FG begins free Cesarian Sessions in over 100 hospitals (See list)

The Federal Government has begun offering free Caesarean Section (CS) procedures in more than 100 hospitals across Nigeria, according to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

NHIA Director-General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, announced the development in Abuja, explaining that the initiative falls under the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) Programme.

He noted that the scheme is operational across federal, state, private, and faith-based medical facilities located in all six geopolitical zones of the country.

According to Ohiri, women in need of assistance only need to provide a National Identification Number (NIN), which may be presented either before or after hospital admission.

He clarified that the determination of eligibility lies with the hospital’s social welfare department, which assesses patients’ financial situations.

“Once assessed, eligible women receive the CS at no cost and are automatically enrolled into a health insurance plan under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), managed at the state level,” he disclosed.

Dr. Ohiri emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort, which involves both public and private sector healthcare providers with the goal of tackling maternal mortality.

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“The nationwide coverage is across key health institutions,” the NHIA boss stated.
He listed major beneficiaries in the North-West region to include Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in Kano; Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital and Maryam Abacha Women and Children Hospital in Sokoto. Others are Ahmad Sani Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital and several General Hospitals in Zamfara and Kebbi states.

In the North-East, the program covers Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe; University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital; Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Azare; Federal Medical Centres in Nguru and Jalingo; and Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital in Yola.

North-Central institutions include Federal Medical Centres in Bida and Keffi; University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada; and General Hospitals in Suleja, Mokwa, and Tunga Magajiya.

For the South-West, beneficiaries include Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre Ido-Ekiti, State Hospital Abeokuta, State Specialist Hospital Okitipupa, and Oba Ademola Maternity Hospital in Ijemo.

In the South-South region, the list includes University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, and University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

He stated that the South-East had the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; David Umahi University Teaching Hospital, Uburu, Ebonyi; NOFIC Abakaliki, Ebonyi, among others.

Faith-based and private hospitals are also included in the initiative, among them St. Gerard’s Catholic Hospital in Kaduna, St. Patrick Hospital in Abakaliki, Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, and Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital in Kafanchan.

Ohiri revealed that more than 200 additional facilities are currently undergoing assessment for inclusion, which could significantly broaden the program’s reach.

“This initiative is a critical part of the government’s commitment to ending preventable maternal deaths.The free CS services are not limited to federal facilities; state-owned, private, and mission hospitals have been engaged to reach as many women as possible,” he noted.

He further explained that there is no formal enrollment process to benefit from the coverage.

“As long as a woman presents her NIN and is evaluated by the hospital’s social welfare unit as financially incapable, the surgery will be offered free of charge,” he said.

Ohiri urged the public to spread awareness about the program, particularly in underserved communities where the cost of delivery can be a major obstacle.

FG begins free Cesarian Sessions in over 100 hospitals (See list)

Those spraying perfume in armpit, private parts risk cancer – Shehu Sani

Former senator and human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has issued a cautionary note to the public against spraying perfume directly on sensitive areas of the body such as the armpits and private parts.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the former lawmaker from Kaduna Central recounted the tragic story of a young man named Salisu, who reportedly developed cancer after regularly applying perfume to those areas.

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“Don’t spray perfume in your armpit or private parts. If you are in the habit of doing that, learn from this,” Sani wrote. “A young man called Salisu used to do so, and suddenly it triggered a strange form of cancer in those areas. The spots got rotten and his health deteriorated. He is now dead.”

While noting that he had no scientific explanation for the incident, Sani said he was simply sharing the story as a word of caution.
“Just a piece of advice,” he added.

Those spraying perfume in armpit, private parts risk cancer – Shehu Sani

Nigeria confirms 660 lassa fever cases, 122 die

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified Ondo, Bauchi and Edo states as the epicentres of the Lassa fever outbreak in the country.

Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, during a media briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, said that those states accounted for over 70 per cent of confirmed lassa fever cases reported so far in 2025.

Idris said that the three states contributed 71 per cent of the 660 confirmed Lassa fever cases recorded between January and the end of March 2025, with Ondo accounting for 30 per cent, Bauchi, 25 per cent, and Edo, 16 per cent.

The director general said that the NCDC had intensified a nationwide multi-sectoral response through its activated incident management system at the national level to coordinate the public health emergency across affected states.

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He said, “As the cases surge in these epicentre states, our response is focused on early detection, case management, risk communication, and community engagement. The transmission remains active in multiple local councils, with 28 states and 125 councils affected this year.”

Idris also said that 122 deaths had so far been recorded, resulting in a case fatality rate of 18.5 per cent—higher than the 17.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.

He said that to combat the spread, the NCDC had deployed national rapid response teams to hotspot areas, trained healthcare workers on infection prevention and control, and scaled up community sensitisation.

The DG, therefore, stressed the importance of early presentation to health facilities to reduce fatalities.

Idris, who disclosed ongoing collaborations with key partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), to support surveillance, clinical care, and public awareness, said that the agency was also supporting research efforts to improve outbreak preparedness and response.

Nigeria confirms 660 lassa fever cases, 122 die