The Federal Government has inaugurated the Southern Traditional Rulers Committee on Primary Health Care (PHC) as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes across the southern states. The committee is expected to serve as a coordinated mechanism for traditional rulers across the southern part of the country to collaborate with existing zonal and state structures in championing primary healthcare, maternal health, and immunisation programmes.
Minister highlights role of traditional rulers
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the involvement of traditional leaders in primary healthcare was critical to safeguarding community health. He noted that Nigeria’s diverse cultures, languages, and traditions should be harnessed to improve health outcomes across communities. Pate stated that the role of traditional rulers transcends cultural preservation, describing them as custodians of community values, gatekeepers of trust, and powerful agents of change whose voices often carry more influence than policy documents or public campaigns.
Committee responsibilities
According to the minister, the committee’s responsibilities would include advocacy for improved health-seeking behaviour, promotion of routine immunisation, addressing misinformation, supporting maternal, newborn, and child health interventions, mobilising communities for PHC programmes, and strengthening accountability at the grassroots level. Pate noted that the initiative builds on the partnership between government and traditional leaders established in 2009 during efforts to combat poliomyelitis, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“This affirms our belief that sustainable health outcomes cannot be achieved by government alone or by simply importing methods from other parts of the world into our country,” he said. “They require us to build tunnels of trust, rely on the influence and leadership of traditional institutions, and domesticate our approaches within the Nigerian context.” He urged the traditional rulers to use their influence to protect the lives of mothers and children by ensuring access to basic and quality healthcare services.
Traditional rulers pledge support
Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council and the Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi commended the Federal Government for the initiative and pledged the support of traditional rulers toward achieving the committee’s mandate. “Our diversity is our strength. With over 400 ethnic groups in the South, we must harness our differences for national development. We are fully committed to this partnership for a healthier Nigeria,” he said.
Structured platform for engagement
Head of Mission at the Centre for Wellbeing and Integrated Nutrition Solutions (C-WINS), Dr Mahmud Mustafa, said the committee was designed to provide a structured platform for sustained traditional leadership engagement in advancing PHC outcomes in southern Nigeria. He explained that the objective was to strengthen collaboration between traditional leaders, government institutions, health agencies, and development partners at both national and sub-national levels. “We believe the committee will lead PHC and immunisation advocacy. They will champion vaccine acceptance, promote culturally appropriate engagement, and establish monitoring and feedback systems,” he said.
Deputy Chairman of the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC), Abubakar Suleiman, also shared lessons from the committee’s experiences, including collaboration with the government to tackle polio and improve maternal and child health outcomes in northern Nigeria.
