Lagos State has invested female legislators, newly elected female local government chairpersons, and wives of lawmakers and council chairmen as TB Champions and Ambassadors.
Eko Hot News reports that the ceremony took place on Monday at the First Lady Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Alausa, led by the First Lady of Lagos State and State TB Champion, Dr. (Mrs) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu. She emphasised that the initiative empowers women to drive TB awareness, early testing, treatment compliance, and stigma reduction across communities.
The move aims to strengthen community-level tuberculosis (TB) response and accelerate progress toward the End TB 2030 target.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu disclosed that three of four female legislators and seven of eleven female council chairpersons had been secured as TB Champions. Twenty chairpersons’ wives and seven wives of House of Assembly members were inducted as Ambassadors to actively support the statewide TB response.
Highlighting TB’s burden, she noted that over 19,500 patients were notified in 2024, with 11,725 patients placed on treatment between January and September 2025. She urged honourees to use their influence to integrate TB advocacy into meetings, outreach activities, and household engagement, while supporting patients facing stigma, malnutrition, and discrimination.
The First Lady stressed the importance of political and legislative advocacy to improve access to free screening and treatment, particularly in Lagos’s 57 LGAs/LCDAs with densely populated communities, noting that women leaders are key to driving awareness at every ward and social circle.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described TB as one of the most dangerous infections, warning that premature treatment discontinuation fuels drug-resistant TB. He welcomed the shift from hospital-centred control to community-driven initiatives led by respected female leaders.
Dr. (Mrs) Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health, praised the First Lady’s leadership, noting that Champions would enhance awareness, reduce stigma, and improve access to TB services.
Representatives from the WHO, Stop TB Partnership, and National TB Programme commended Lagos for setting a regional benchmark, highlighting the role of female leadership in mobilising communities and advancing Nigeria’s TB elimination agenda.
