• As AHBN decries shortages of family planning commodities
The Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHeJ) has called for an upward review of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) tax to align with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and reflect the rising costs of treating sugar-related diseases.
In a communiqué signed by ANHeJ President, Joseph Kadiri and Secretary, Frank Ajufo, following its conference themed, “Domestic Resource Mobilisation in the Face of Dwindling Foreign Grants and Aids”, the association insisted that revenue from the tax be strictly earmarked for health-related initiatives.
ANHeJ also urged the executive and legislative branches of government to expedite plans to increase the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) allocation to the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from 1 per cent to 2 per cent, to scale up domestic health financing amid shrinking donor support.
The association expressed concern over Nigeria’s heavy reliance on external funding and stressed the urgent need to prioritise domestic health financing to avert deeper crises. “Domestic funding is no longer optional; it is urgent. Delaying health financing decisions today will cost Nigeria more lives tomorrow,” the group warned. It called on all levels of government to ensure increased funding for routine immunisation, prioritise zero-dose children, and safeguard national health security.
ANHeJ highlighted that while cancer funding has risen from 3 per cent in 2023 to 5.2 per cent in 2025, the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan (2023–2027) estimates a need of N97 billion (about $1 billion) yearly to combat cancer over the five years effectively. The group also stressed the importance of financing family planning, noting a $27 million funding gap in 2025, with only $4 million allocated.
On vaccines, ANHeJ commended the government for releasing N86 billion, part of the N150 billion promised for immunisation in 2025, but noted that this falls short of the N231 billion initially budgeted. The group urged journalists and civil society organisations to intensify oversight of BHCPF implementation and monitor the operations of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to ensure transparency and value for money.
MEANWHILE, the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) has warned that Nigeria risks sliding into a national public health emergency following persistent shortages of family planning commodities across the country.
The group said systemic failures in Nigeria’s contraceptive supply chain from procurement to last-mile delivery are depriving millions of women and girls of access to essential reproductive health services, with grave consequences for public health and national development.
Speaking at the event organised by the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHeJ) in Abuja, AHBN Coordinator, Dr Aminu Magashi, lamented that the shortages have contributed to rising cases of unsafe abortions, unintended pregnancies and increasing pressure on already overstretched health facilities.
Magashi, who was represented by Ms Amina Mohammed, said Nigeria’s family planning commodity distribution system remains overly complex, donor-dependent and severely constrained.
According to him, although Nigeria relies heavily on the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) pooled procurement mechanism to secure contraceptives, serious gaps emerge once the commodities arrive in the country. He explained that inadequate funding and weak logistics often prevent commodities from moving from national warehouses to states, local governments and, ultimately, primary healthcare centres where they are most needed.
“Nigeria risks an overwhelmed health system, more unsafe abortions, rising unintended pregnancies and deeper child poverty if urgent action is not taken,” Magashi said. “These stock-outs will push more girls and women into the hands of quacks. We will see more maternal deaths and more abandoned children.”
He described the crisis as both simple and deadly, noting that pills, injectables, implants and condoms, purchased with donor and government funds, are frequently stranded in warehouses or stuck in transit, never reaching rural clinics. “From Lagos ports to the last-mile primary health centre, the supply chain is broken. Logistics funding has dried up, trucks don’t move, state warehouses sit half-empty, and local government stores are often the weakest link,” he added.
Magashi urged the Federal Government to urgently strengthen financing, logistics coordination and oversight of the family planning supply chain. He stressed that access to family planning commodities is not only a health priority but a national development imperative.
He warned that without swift and coordinated reforms, Nigeria could face far-reaching consequences, including higher maternal mortality, increased child poverty and lost opportunities to harness the country’s demographic dividend. Ensuring that commodities reach women and girls who need them, he said, is critical because “their lives, dreams and futures depend on it.”
