Health insurance enrolment hits 21m — NHIA
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has said that over 21 million Nigerians have enrolled in the national health insurance scheme, surpassing its 2025 target. The director-general of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement with self-financing government agencies. The meeting, which brought together desk officers and focal persons […]
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has said that over 21 million Nigerians have enrolled in the national health insurance scheme, surpassing its 2025 target.
The director-general of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement with self-financing government agencies.
The meeting, which brought together desk officers and focal persons from self-paying ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), aimed to strengthen collaboration and deepen understanding of the health insurance system.
Ohiri, who was represented by Nuhu Ajodi, the director of the Formal Sector Department in the agency, said that under the President Bola Tinubu administration, the agency had achieved significant progress in expanding coverage and improving access to quality health care.
“We have moved from below 12 million enrollees to over 21 million, surpassing the presidential target for 2025,” he said.
He said the reforms under the National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022 had made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and repositioned the organisation to deliver on its mandate more effectively.
Ohiri added that the engagement with self-paying agencies was part of efforts to familiarise focal persons with NHIA’s processes, ensure transparency in premium computation and strengthen operational efficiency.
“Our desk officers are NHIA ambassadors in their organisations. They are the first point of contact when enrollees face challenges and must be well equipped to respond,” he said.
According to him, the Authority’s weeklong stakeholder engagements will also cover treasury-funded agencies and the organised private sector to further expand health coverage nationwide.
He said the NHIA was strengthening its collaboration with self-paying government agencies to enhance transparency, efficiency and stakeholder understanding of Nigeria’s health insurance system.
The director-general said the meeting aimed to familiarise NHIA desk officers and focal persons across self-paying agencies with the Authority’s operations, appreciate their roles in the health insurance ecosystem and improve collaboration.
According to him, participants were also expected to gain insight into how premiums are determined, including the rates and criteria used in computing contributions based on staff strength and salary levels.
“This will promote transparency and help agencies plan and project their yearly budgets for remittance to NHIA to sustain coverage,” he said.
He said the meeting also seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of the Authority’s mandate, legal framework, and ongoing reforms under the NHIA Act 2022, which makes health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.