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Lack Of Policy Implementations is Nigeria’s Health System Challenge-CHR

Published

7 years ago

April 25, 2019

…Calls on FG for the immediate release of N51 billion Health Care Provision Fund

Joel Ajayi

Community Health and Research CHR have said a lack of sustained implementation of various interventions fund geared toward improving women’s and children and quality of life in Nigeria remained the cog in the wheel growth of the health sector in Nigeria.

This even as the project advisor community health and research initiate called on the federal government for speedy disbursement of the Health Care Provision Fund lying fallow in the cover of the ministry of health for effective and efficiently Health Service delivery in the country.

The Health initiative made this known on Thursday in Abuja during a stakeholder deliberation toward building a common Agenda: drive towards achieving Nigeria’s FP2020 and EWEC commitments.

Nigeria’s FP2020 and EWEC commitment initiative has been identified as the potentials for advancing Nigeria’s drive toward reducing maternal and infant mortality and hence improve maternal and child health.

Speaking at the event the Deputy Chair National House of Representatives Health Committee Hon Mohammad Usman said that the health indices in Nigeria is still poor and there is a need for all hands to be on deck to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health in the country.

According to him, this is one of the issues that are affecting our health sector in the country, so many funds has been allocated to the health sector including the financial, technical and material from a number of national and international agencies but because of lack of an initiative like this to track the implementation most of the fund are not channel to the project they meant for.

“I believe that government needs to have something like this to help to monitor its commitment and to be able to know where we are. As matter of the fact, health indices are still very low in Nigeria. The issue mortality rate of children under 5 is still very high, almost on a daily basis almost about 3,000 women died while over 1,145 children died on a daily basis this translate into millions of lives lost annually.

“And every year, the governments have come out with various policies and programs which need mercenaries or tool of measuring the releases of funds, because except you monitor releases of you wouldn’t know what has really been push into the system so, this tracker which is new initiatives will help to really know where we are in terms of commitment on the side of the government.”

When asked on the state of health sector in the country, Member of the Nigeria Green Chamber replied: “Well, there are so many constraints, so many challenges as far as I am concerned the federal ministry of health has not been doing very well because the only way you can really measure the performance of the federal ministry of health is to what extent has health income improve? to what extent has the lives of Nigerian been save? so, as long as people are dying, millions on the annual basis what would you say, there has not been a meaningful achievement in the health system as far as I am concern, any life is very important to do we say that the agency responsible for that is doing very well? to me capital no.”

Speaking shortly after the programme, the coordinator of Project Advisor Community Health and Research Initiate, Dr Aminu Magashi said that the essence of the meeting is to support the Nigerian government and the 36 governors to track progress in addressing family planning and also every woman, every child.

“What does that mean? it means that our annual health budget needs to be tracked every year from allocation, releases, disbursement and performance, we need to also track the basic health care provision fund.

“As we speak, last year, 55bilion was allocated for the provision fund and this year also in the 2019 budget 51billion is allocated. We have to track this money to know where it’s going and how it will impact on the lives of the people of Nigeria.

“From what we have tracked for far, the basic health care provision fund. 25 per cent of that money has been released to the Federal Ministry of Health to a dedicated CBN account, that money is still sitting in the account, it has not been disbursed to the state government and also to agencies that are supposed to deliver it means the money is not useful for now, because of it still inside the account, so we are calling on the FG to hasten the disbursement and also ensure accountability of the spending of this funding.

When asked how many weeks those fund supposed to stay in CBN cover, he replied: “it shouldn’t last more than four weeks; it should be disbursed to the gateway and in the gateway, it should not stay more than two weeks and up till now the money is still staying in the government account.

“So we are calling the government and also remember that 5 per cent of that money is for emergency made safe services to deploy ambulances by the roadside, I have not seen any ambulance in our major road in Nigeria so that any accident victims are catered for.” He said.

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Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles

Published

3 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.

Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.

What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.

Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.

In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.

Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.

“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”

She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”

The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.

Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”

For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”

Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”

Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.

Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.

Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.

With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.

Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.

“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.

He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.

“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”

Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.

“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”

He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”

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