Members of the Patient Advocacy Working Group call for urgent release of NCD budget in Abuja.
The Patient Advocacy Working Group (AWG) for NCDs Financing in Nigeria, a coalition of hypertension patients, civil society organisations, health professionals, and community groups, has called on the Federal Government to urgently support its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) commitments with tangible, life-saving investments.
The coalition specifically demanded the immediate release of the 2025 budget for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), warning that delays are putting millions of Nigerians at risk from chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and respiratory diseases.
At a news briefing in Abuja on Thursday, to mark 2025 Universal Health Coverage Day, the coalition warned that Nigeria’s slow response to the growing burden of NCDs is threatening national productivity, worsening poverty and undermining the country’s UHC goals.
NCDs, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of death and disability nationwide.
According to the group:
- 1 in 3 adults has at least one NCD
- Fewer than 20% receive proper diagnosis or treatment
- Nigeria is far from meeting its 2019–2025 multisectoral plan, which targets 80% coverage and a 25% reduction in NCD-related deaths
“Despite these goals, only 6% of the national health budget goes to NCDs, an allocation the group described as grossly inadequate.”
According to the group, nearly all NCD interventions planned for 2025 remain unimplemented, including:
- New cancer care centres
- Eye clinics
- Hypertension and diabetes screenings
- Community medical outreaches
- Training for frontline health workers
“This inaction undermines the very essence of UHC, which Nigeria celebrates today,” the AWG said, citing rising medicine costs, poor health literacy, limited screening access and economic hardship as major drivers of the NCD crisis.
Patients Say Burden Has Become Unbearable
Speaking for the patient community, Mrs. Ijeoma Joseph-Agbara, representing the Regional Community Care Foundation, said government must convert promises into life-saving action.
She stressed that “NCDs pose one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s human capital. Patients have carried this burden for too long.”
Cancer survivor Maimurna Barau echoed the same concern, emphasisng that lack of early detection and limited primary care is pushing families deeper into hardship.
Budget Allocations Mean Nothing Without Release
General Secretary of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, Dr Ndaeyo Iwot, criticised the stalled release of the 2025 NCD budget.
“Allocations mean nothing without timely release.
The Federal Government must immediately release all NCD budget lines in the 2025 budget.”
Iwot also called for ring-fencing the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax, arguing that at least 40% of the revenue should be dedicated to:
- NCD prevention
- Essential medicines
- Diagnostics
- Service delivery
He commended ongoing efforts to review the tax upward, noting that increased SSB taxation aligns with global best practice.
70% Out-of-Pocket Spending Is Forcing Patients to Abandon Care. With health spending still heavily out-of-pocket, many Nigerians delay or abandon treatment for life-threatening conditions.
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The AWG stressed that both the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) must rapidly expand their benefit packages to include:
- NCD screening
- Diagnostics
- Long-term treatment
The group also highlighted gaps in early diagnosis:
- Half of adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed
- Only 1 in 5 people with hypertension has their condition under control
Strengthen Primary Health Care or UHC Will Remain Out of Reach
Founder of the Maimurna Hope Foundation for Cancer and Ostomy Care, Maimurna Barau, emphasised the central role of Primary Health Care (PHC). “Up to 90% of essential UHC services, including NCD care, can be delivered at the PHC level if properly equipped and staffed.”
She said strengthening PHC systems is the most cost-effective pathway for delivering early detection, continuous treatment and long-term management.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Victor Eyinla, Media and Communication Specialist at the Leesdale Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development, explained that the patient community has united to demand that the government listen to their voices.
He emphasised that meaningful progress on NCDs cannot be achieved without active patient involvement.
Coalition’s Key Demands to Government
The AWG reaffirmed its readiness to work with government at all levels but called for decisive leadership from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly.
The coalition is demanding:
- Immediate release of all 2025 NCD budget lines
- A dedicated hypertension budget line
- Ring-fenced NCD funding, including SSB tax revenue
- Integration of NCD services into NHIA and BHCPF benefit packages
- Investment in PHCs to support 90% of essential UHC services
- Increased funding for NCD programmes in line with Nigeria’s UHC commitments
“Patients have been on the sidelines for too long,” the group stated.
“The era of silence is over.”
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