Yobe State has again emerged as Nigeria’s best-performing state in primary healthcare delivery, clinching the 2025 National Champion title at the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge and going home with a prize of $1.2 million.
The latest recognition comes barely one week after the Yobe State Government received the Leadership Excellence Award in Equitable Healthcare and Social Welfare from the Dove Healthcare Foundation, further reinforcing the state’s rising profile in healthcare delivery.
The Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge award celebrates excellence, innovation and outstanding contributions within Nigeria’s healthcare sector. It also recognises the personal commitment of Governor Mai Mala Buni to ensuring the availability and functionality of Primary Healthcare Centres across the state.
Introduced three years ago, the challenge previously saw Yobe emerge as the North-East Zonal Champion in 2024. In the 2025 edition, the state not only retained its North-East Zonal Champion status but also emerged as the overall National Champion.
The competition is jointly managed by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, UNICEF and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Observers say the award underscores the priority attention the Buni administration places on strengthening primary healthcare delivery, particularly in improving access, equity and quality of services across urban and rural communities in the state.
The Director General, Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, said the recognition reflects sustained investments and reforms in the state’s primary healthcare system, adding that the government remains committed to building a resilient and people-centred healthcare sector.
