to provide world-class life-saving care.

He said that there was need to create an enabling environment where midwives work with autonomy, dignity, and the right tools, as well as strengthens the practice that would required more than just supervision.

“This also means enacting policies that allow midwives to work with their full potential. When a midwife is well-supported and empowered, she does not just improve outcomes, she saves lives, reduces mortality, and builds healthier communities.

“We must ensure that no village or hard to reach community is left without a life-saving birth attendant or a midwife. To build this workforce, the nation must move beyond talk and focus on action by expanding training opportunities, ensuring fair remuneration, reproduction, and provide the safe working conditions our midwives deserve.

“Beyond that comes the need to also promote nurses and midwives into leadership roles, where they can shape the policies that govern their profession.

It is worth noting that a strong midwifery workforce is the bedrock of universal health coverage.

“By prioritising diagnosis and supporting this profession, we are securing a better future for every woman and child in Nigeria. The truth is spoken.

No matter how ever painful it may be, daily, Nigeria carries a burden that our hearts cannot overcome yet.

“On a global scale, Nigeria ranks among the highest maternal and infant mortality, second or third highest in the world for the absolute number of maternal and infant deaths, which has a much larger population,” Alhassan said.

He said that the recent data by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Bank, the weight of voting indicates that 1 in every 4 maternal deaths globally occurs in Nigeria, adding that, infant mortality rate remains high at roughly 17 per 1,000 life days, while the under 5 mortality rate is approximately 140 per 1,000 life days.

The registrar said that the country must work harder to change the narratives, change the destiny of the country locally and on a global scale.

Also speaking earlier, Mr Haruna Mamman, President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) decries the shortage of midwives in the country healthcare sector.

Mamman who was represented by Mr Jama Medan, Chairman of the association FCT Chapter stated that the country has about 30,000 shortage of midwives, and that was why some challenges are coming up in the country’s hospitals.

“Lack of adequate attention to midwife training is one of the challenges we face in the healthcare sector. Training are under funded, as well as lack of other resources,” he said.

Mamman called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to commit to improving welfare of midwives and quality education, adding that, when all these are done, it will reduce maternal death.

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