In a rare moment of national recognition for the Niger Delta, Delta State has emerged among Nigeria’s top performers in translating federal health policies into action. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Wednesday singled out Delta as one of only seven entities leading the country in implementing key resolutions from the 2024 National Council on Health (NCH).
Presenting the official implementation scorecard at the ongoing 66th National Council on Health in Calabar, Cross River State, Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Kamil Shoretire, ranked the states as follows:
- Sokoto
- Jigawa
- Zamfara
- Taraba
- Delta
- Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
- Plateau
“Topping the response and the resolution implementation is Sokoto State, followed by Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Delta State, FCT, and Plateau,” Shoretire declared to Commissioners of Health and other stakeholders.
The report assesses progress on 58 memos approved at the 65th NCH held in Maiduguri last year. Those resolutions focused on four critical areas: strengthening the health workforce, improving nutrition programmes, upgrading primary healthcare delivery, and advancing maternal, newborn, and child health services.
Nationwide implementation stands at a modest 31 per cent, with Shoretire noting that many states still struggle to move from policy to practice. Lagging states identified include Abia, Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu, and Osun.
Why Delta Stands Out in the Niger Delta
While other oil-rich Niger Delta states were not mentioned in either the top or bottom performers, Delta’s fifth-place ranking highlights the Okowa–Oborevwori administration’s deliberate investments in healthcare despite environmental and funding challenges peculiar to the region.
Health observers in Asaba attribute the success to:
- Sustained funding of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission (DSCHC), which has enrolled over 1.8 million residents (including informal sector workers in riverine communities).
- Renovation and equipping of over 120 primary healthcare centres across the state’s difficult-to-reach creeks and upland areas.
- Aggressive recruitment and training of community health workers, midwives, and nutrition officers in line with last year’s NCH directives.
- Strong collaboration with development partners on maternal and child health programmes, reducing maternal mortality ratios faster than the national average.
A senior official at the Delta State Ministry of Health, speaking anonymously, said: “Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has made health a priority sector. We didn’t just sign the resolutions in Maiduguri — we came back and budgeted for them. That is why we are ahead of many bigger states.”
National Picture and Lingering Challenges
The 66th NCH, themed “My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage Through Equity, Resilience, and Innovation,” is examining why two-thirds of last year’s resolutions remain unimplemented in most states.
Shoretire identified the main bottlenecks as:
- Resolutions often emerging after state budgets have been passed, leaving no immediate funding.
- Inadequate dissemination and advocacy after Council meetings.
- Limited technical capacity at state and local government levels.
- Chronic underfunding of the health sector in annual appropriations.
He urged Commissioners to partner with universities, research institutions, and policy think-tanks to turn memos into bankable projects, while calling on governors to prioritise health releases.
Implications for the Niger Delta
Health experts say Delta’s performance should serve as a blueprint for neighbouring Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, and Cross River states, where primary healthcare infrastructure still suffers from decades of oil pollution, flooding, and difficult terrain.
“With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) now mandating three per cent of oil company operating expenditure for host communities, there is no excuse for Niger Delta states to lag behind in implementing national health commitments,” said Dr. Ebikapade Amasuomo, a public health physician in Yenagoa.
As the Calabar meeting continues until Friday, stakeholders hope the new memos will include stronger accountability mechanisms — perhaps tying future Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) releases to demonstrated implementation of previous resolutions.
For now, residents of Delta State can take pride in knowing their state is not just producing Nigeria’s oil, but also leading in delivering on promises to protect the health of its people.
