Tinubu to traditional rulers: Your cooperation central to success of our health policy

…as Ooni assures of cooperation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday appealed to traditional rulers across the country to partner with his administration to ensure the success of its health policy.

Tinubu made the appeal in his address at the National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health 2026 and the flag-off of the Nutrition Campaign in Nigeria, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

Tinubu, who declared that the war against preventable diseases is the responsibility of all Nigerians, noted that the cooperation of traditional rulers is central to the success of government policies.

He said, “Your presence here today is symbolic. No policy can succeed without you. Your engagement is central to the actualisation of Nigeria’s health policy.

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“It depends on your leadership. You have given assurance in the face of fear. Thank you for being a stabilising force.”

Tinubu, who commended the Coordinating Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate assured the gathering of his commitment to improve the quality of health services in the domains of all traditional rulers.

“I am making this commitment as a leader to improve the health quality in your domain.

“I have listened carefully to the Honorable Minister, and I say thank you for the team leadership that you have demonstrated, your commitment to duty, and your efforts to get aid for Nigerians.

“We won’t let you down. We must remain united and rekindle the hope of our people. The key word here is hope

Nothing is achieved without hope.”

The Ooni of Ife and Chairman of Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, described the summit as a laudable initiative and promised that the traditional rulers would do everything possible to complement the political leaders.

He said, “We have never experienced such a summit to bring faith leaders and traditional leaders from all walks of Nigeria together to address the health issues of our country.

“We are the curators for our people, and it’s very important now for us to collaborate and complement our political leaders. It’s never been done before in Nigeria—it’s a very vast summit—and the takeaway is the need to partner with political leaders and institutions to get the best for our citizenry.

“For us, we, the Southern Traditional Rulers, have come together to continue to support the belief. We have issued our commitment to the President and the Ministry of Health in terms of the good things we have achieved today, and for us, we stand as one. “

Earlier in his remarks, Professor Pate who noted that traditional and religious rulers are critical voices further described them as indispensable partners in healthcare reforms.