The federal government has urged the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to strengthen professional accountability and take a leading role in the fight against quackery in the health sector.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the NMA’s First Ordinary National Executive Council meeting of the new National Executive Committee for 2026.

The meeting, themed “Transforming Healthcare Practice in Nigeria: Building Trust, Accountability and Collaborative Excellence”, brought together medical practitioners, senior members of the profession, government officials and policymakers.

Health sector reforms

Mr Salako said the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, signed in December 2023, had recorded 84 per cent implementation, according to the 2025 Joint Annual Review.

He said the health sector’s share of the national budget had risen to 5.2 per cent, while funding under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) increased from N131.5 billion in 2024 to N299 billion in 2026.

He said the increased investment had translated into improvements in primary healthcare delivery.

“More than 8,000 primary health care centres now receive direct facility financing, close to 4,000 PHCs have been upgraded, and monthly patient visits to Fund-supported facilities have risen from about 10 million in early 2024 to 45 million by mid-2025,” Mr Salako said.

He also highlighted gains under the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, saying the 172 local government areas with the highest burden recorded a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent reduction in newborn deaths.

According to him, more than 48,000 women received free emergency obstetric care, while over 4,000 free caesarean sections were performed in National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) empanelled facilities.

He added that more than 4,700 women received free vesico-vaginal fistula repairs across 207 facilities.

On health insurance, Mr Salako said coverage had increased from about 16 million Nigerians in 2023 to more than 22 million.

Health workforce

Mr Salako said 37,000 health workers had been recruited into federal hospitals since 2024, while medical school quotas had been doubled to 10,000.

He added that N110 billion had been committed to upgrading 18 training institutions.

He also said a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration and a Diaspora Health Portal had been adopted.

Call for accountability

Mr Salako said the government was delivering on funding and policy, but patients ultimately judged the health system by their experiences with healthcare professionals.

He therefore urged the NMA to strengthen clinical governance, ensure accurate reporting of deaths and conclude disciplinary cases.

He also condemned absenteeism, the diversion of patients to private facilities and informal payments by healthcare workers.

“The government will never sacrifice public health on the altar of professional solidarity,” he said.

On quackery, Mr Salako described the practice as “homicide by instalment”.

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He also cited the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) removal of falsified drugs worth N1 trillion from Aba, Onitsha and Lagos.

Organ harvesting investigation

Mr Salako also announced an investigation into a viral report alleging the existence of an organ-harvesting syndicate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through its National Tertiary Health Institutions Standard Committee, had developed national standards and guidelines for organ and tissue transplantation.

According to him, the guidelines require informed consent and prohibit the commercialisation of organ and tissue transplantation.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed concerns about his age ahead of the 2027 presidential election, challenging critics to say whether he looks like someone approaching 80.

Atiku spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa published on Friday while responding to concerns that his age could affect his ability to provide effective leadership if elected.

The former vice president was asked whether his age could affect his ability to provide effective and healthy leadership for four years if elected president.

The interviewer noted that Atiku would be “almost or nearly 80 years old” by the time Nigerians vote in 2027 and asked what he would say to those who consider his age too advanced for the presidency.

Responding, Atiku referenced President Bola Tinubu’s age before challenging the premise of the question.

“You went and voted for someone who is 80, I mean 90 years old. How old is President Bola, 90?” he asked.

When the interviewer corrected him, saying Tinubu was not yet 80, Atiku replied: “Do I look to you like someone who has reached 80 years of age?”

The exchange comes as Atiku intensifies preparations for the 2027 presidential election and seeks to rally opposition politicians behind a coalition aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku also rejected claims that he had become an obstacle to the opposition coalition, saying he was instrumental in bringing the group together.

“That is a baseless accusation levelled against me. I was actually the one who initiated the coalition. Nobody else… I, Atiku Abubakar, started it,” he said.

According to him, most of the politicians who started the coalition remained together despite disagreements among some major opposition figures.

He identified NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as the two major opposition figures who had left the group.

“It was just Kwankwaso… he was with us at first, then he left,” Atiku said.

Asked about Obi, he added: “Yes, and also Peter Obi. It’s just them, but the rest of us are still here continuing our work.”

Atiku, however, said there was still a possibility of opposition politicians working together before the 2027 election.

“Nothing is impossible, by God’s grace.

“One day you’ll see… we have agreed to work together to save this country and its poor citizens, Insha Allah,” he said.

The former vice president also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the removal of the petrol subsidy, questioning how the savings from the policy had been spent.

“I did not oppose the removal of the oil subsidy, but where is the money? Where did it go?” Atiku asked.

He said the funds were supposed to be used to reduce poverty, improve education, tackle insecurity and create opportunities for young Nigerians.

“Where is the money now? It seems they are just stealing it,” he alleged.

Atiku also promised to restore the petrol subsidy if elected president and demanded that anyone who had stolen the funds refund them.

“If elected, I will bring back the oil subsidy, and whoever stole the money must refund it,” he said.

He further argued that the subsidy could have been removed without causing the level of hardship currently experienced by Nigerians if the savings had been properly utilised.