Former Chairman of Senate Committee on Health, who was also the principal sponsor of the NHIA Act 2022, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe has been formally inaugurated as Chairman of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Governing Council.
The inauguration ceremony held at the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja on Friday, July 11, 2025, marked the reconstitution of the NHIA Governing Council for the first time since 2017, and the first time it would be brought into being under the provisions of the transformative NHIA Act 2022.
Dr Oloriegbe’s appointment is widely seen as a full-circle moment for Nigeria’s healthcare reform movement, bringing back the principal architect of the reform to now lead its implementation.
‘Having fought for mandatory health insurance as a legislator, I now have the privilege to lead its implementation. It is an honor and a challenge that I embrace with full commitment’ a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com quoted Dr Oloriegbe as saying.
In his inaugural speech, he expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment, the governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his support, and the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, for his cooperation and leadership. He also thanked well-wishers across Nigeria and abroad for their messages of goodwill.
Dr Oloriegbe, who brings over 40 years of experience as a medical doctor, health systems expert, legislator, and reform advocate to his new role, outlined a bold transformation agenda for the NHIA.
His priorities, he noted, include rapid implementation of mandatory health insurance to significantly expand coverage; recovery and prudent management of financial resources; urgent reform of NHIA’s human capital base; strengthening regulatory effectiveness; and deepening stakeholder collaboration across public, private, and civil society sectors.
He noted that ensuring the effective disbursement of the Vulnerable Group Fund in line with the NHIA Act would be a key focus of the Council, as would ensuring equity and inclusiveness in healthcare access, particularly for underserved populations.
The Council, he emphasized, would also focus on rebuilding public trust in the NHIA by enhancing transparency, accountability, and service delivery.
The inauguration ceremony drew dignitaries and stakeholders from across the health sector and governance institutions. In attendance were the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar (Kwara North) and immediate past representative of Kogi Central in the senate, Sen. Yakubu Oseni.
The former senator graced the event in solidarity with the new NHIA Chairman who was his colleague in the 9th Senate.
Also present were top government officials including the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom Vongden, civil society leaders, employer groups, trade unions, and development partners.
The newly inaugurated NHIA Governing Council comprises a diverse blend of sectoral experts and institutional representatives with Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe as Chairman; Dr. Kelechi Ohiri (Secretary and NHIA Director-General); Dr. Kamil Shoretire (Representative of the Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics), Federal Ministry of Health); Brigadier General (Dr.) Idris Babatunde Solebo (Representative of the Armed Forces); Comrade Kabiru Ado Sani (Representative of the Nigeria Labour Congress); Vivianne Ihekweazu of Nigeria Health Watch (Representative of Civil Society Organisations); Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde (Representative of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association – NECA); as well as representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Giving his speech, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described the inauguration ceremony as a critical milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward Universal Health Coverage commending Dr Oloriegbe’s return to the health insurance space as fitting and transformational.
He also noted that for more than three decades now, Dr Oloriegbe has been a ‘co-architect of Nigeria’s health sector reform’ with experience dating back to his leadership of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria and more recently, his pivotal role in the passage of the NHIA Act as a member of the senate.
Prof. Pate described the appointment as a ‘round peg in a round hole’ emphasizing that the former senator’s deep understanding of policy, legislation, and system delivery uniquely positions him to drive forward the mandate of the NHIA.
‘We are very honoured that two senators accompanied the Chairman of the Governing Council today. It’s not something we see every day, and it shows the respect and recognition Senator Oloriegbe commands within both the legislative and health policy communities’ the Minister said.
He highlighted the recent progress made by the NHIA including an increase in health insurance enrollment by over four million Nigerians, expansion of the Vulnerable Group Fund, and the scaling of emergency and maternal health interventions such as fistula repair and access to emergency obstetric care.
Prof. Pate urged the Council to sustain this momentum and drive reforms that would expand financial protection and access to healthcare across the country.
Referencing a forthcoming national summit on sustainable health financing, the Minister disclosed that President Tinubu had recently approved plans for NHIA to lead preparations, further underscoring the agency’s central role in Nigeria’s health reform efforts.
He urged the Council to find innovative solutions within Nigeria’s limited fiscal space to expand access.
‘Health is not cheap. Quality healthcare comes at a cost, and countries that succeed in delivering care to their people do so because someone pays. Our challenge is to grow our domestic resources and make them work for millions of Nigerians who currently cannot afford care’ he said.
Members of the new Governing Council have been urged to uphold the law, ensure effective governance, and collaborate closely with the Federal Ministry of Health in order to ease the delivery of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the health sector-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
