First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has declared that Nigeria’s fight against tuberculosis (TB) must be sustained through local capacity and resilient systems, not foreign assistance alone.
Speaking in Manila, Philippines, at the 39th Stop TB Partnership Board Meeting, Tinubu emphasised that country ownership is key to ending TB by 2030. She addressed over 180 delegates from 47 countries as the special guest of honour.
“Through steadfast leadership, community engagement, and strategic national coordination, we have ensured that the number of people diagnosed and treated for TB in 2025 did not decline,” she said, according to a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi.
Tinubu, who serves as both Global and National Stop TB Champion, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming 1.3 million lives annually. In Nigeria, 479,000 people developed TB in 2023, with over 150,000 deaths.
She praised the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Stop TB Partnership, and other stakeholders for expanding access to testing and treatment, despite donor fluctuations.
Other speakers at the summit echoed her call for sustainable systems. The Philippines Secretary of Health, Teodoro Herbosa, described TB as a development challenge requiring innovation, including AI and digital tools. Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership, urged countries to integrate TB services into primary healthcare and empower survivors.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also attended the meeting. The previous edition of the board meeting was hosted in Abuja in 2024.
