In a bold step toward eradicating tuberculosis in Nigeria, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated ten molecular diagnostic machines and pledged an additional ₦1 billion to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). The support, she said, is part of her Renewed Hope Initiative and aimed at closing the gap in TB detection and treatment access across the country.
Represented by Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the wife of the Kwara State Governor, Tinubu reiterated her unwavering commitment to ending tuberculosis, a preventable and curable disease that still claims too many Nigerian lives.
“Earlier this year, during the World TB Day community outreach in Sauka village, I made a commitment of an additional ₦1 billion through the Renewed Hope Initiative to further support the fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria. I am pleased to see again that this pledge has been translated into reality,” she said.
According to her, while technology to detect TB exists, many Nigerians lack access to such tools, resulting in needless fatalities.
“Tuberculosis is curable, but far too many Nigerians are still dying from TB, not because there is no technology to detect the disease, but because access to the appropriate diagnostic tools are limited,” she explained.
She added that the newly installed machines would be strategically deployed nationwide, with priority given to underserved areas, enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment initiation.
“By the grace of God, this is the gap that the Renewed Hope Initiative, with support of other stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is trying to bridge,” she stated.
The First Lady emphasized that ending TB requires more than machines and drugs.
“To end TB in Nigeria requires not only machines and medication. It demands resources including human, financial, technical and political,” she declared.
okay.ng reports that during the event, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health and Environmental Services Secretariat, hailed the First Lady’s health leadership, calling her “a champion for health in the whole country.”
Fasawe cited sobering statistics, noting that over 100 Nigerians contract tuberculosis daily, with at least seven lives lost to the disease every day.
She described the new machines as highly efficient and solar-powered, ideal for Nigeria’s underserved regions. “They don’t have to take your blood. It’s very easy. It’s safe. It’s effective. These machines have over 95% predictive positivity,” she explained.
Fasawe also emphasized that TB treatment is free, accessible, and life-saving.
“Once we catch tuberculosis and we start treating, within a couple of weeks, in fact, within a couple of days, the patient’s quality of life starts to improve,” she added.
She concluded by praising the Renewed Hope Initiative and expressing optimism that Nigeria is on the path to ending TB for good.
