Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has called on the Federal and State governments to fully implement the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022, stressing that all Nigerians are now legally entitled to compulsory health insurance.
The NHIA Act, which repealed the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act of 2004, was enacted to correct the failures of the old law, which had achieved little in terms of coverage and integration of Nigeria’s fragmented health insurance system.
Falana said the 2022 legislation mandates universal access to a basic minimum package of care, with the creation of a vulnerable group fund to subsidize healthcare for children under five, pregnant women, the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, and the indigent.
“States are required to establish health insurance schemes or engage third-party administrators until such schemes are operational.”
He said that to reinforce compliance, President Bola Tinubu, on September 3, 2025, directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to enroll their employees in the NHIA scheme.
“The directive also requires public procurement entities to present valid NHIA-issued health insurance certificates, with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation mandated to monitor enforcement.”
“Despite these reforms, the Health Care Providers Association of Nigeria estimates that over 90 percent of Nigerians remain uninsured,” citing widespread poverty as a major barrier.
Falana noted that this undermines the country’s constitutional and international obligations to guarantee adequate healthcare for all citizens.
He quoted Section 17(3) (d) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 16 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He emphasized that government at all levels must fund the health insurance of vulnerable citizens and ensure universal health coverage is not just a policy promise but a lived reality.
Falana, who also chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), therefore insisted that effective implementation of the NHIA Act is crucial for Nigeria to deliver affordable, quality, and comprehensive healthcare to its people.