By CHARLES IWUOHA

Abia State has emerged as the best performed State among the South East States in the 2025, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Primary Healthcare (PHC) leadership Challenge Awards Night, held on December 12th, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Center, Abuja, winning a cash prize of USD500, 000, beating its last year performance where it emerged as runner up to Anambra State and won a cash Prize of USD400,000.

According to the organizers of the event, “the challenge is designed to periodically measure and benchmark progress by States across a set of PHC system indicators underpinned by a Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF), jointly developed by PHC stakeholders and endorsed by all States through their Honourable Commissioners for Health and Executive Secretaries.

The PMF indicator domains address the key areas of the Seattle Commitments, governance and leadership, finance, quality of care, evidence, and sustainability. Following the signing of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) compact in 2023, the PMF was reviewed to include Presidential Indicators.

Beating other South East States to clinch the zonal award is a manifestation of the huge investments made by Governor Otti’s administration in the health sector of the State since its assumption of office, as evidenced by the consistent allocation of 15% of the State's annual budget to the health sector.

Abia State recently emerged as Nigeria's most prepared State for health emergencies, topping the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index (HPI) with a score of 26.85.

In his remarks at the event, Nigeria’s Vice President, Sen. President Kashim, represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, commended the State Governments for increased funding of the healthcare sectors in their States and for surpassing their healthcare delivery performances in the previous years. He explained that wherever you see good health, it is an investment, stating that good health is not cheap.

He urged the States to keep increasing their investments in the health sector and also ensure affordability. The Minister noted that a healthy person may have one thousand wishes, but a sick person has one wish, which is good health.

Responding on behalf of the other winners and runners up from other geopolitical zones and the overall winner, Yobe State, Governor Otti said, “For us, we spend on healthcare, we don’t look at it as an investment because once you begin to look at it as an investment, the next thing you would begin to look at would be returns.

So, we see the investment in healthcare as a necessary condition for people to survive in your State. Don’t look at it as money you are investing and tomorrow would yield returns. It is necessary for your people to be alive.”

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by Otti's Chief press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha and made available to journalists in Umuahia.

“I was chatting with my brother Lawal (Zamfara State Governor) because some of the things we do, we don’t even remember that there is a challenge. So, we were not competing. But then, if you know what you are doing and you keep doing it, I think somebody must notice.” Governor Otti stated

“And now that we know that there is a competition, I think we will raise the bar next year,” Gov. Otti jovially added.

He thanked everyone who found time to attend, the Nigeria Governors Forum, the partners – the Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, and all the international and Local Partners, saying that the programme would not have been possible without their support.

“On behalf of the Yobe State Government and people who came 1st overall, on behalf of the 5 other States – Zamfara, Nasarawa, Osun, Rivers, and Abia State, I want to say that we are very grateful. And, we know that the reward for hard work is more work. We assure you that we are going to raise the bar,” Gov. Otti conclude.