First Lady Champions Nationwide Drive to End Tuberculosis by 2030

By: Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has intensified the fight against tuberculosis (TB) with the commissioning of new solar-powered TB diagnostic machines in Abuja, reaffirming her goal to eradicate the disease nationwide by 2030.

The event, held at Dutse Makaranta Primary School, saw the deployment of cutting-edge machines donated under her Renewed Hope Initiative. The devices deliver rapid, safe, and highly accurate TB diagnoses—even in communities without electricity.

FCTA Mandate Secretary for Health Services, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, hailed the First Lady’s commitment, noting that the technology eliminates the need for patients to visit secondary hospitals or undergo invasive testing.

“If we could end polio, we can end TB,” she said, adding that Nigeria records over one hundred new TB cases daily, with at least seven deaths each day.

Senator Tinubu—represented by Kwara State’s First Lady, Prof. Olufolake Abdulrazaq—announced an additional ₦1 billion commitment to TB control efforts, on top of the ₦2 billion already invested in diagnosis and treatment nationwide. She stressed that ending TB demands sustained human, financial, technical, and political resources.

FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the intervention as a “bold and strategic response” to Nigeria’s TB burden, especially in underserved areas, noting that the machines will greatly boost early detection and treatment capacity.

With predictive accuracy above ninety-five percent, the solar-powered diagnostic units are a major leap forward in Nigeria’s TB response—bringing life-saving healthcare closer to the people and advancing the First Lady’s vision of a Nigeria where “no life is lost to tuberculosis.”