The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Abdullahi Yahya, on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, led a delegation from the National Secretariat on a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate, at his office in the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
The visit, which included key officials such as the National Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Hajia Aisha Ibrahim, focused on exploring avenues for collaboration, strengthening communication on health initiatives, and advancing issues of national importance.
In his remarks, Comrade Yahya expressed appreciation to Dr. Pate for granting the audience on short notice, described the gesture as a sign of the Minister’s openness to stakeholder engagement. He lauded the Minister’s ongoing reforms in the health sector, particularly in revitalising Primary Health Care (PHC) systems across rural communities.
The NUJ President also highlighted the timely implementation of logistics support for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), noted its impact in reducing maternal mortality nationwide. He advocated the establishment of a Special Health Trust Fund as an alternative financing mechanism for the sector.
“Journalists across the country are ready to support the Honourable Minister in deepening the reforms and changing the narratives around healthcare delivery,” Yahya stated, citing the noticeable increase in health insurance scheme enrolment under Dr. Pate’s leadership.
He further proposed a partnership between the Ministry and NUJ in organising capacity-building trainings and workshops for journalists, aimed at improving media coverage and visibility of health initiatives across Nigeria.
In his response, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate welcomed the NUJ delegation and commended the role of journalists in shaping public discourse. He highlighted the media’s critical responsibility in fulfilling what he termed the 4A Functions: Awareness, Advocacy, Accountability, and Action.
The Minister shared progress on the Ministry’s current initiatives, including a groundbreaking vaccination campaign targeting 100 million children against preventable diseases described as the first of its kind in Africa. He noted that this is one of the major health achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Dr. Pate assured the NUJ of the Ministry’s commitment to collaboration and immediately directed his team to engage all 37 NUJ Councils nationwide to implement resolutions from the meeting.
The high point of the visit was an informal interactive session followed by a group photograph to commemorate the engagement
