The Federal Government has announced a shift in its public communication strategy, moving from reliance on periodic press briefings to more direct and structured engagement with service-delivery ministries to ensure Nigerians clearly understand ongoing reforms and their benefits.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, disclosed this during a strategic visit to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Wednesday in Abuja.
The visit, according to him, was part of efforts to deepen the delivery of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Idris said his ministry was deliberately engaging key service-delivery ministries to ensure that government actions were effectively communicated to citizens.
“Governance is incomplete without communication. What is not communicated is often assumed not to have happened,” he said.
He commended the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for prioritising disease prevention, revitalisation of primary healthcare, medical industrialisation, expansion of cancer care services and reduction of medical tourism.
According to him, these reforms have direct and lasting impact on the lives and productivity of Nigerians.
Idris assured that the Ministry of Information and National Orientation would deploy its platforms and agencies to amplify health sector reforms, promote preventive health awareness and ensure accurate dissemination of information nationwide.
Welcoming the delegation, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S., mni, described the visit as timely and strategic.
She said effective communication was central to the success of reforms in the health sector, adding that while the ministry had recorded notable progress in the past two years, such achievements must be clearly communicated to Nigerians to enhance trust, utilisation and public confidence.
Also speaking, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said President Tinubu placed health at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda because “a healthy population is fundamental to national development and economic growth.”
Pate explained that the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative was focused on strengthening governance, expanding quality healthcare services, boosting local pharmaceutical manufacturing, improving health security and ensuring equitable access to care.
He highlighted progress in primary healthcare revitalisation, immunisation coverage, disease outbreak prevention, cancer treatment expansion and health insurance enrolment.
According to him, many successes in the health sector are measured by crises prevented rather than emergencies managed.
He emphasised that effective communication plays a critical role in helping citizens understand preventive healthcare and government investments.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the alignment between the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Blueprint had provided clarity and direction for reforms in the sector.
Salako outlined improvements in digital health deployment, power supply to health facilities, workforce management and reduction of industrial disputes through constructive engagement.
He noted that Nigeria now has the capacity to manage many medical conditions locally, particularly in cancer care, thereby reducing the need for medical tourism and attracting patients from neighbouring countries.
The minister stressed the importance of sustained media engagement in building public trust and supporting national development.
