As the country marks National Blood Donor Day, the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) has appealed to all Nigerians to voluntarily donate blood to save a life.

The agency stated that Nigeria is presently facing a challenging situation, stressing that the country needs up to two million units of blood every year, but still collects less than a quarter of that through voluntary, unpaid donors, while the majority of donations come from family replacement and commercial donors, which are less reliable and pose greater safety risks.

The Federal Government has designated December 8 every year as the National Blood Donor Day, considering the unique blood supply challenge and in recognition of the lifesaving service voluntary blood donors render.

The Director General of the NBSA, Prof. Saleh Yuguda, who made the appealed in an interview with The Guardian, said that Nigeria’s burden of maternal haemorrhage, road traffic accidents, childhood anaemia, sickle cell crises and cancer treatments is one of the highest in the world.

adding that the Federal Government decided that Nigeria must have a home-grown platform to raise awareness, deepen community engagement, and domesticate the culture of voluntary donation.

Yuguda explained that while World Blood Donor Day provides global visibility, Nigeria needed a day dedicated specifically to its own realities, considering that the country is facing a unique blood-supply challenge. 

He said: “The country requires between 1.8 and two million units of blood annually, yet we collect far less than that through voluntary donors.