Osun Retains PHC Leadership Award as Adeleke Pledges Deeper Health Reforms

 

Osun State has again clinched the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge award for 2025, consolidating its rising profile in the delivery of grassroots healthcare services under Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The latest feat makes Osun a back-to-back winner, having also emerged tops in the 2024 edition of the challenge. The state, popularly called the State of the Living Spring, is the only one to retain first position consecutively since the inception of the award.

The PHC Leadership Challenge is a collaborative initiative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), UNICEF and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Aliko Dangote Foundation. The programme is designed to reward excellence, innovation and accountability in the delivery of primary healthcare across the country.

The initiative also serves as a vehicle for accelerating the implementation of the Seattle Declaration, signed by all state governors in November 2019, which seeks to elevate primary healthcare on the political agenda and improve measurable health outcomes nationwide.

Under the award framework, 13 recognitions are given annually, covering best-performing and most-improved states across the geopolitical zones, as well as a national award for overall best performance.

At the maiden edition held on May 17, 2023, based largely on 2022 performance, Borno State emerged overall winner, while Ondo and Ogun States placed first and second respectively in the South-West. Osun ranked fourth in the zone and 26th nationally at the time.

Osun’s dramatic turnaround began in 2024, when the state rose from fourth position under the immediate past APC administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to first place under Governor Adeleke, earning a $500,000 cash award. The governor reinvested the prize into strengthening primary healthcare facilities across the state.

For the 2025 edition, Osun again topped the South-West zone, with Ogun State coming second. Osun received $500,000, while Ogun went home with $400,000.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, who represented Governor Adeleke, commended the organisers for recognising genuine efforts by state governments to improve access to quality healthcare.

He quoted the governor as reaffirming his administration’s commitment to good governance and the delivery of democratic dividends.

“Osun State will not rest on its oars. I commend our health sector team for this outstanding performance and direct the leadership of the sector to work towards emerging as the overall best-performing state in the country at the next edition,” Adeleke said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Mr. Jola Akintola, described the award as a validation of Governor Adeleke’s sustained investment and commitment to the health sector.

According to him, the administration’s reforms have continued to yield measurable results, including Osun’s strong showing at the 2025 Health Sector-wide Joint Annual Review held between November 12 and 14, where the state recorded an impressive overall performance rating.

Akintola praised the leadership roles played by the Deputy Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff and the Head of Service, noting that their support created an enabling environment for success in the sector.

He also commended political office holders, agency heads and healthcare workers across the state for their dedication, describing them as the real drivers behind the award.