Health
Kogi Rises to 10th Position in 2025 Health Preparedness Index
Kogi State has recorded a remarkable leap in its healthcare readiness, climbing from the 18th position in 2023 and 2024 to the 10th position in the 2025 SBM Health Preparedness Index (HPI).
The SBM Health Preparedness Index assesses the capacity of Nigeria’s 36 states to effectively respond to health emergencies and deliver quality healthcare services. The annual report draws data from credible national and international institutions including the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), World Health Organisation (WHO), The Lancet, Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), BudgIT, The Cable, the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Radboud University, and the Global Data Lab.

The index evaluates key indicators such as budgetary commitments, human resource capacity, and health outcomes, using the most recent available data.
Although no state in the country met the 30 percent national target for health preparedness, Kogi’s advancement represents a significant step forward in its healthcare reform journey. The improvement reflects the Ododo administration’s sustained investments in healthcare infrastructure, personnel development, and community-based health delivery.

Speaking on the development, the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdilazeez Adeiza Adams, described the improvement as “a testament to the strategic leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the dedication of the health workforce in Kogi State.”
He assured that the State Government remains “fully committed to strengthening the health system to achieve universal health coverage, enhance emergency response capacity, and surpass national benchmarks in the coming years”.

“This is an encouraging development, but we are not relenting. We are scaling up investments in primary healthcare, training more professionals, and expanding access to quality medical services across all local government areas. Our ultimate goal is to make Kogi a model of resilience and efficiency in Nigeria’s health sector,” Dr. Adams said.
Also commenting on the report, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said Kogi State continues to shine in healthcare delivery under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“This is a positive response to the challenge posed to the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdilazeez Adeiza Adams, to move Kogi up from the 18th position she occupied in 2023 and 2024. The Ministry has done the needful, and now the Governor has further challenged the Health Team to push Kogi even higher,” he stated.
Hon. Fanwo added that the development reflects the tangible outcomes of the administration’s people-centered policies.
“Our investment in health is paying off. This is the real measure of development, when governance directly improves lives and strengthens our health sector capacity”, he asserted.
Health
BREAKING: NCDC Flags 2 New Suspected Ebola Cases in North-East
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported two new suspected cases of Ebola virus disease in the country’s North-East region.
In an update released on Saturday, October 31, 2026, the agency said the two individuals have been isolated. Contact identification and listing are ongoing, and laboratory testing is underway to confirm or rule out the infection.
“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results,” the NCDC stated. The agency advised the public to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation, and follow guidance from public health authorities. Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.
The development comes after Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20. That case involved a 42-year-old woman who had travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. She was later medically evacuated to Switzerland along with her husband.
Health authorities continue to monitor contacts linked to the earlier confirmed case while strengthening surveillance nationwide.
Health
Nigeria’s First Imported Ebola Patient Moved to Switzerland
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed on Monday that the country’s first imported Ebola patient has been evacuated from Abuja to Switzerland.
In a statement posted on X, Pate said the patient was clinically improving, stable and conscious but remained potentially infectious, necessitating strict safety protocols throughout the evacuation process.
The patient travelled with her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic. The minister commended healthcare workers for their efforts in managing the case.
Pate assured Nigerians that public health measures remain in place to contain the virus and urged citizens to stay vigilant while relying only on credible information.
Health
Ebola: Nigeria Sends Back Swiss Woman Via Medivac Plane
The patient who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria was flown out of Nigeria this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.
A Swiss woman diagnosed with Ebola virus in Nigeria is set to be evacuated from the country early this morning through an air ambulance at the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Ohibaba News learned the patient who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria was flown out of Nigeria this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.
Our Reporter deployed to the General Aviation Terminal later obtained pictures of the arrival of a convoy of vehicular ambulance from Abuja city centre with diplomatic vehicles in the entourage.
The three vehicle convoy had an international Agency vehicle entering the Private Jet section of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.
Airport officials cordoned off the private wing of the airport but news men eventually obtained videos of a medivac plane with crews eventually evacuating the sick passenger suspected to be the Ebola index case due to the special nature of the medical evacuation.
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