Niger State Head of Service, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Idris, has emphasised the need for civil servants to enrol themselves and family members into the Niger State Contributory Health Agency (Nicare).

Abubakar Sadiq, who gave the advice while on an inspection tour of healthcare facilities accredited by Nicare to provide services to enrollees, noted the critical role of health in the daily life of any human being, adding that after food, the next priority is our well-being.

According to Sadiq, “Sometimes, you may not have money when you fall sick, so therefore it is important to save for a rainy day,” disclosing that he and his family had already enrolled in the scheme and encouraged others to do the same.

The H.O.S applauded Niger Nicare for her giant strides towards providing healthcare to the vulnerable in society, as well as achieving universal health coverage in the state, saying that continuous improvement is essential.

Earlier, the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Niger State Council, Comrade Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene, assured the union’s readiness to collaborate with Nicare in order to facilitate widespread enrollment among the state workforce.

Lafene maintained that the NLC’s participation in the facility tour was aimed at assessing the quality of service offered by the agency before advocating for mass enrollment.
“A healthy workforce makes governance easier,” Lafene said.

He added, “We have set conditions for civil servants to join the scheme, and one of those is this facility tour. We want to be sure the infrastructure is in place to support the programme.”

In his remarks, the Nicare Executive Secretary, Sulayman Abubakar, highlighted insights into the agency’s operations, stressing that regular quality assurance and monitoring are conducted to ensure service providers meet expected standards.
“Each quarter, we inspect at least 25 per cent of our service providers. For this quarter, we are visiting about 135 out of 320 facilities,” he disclosed.

Sulayman stated that the agency is in advanced discussions with the NLC to facilitate the enrollment of civil servants, pointing out that the Head of Service and his family were enrolled about a month ago.

The E.S. Nicare said that the inspection was not merely promotional but aimed at transparency and stakeholder engagement.

E.S.’s words: “We are not just saying ‘join our scheme.’ We are saying ‘come and see what we offer as a safety net,’ so we can build a lasting legacy,” he boasted.

The team visited Bosso Low-Cost Primary Healthcare Centre and the newly upgraded Tunga Primary Healthcare facility, both of which are part of Nicare’s service network.

In a related development, the Ministry of Transport, in partnership with the Niger State Contributory Health Agency (Nicare), is set to enrol over one thousand staff of the Niger State Traffic Management Agency (NITMA) into the Niger State Health Insurance Scheme under the Formal Sector Programme.

The Commissioner of Transport, Hajiya Hadiza Idris Kuta, announced this while sensitising the staff of the state Traffic Management Agency on the benefits and objectives of the scheme in Minna.

Idris Kuta described the collaboration as timely, hence the need to ensure that the staff of the agency are captured in the scheme due to the high risks of their schedule.

The Commissioner maintained that the health and safety of staff remains a top priority, and assured that the staff of the traffic agency, as well as their families, will be fully enrolled to enable them to have access to quality healthcare services at all times.

Responding, the Executive Secretary, Nicare, Sulayman Abubakar, lauded the Commissioner for the partnership, describing it as a step towards achieving universal health coverage in Niger State, which also aligns with the improving livelihood agenda of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.

Sulayman Abubakar explained that the partnership between the Niger State Ministry of Transport and Nicare will bring positive changes to the health status of the staff in the ministry and agencies under it.

He noted that Governor Bago has prioritised the health and well-being of all citizens of the state through sustainable healthcare financing.