Yobe State has achieved a significant national milestone by winning the coveted 2025 National Champion Award for the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge in Nigeria, securing a substantial $1.2 million grant in recognition of its exemplary performance.
This accolade arrives just one week after the state received the Leadership Excellence Award in Equitable Healthcare and Social Welfare from the Dove Healthcare Foundation, cementing its burgeoning reputation as a leader in healthcare innovation and delivery within the country.
The Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge is a high-profile, competitive program spearheaded by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). The initiative is designed to foster innovation, recognize leadership, and reward tangible commitment to revitalizing and improving essential healthcare services at the grassroots level across Nigeria’s 36 states.
Yobe State’s victory represents a remarkable progression. Having been crowned the Northeast Zonal Champion in the previous year, the state has now ascended to the top of the national rankings, achieving the dual distinction of Zonal and National Champion for 2025. This back-to-back success underscores a consistent and impactful trajectory of healthcare reform.
State officials and analysts widely attribute this national recognition to the transformative political will and strategic reforms implemented under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN. According to Mamman Mohammed, Director General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, the award is a direct testament to Governor Buni’s “unwavering commitment to ensuring the functionality of primary health care centres across the state.”
The accompanying $1.2 million grant is expected to be reinvested into the state’s primary healthcare system, providing further impetus for scaling successful interventions, procuring vital equipment, and enhancing training for healthcare workers, thereby solidifying the gains that earned Yobe this distinguished honor.
