NMA Vows to Reposition Association, Unveils Five-Year Strategic Plan

By David Odama

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has pledged to reposition the association for stronger leadership, improved healthcare advocacy, and sustainable development in Nigeria.
As part of efforts to enhance its service to the nation, the association has unveiled a five-year strategic plan aimed at guiding its operations and interventions over the period.

Speaking at the event, the President of the association, Professor Bala Muhammad Audu, said the launch of the Five-Year Strategic Plan Document marked a critical milestone in the NMA’s long-term vision to strengthen institutional capacity, improve the welfare of medical practitioners, and deepen engagement with government and other relevant stakeholders in addressing Nigeria’s healthcare challenges.
According to him, the strategic plan outlines clear policy directions, priority areas, and actionable frameworks that will guide the association over the next five years, particularly in healthcare delivery, workforce development, ethics, advocacy, and medical education.
Professor Audu also noted that the event featured the 2026 NMA Annual Lecture Series, a flagship intellectual forum of the association. He said the lecture brought together leading medical professionals, policymakers, academics, development partners, and other stakeholders to deliberate on topical issues affecting Nigeria’s health sector and the medical profession.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the occasion and Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, commended the NMA for sustaining such a fruitful lecture series, especially at a time when Artificial Intelligence is increasingly competing with human intelligence, describing the initiative as “apt.”
Dr. Salako stated that the health sector occupies a central place in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, quoting the President as saying that “the health of every Nigerian is a matter of urgent attention.” He added that the federal government is strengthening the primary healthcare system to ensure effective responses to outbreaks of infectious diseases in line with the President’s agenda.
Delivering a keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, challenged the NMA to champion the transformation of Nigeria’s health sector. He identified key pillars for this transformation to include structured leadership training, strategic partnerships with private health practitioners such as resident doctors, strengthening of the primary healthcare system, and sustainable health financing.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Annual Lecture Series and the launch of the NMA Five-Year Strategic Plan in Abuja, a former President of the association and current Provost, College of Health Sciences, Federal University Lokoja, Professor Michael Ozovehe Ogirima, described the strategic plan as an innovation aimed at strengthening the capacity of the medical union.
According to him, the NMA has implemented three strategic plans in its history—the first in 2014, the second in 2017, and the current one—designed to deepen the association’s involvement in health sector policy formulation.
The annual lecture featured a panel discussion focused on the theme, “Medical Leadership Beyond the Hospital: Doctors as System Architects, Advocates and Nation Builders.”
Panelists included the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu; the Head of Service of Ekiti State, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi; and the Chairman, Health Sector Reform Coalition, Dr. Mustapha Lecky.
The discussion underscored the need for the NMA to play a greater role in policy formulation and implementation, noting that doctors, by virtue of their work across hospitals nationwide, have first-hand knowledge of health issues affecting communities across the country.