From Abdullahi Shugaba, in Katsina
The Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has been honoured with a Special Recognition Award at the Maiden National Summit of State Social Health Insurance Agencies (SSHIAs) held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
This was conveyed in a statement issued to the Citizenship Newspaper in Katsina.
The prestigious award recognises Governor Radda’s transformative contributions to medical education, primary healthcare development, and digital insurance transparency, which have significantly expanded access to quality and affordable healthcare for citizens across Katsina State.
The statement said that “Governor Radda emerged as the only governor from Northern Nigeria to receive the distinguished recognition at the two-day national summit”
The Katsina State Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Musa Adamu Funtua said Governor Radda expressed appreciation to the organisers and stakeholders for convening the historic gathering, while reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
The Governor stated that his administration has recorded significant progress in strengthening the healthcare sector through deliberate investments in primary healthcare revitalisation, expansion of health insurance coverage, and community-based healthcare interventions aimed at ensuring that quality healthcare remains a right and not a privilege.
He commended the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) for driving the state’s healthcare reforms, particularly under the leadership of its Executive Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Safana.
Governor Radda noted that the agency has successfully expanded health insurance enrollment across both formal and informal sectors, ensuring that vulnerable groups are not excluded from access to healthcare services.
He further congratulated Dr. Safana on his emergence as Chairman of the Forum of State Social Health Insurance Agencies, describing the development as a reflection of his competence, dedication and the confidence reposed in him by his colleagues nationwide.
“Katsina State is proud of this achievement and remains committed to supporting his leadership in advancing the health insurance agenda across the country,” the Governor said.
Governor Radda also applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the landmark decision to increase the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) allocation from one percent to two percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, stressing that the policy has significantly expanded resources available for primary healthcare and health insurance coverage nationwide.
He assured participants that Katsina State Government would continue to champion the implementation of BHCPF 2.0 through KSCHMA to ensure expanded enrollment, improved healthcare delivery and greater accountability at the grassroots level.
Radda observed that as of April 2026, State Social Health Insurance Agencies across the country had collectively enrolled over 14.1 million Nigerians into health insurance schemes, representing nearly two-thirds of national coverage under the National Health Insurance Authority framework.
“Katsina State is proud to be part of this achievement.
“”We will continue to strengthen accountability, mobilise domestic resources and scale enrollment to ensure that more citizens have access to affordable and quality healthcare,” he stated”h said.
Declaring the summit open, Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, called for increased funding of the health sector, stressing the need to complement financial investments with modern healthcare facilities and adequate human resources to meet the growing healthcare needs of Nigerians.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Forum of State Social Health Insurance Agencies and Executive Secretary of KSCHMA, Dr. Muhammad Safana, described the summit as a historic platform that brought together representatives of all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to advance the goal of Universal Health Coverage.
Dr. Safana revealed that more than 14 million Nigerians had been enrolled into various health insurance schemes by SSHIAs as of April 2026, noting that the achievement demonstrates the effectiveness of decentralised health insurance systems driven by state ownership, community engagement and accountability.
He stressed that the summit was designed to promote collaboration, innovation, learning and collective problem-solving among stakeholders while charting a stronger path toward achieving Universal Health Coverage across Nigeria.
The theme of the is “Economic Realities and the Universal Health Coverage Dream: Mobilising States for Scalable Health Insurance,” which attracted top stakeholders in the health sectors, health commissioners, chief executives and officials of social health insurance agencies from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
