In recognition of its outstanding leadership and performance in primary healthcare delivery across the country, the Yobe State government has emerged the overall best-performing state in the 2025 National Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge, attracting $1.2 million cash award.
The announcement was made on Friday by Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, at the national award ceremony held in Abuja.
The Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge is a flagship initiative coordinated by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF, and supported by global partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
The programme incentivises states to strengthen governance, financing, quality of care, sustainability, and health outcomes in their PHC systems under the Seattle Declaration commitments made by all 36 governors in 2019.
In a statement, Pate lauded Yobe’s robust performance across key indicators of accountability, strategic financing, workforce strengthening, and community-level service delivery that outpaced peers from all zones.
The award signifies national recognition of sustained political will and a commitment to reform, which translates into improved health services for citizens at the grassroots level.
The award ceremony saw Yobe’s leadership team receive the coveted national prize on behalf of Governor Mai Mala Buni, who was represented by Deputy Governor Idi Barde Gubana.
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The PHC Leadership Challenge Awards distribute a total fund of US $6.1 million across 13 categories, including zonal best performers and overall national champion, underscoring Nigeria’s drive toward stronger primary health care systems founded on transparency, performance measurement, and sustainability.
This year’s recognition builds on Yobe’s previous successes in regional PHC performance, where the state was commended for excellence in effective primary healthcare delivery and had won significant awards in prior editions of the challenge.
