
I am lucky to have a governor who truly believes in delivering quality healthcare to the people.
Dr. Faruk Umar Abubakar is the Commissioner of Health, Sokoto State. Before his appointment he was the Secretary General/Registrar CEO of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) from 2016 to 2024. Dr. Abubakar is a trained nurse who went on to acquire a doctorate degree in Nursing Education and was conferred with the Fellowship of the West African College of Nursing (FWACN) in recognition of his contributions to health management in Nigeria. In this syndicated interview, Dr. Abubakar talks about the challenges facing the health sector in Sokoto state and the efforts of Governor Ahmad Aliyu to address them.
QUESTION: On a very jovial but a very serious note, how did the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) react to your appointment, because of their insistence that medical doctors must always lead?
ANSWER: Let me start by stating that the appointment of all commissioners is political, except that of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, which the constitution lists the qualifications that the candidate must have specific number of years at the bar etc. So every other position is at the discretion of the governor and he is at liberty to appoint anyone that he believes would add value to his administration. I am aware of that issue, but in my own case, my appointment was welcomed by the entire professionals in the health sector. And I want to believe that it’s because they know my antecedents. Having been around for the last 35 years, I have established a very good working relationship with all the professional bodies. I have utmost respect for every profession in the healthcare delivery system as critical stakeholders, because it is about teamwork. So I wasn’t surprised that they celebrated me on my appointment and have ever been very supportive. In return, I have been fair and respectful in my relationship with them. Take the issue of the new National Minimum Wage; I engaged with the governor and thankfully he agreed with me that they deserved to be better remunerated. I am very proud to announce that today the Sokoto State Government pays better than the federal government, such that those who had wanted to leave have withdrawn their letters of resignation. The various professional bodies wrote the governor thanking him for approving a salary package that matches that of the federal government. So being a commissioner is about protecting and advancing the interests of your constituency and ensuring that they have the necessary working tools and a working environment that is conducive, which is what the governor has been doing since 2023 and they can see the difference with the last administration. I must thank the governor for his huge investment in the health sector, for ensuring that their allowances are fully paid. At the end of the day the cooperation that a commissioner receives depends on how he leads and his recognition of the other professionals, which is key. A doctor needs medical scientists, nurses, cleaners, pharmacists, etc., to function effectively.
QUESTION: You retired as Registrar/CEO of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; considering this background, I want to conclude that it wasn’t difficult for you to hit the ground running on your appointment?
ANSWER: Having been in the health sector in the last 35 years, I would say yes—it wasn’t really difficult. Luckily I started from the very scratch as a nurse, and I have worked in hospitals and I interacted with all professionals in the healthcare system… so I have a good understanding of the issues. And my background as a unionist has equally been helpful. And as an administrator, I understand the issues that must be addressed so that we can deliver quality healthcare to our people. I am lucky to have a governor who truly believes in delivering quality healthcare to the people. He has, for instance, approved my memo for the State Specialist Hospital to run internship programmes for radiography and medical doctors. We have applied to the Medical and Dental Council for the necessary accreditation. Sokoto State has more than 100 medical doctors who have graduated and they need a specialist hospital for their programmes… so this initiative would solve a big problem for us. Just as we have about 270 medical students on the payroll of the state government. They have been placed on Level 07, which is about ₦82,000 monthly. It’s the same with pharmacy students, medical lab scientists, etc. So we are solving the problem of inadequate personnel and at the same time making life easier for the students and their families. We stand to benefit in many other ways because, being indigenes, they understand the culture of the people. On admission they get scholarships, but once they start their clinical practice they are transferred to the Ministry of Health and the ministry will in turn transfer their documents to the Civil Service Commission, which would process and send their details to the Ministry of Finance for implementation. His Excellency, in his magnanimity, also paid the registration fees of all our foreign‑trained doctors. This has helped address the shortage of medical personnel.
QUESTION: I was going to come to the issue of shortage of medical personnel, but you have thrown light on how you are tackling the issue at the root—are they on bond?
ANSWER: Absolutely yes. They can’t leave until they have served the state for a specific number of years. But I can assure you that they won’t leave because of our package, which will only get better. Allow me to state that Governor Sokoto’s 9‑Point SMART Agenda is no fluke—it’s something that he genuinely means. The State Executive Council recently approved a memo by the ministry that would ensure equitable distribution of manpower between the urban and rural areas. I am thankful to my colleagues for graciously approving the memo.
The beauty of the policy is that every medical professional sponsored by the Sokoto State Government must serve in a rural health facility for a minimum of two years and this is compulsory. These are some of the measures we are putting in place to holistically address the inadequate manpower at the grassroots. Before I initiated this policy, I ordered a needs assessment and visited all the general hospitals in the 23 local governments and I noticed this gap. The gap is unacceptable… we have excess nurses in the special hospital. Do note that there is a recommended number for hospitals. Everybody wants to work in the urban area, while we have acute shortages in the rural facilities—that’s not okay by me. My memo was well received such that even the Commissioner of Education wanted it applied to the educational sector, because it’s a strategy that’s innovative. In addition to the fact they are under bond, to motivate them the governor approved a 10% addition to their basic salary. We foresee a future where people after their compulsory rural posting won’t want to leave. The governor understands how to motivate his workers. On the issue of security, we are working with the security agencies to ensure that our facilities are safe. The governor is not resting to ensure that every inch of the state is safe. It’s important that the rural communities have access to medical care. With qualified medical professionals in the rural areas, there will be a reduction in the number of referred cases. The specialist hospital will truly be a specialist hospital treating only cases referred to it.

QUESTION: So what other things did you find out from the needs assessment that you carried out?
ANSWER: I equally found a health system that was on its knees due to the neglect by the Aminu Tambuwal administration. Infrastructure at the hospitals was practically nonexistent with obsolete equipment, decayed and uninhabitable wards. Even the mattresses were torn into pieces and the beds broken. The first thing that we did was to urgently provide critical equipment and mattresses. We have equally procured nine ultrasound machines that will be distributed to the general hospitals—3 for each senatorial district. Same with X‑ray machines, one for each geographical zone, so that investigations can be carried out at that level. Our people don’t have to travel to Sokoto for such investigations. To date we have also procured about 240 beds, 240 mattresses, and 240 stands. I want to assure the people of Sokoto State that the governor has just started because he is more than determined to change the story. Governor Sokoto means business when he says that health is a critical component of his 9‑Point SMART Agenda. The other benefit of my needs assessment is that it enabled me to come up with a strategic framework that would give us the direction to address the problems at the primary healthcare, the secondary and tertiary levels. So, very important is infrastructural development. We are going to tackle 10 general hospitals in the first instance and we have sent requests to the Ministry of Works to carry out an assessment to enable me make my submission to His Excellency. I have visited the specialist hospital and the orthopedic hospital. I must say that I was scandalized that the entire maternity ward was without light. How can doctors operate without power? The governor has since approved the installation of solar power—we now have 24‑hour light at the labour room, in the postnatal ward, and in the prenatal ward. We have also acquired incubators for premature babies…there is also 24‑hour power. We have embarked on a comprehensive rehabilitation of the wards. We have provided functional toilet facilities for families and visitors—the era of open defecation is past. We sank boreholes, with overhead tanks to ensure availability of water 2/4/7. Even though the hospital is almost 100 years old, we can make it functional. To help in the general cleanliness of the hospital, I engaged the services of prisoners. We are working on the drainage system. The environment and general sanitation of the hospital has greatly improved. I know His Excellency is planning on building a new world‑class facility. The other thing I am working on is the attitude to work of our personnel. I have had series of meetings with them on the need to be diligent and caring in their work. They have no reason to be lackadaisical—especially as the government is prompt in payment of their salaries and allowances. I will no longer accept negligence of duty, where workers abandon their duty posts and leave patients unattended to. The abandoned amenity ward is receiving attention, same with the new theatre. It’s a shame that the equipment has been stolen. I intend to get the hospital functioning at full capacity.
QUESTION: For the record, how many hospitals and healthcare centres do you have?
ANSWER: We have about 824 primary healthcare centres, health posts and clinics across the 23 local government areas. In each of the 240 wards, we have a primary health centre; health posts and clinics in villages—that is what gives us the 824 facilities across the state. Presently, we have about 21 hospitals, meaning at least one general hospital in each LGA. We have two in Tambuwal. It’s only Dange Shuni and Wamakko local governments that presently do not have general hospitals.
QUESTION: Abandoned by the Aminu Tambuwal administration?
ANSWER: Yes, but the government is working assiduously hard to ensure that we have a general hospital in these two local government areas – Dange Shuni and Wamakko. The Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko administration in 2013 awarded the contract for the construction of the hospitals but it was unfortunately abandoned by the Aminu Tambuwal administration.
QUESTION: Mr. Commissioner, you were talking about a new world‑class general hospital?
ANSWER: Yes, but meanwhile we’re making efforts to ensure that all our general hospitals are renovated. We started with 10 hospitals. For the rest of the hospitals, His Excellency the Deputy Governor, who is also the Commissioner of Works, has constituted three committees—one for each of the senatorial districts—to assess the hospitals. So we are awaiting the reports from the Ministry of Works. I am grateful to the governor for his unprecedented investment in the health sector.
QUESTION: There is this erroneous assumption that funding is a problem, because we have seen governments pump money into the system without results. As someone who has been in this sector, what is the critical issue that needs to be addressed to get this sector functioning?
ANSWER: Well, accountability is key—especially under Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, who constantly reminds you that it’s the people’s money. So the judicious use of the limited resources is important, and planning. You might have all the money, but without a strategic framework you can squander the resources. Money is important, but planning and prioritization are crucial. In my ministry, I have in a systematic way addressed fundamental issues, one at a time. We ensure we have a detailed report of whatever we want to do and that has helped us in achieving results. I will give you an example. Recently the governor sent me a text message: “Honorable Commissioner, do you have an outbreak?” I replied that indeed there were some issues of an outbreak of hepatitis in the prison and that it had been resolved. He replied that I should investigate further. Eventually we discovered that there was an outbreak of measles. I quickly deployed our epidemiologists to the following villages: Sayyinna, Jabo, Salla, Alassan and Barkeji—all in Tambuwal local government area. We established that 20 children were affected and that three had unfortunately died. We then moved in the team with the necessary drugs and had a camp erected to isolate the children that were affected because we didn’t want it to spread; so the issue is not always about money, even though money is important. It’s essentially about planning. This is our approach in tackling every issue. We engage in sensitization and advocacy and that has helped us contain any outbreaks of diseases.
QUESTION: In a nutshell, what are the other major challenges that are hindrances to healthcare delivery and the policies that you have introduced to overcome such challenges?
ANSWER: The attitude of the healthcare providers and the people themselves is a big issue. Patients, for instance, believe that everything must be provided to them free. They also only go to hospital when a problem has reached an advanced stage—most times beyond the capacity of the hospital in their area. They prefer being treated by chemists who are solely interested in making money. We are working with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria to sanitize the system. We appreciate that, being close to the people, they offer services, but they should keep to their boundaries.… for instance, they shouldn’t be injecting. They should encourage people to use the hospital after administering first-aid treatment. The other major challenge is the state of the hospitals. Many people deserted the hospitals because of the infrastructural decay. With what we have put in place, people are coming back in droves to our facilities. I have insisted that they operate antenatal clinics from once a week to at least three times.
QUESTION: Preventative or curative, which direction are you heading?
ANSWER: Well, we are taking them simultaneously. For the preventative, our approach is to take proactive measures that would prevent diseases from developing or worsening. Some of what we are doing includes putting a surveillance system in place, vaccinations, sensitization on the need for regular check‑ups for cancer screening, diabetes, etc. And when people get sick, they should be able to get attention. So we’re undertaking the rehabilitation of over 125 primary healthcare centres across the state and the general hospitals to make them conducive with basic equipment. Under the National Health Act, a substantial amount of money was released to all medical facilities. When I came on board, I realized that it wasn’t being utilized to provide basic drugs and other medical supplies. I have since directed that the funds should be put to use. I have signed off on the business plan they submitted. The directive is that these procurements must be at the State Drug and Medical Agency to avoid the issue of fake drugs. We have also accredited four hospitals where women are entitled to free obstetric cases, including Caesarean surgeries free—and the bill will be sent to the National Health Insurance.
QUESTION: Without doubt there have been improvements in the budget for the health sector and you have attested to that fact—and the establishment of a state health insurance scheme, the generation of evidence to inform decision‑making and capacity building. But what are the assurances that this will be sustained?
ANSWER: Well, under my watch I want to assure you that this will be sustained. I am extremely lucky to have a governor who believes that health is wealth. And I hope that those in the system would have embraced our initiatives.
QUESTION: Mr. Commissioner, the poor health status indices is as a result of poor health literacy, which again might have been informed by cultural, religious, lack of education, economic status. What’s the way forward in getting people to embrace immunization, for instance?
ANSWER: I will shock you with the statistics of our immunization campaigns. Our strategy was to work with the traditional institution, the religious leaders and I must thank the Sultan of Sokoto for his leadership in the various sensitization campaigns. The Sultan convened a meeting with over 82 district heads and some selected religious leaders on the need for them to embrace and propagate the benefits of immunization. We made it abundantly clear that the children in question are our children, and that if they are not healthy they can’t be future leaders of tomorrow because they will have critical health challenges. As a result, the last round of immunization was near perfect. The number of rejections that were recorded was minimal. We noticed that the rejection rate came down from 4,000 to 1,000. We have not given up on those who refused because every child is important to us.
QUESTION: As health minister, Professor Olukoye Ransome-Kuti was categorical that with the advances in science, women shouldn’t be dying of childbirth—and that doctors managing the woman should be charged for manslaughter. Do you think that policy should be enforced to make medical doctors change their attitude to work?
ANSWER: The present Minister of Health, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, is trying to change this situation with several innovations. There is a lot of focus on the issue of maternal and infant mortality. That’s why you have the emphasis on the revitalization of the primary healthcare system. In Nigeria, sustainability of good policies is a problem. Ransome-Kuti introduced several programmes like the primary healthcare system which subsequent administrations abandoned because they lacked the political will to implement the reforms.
QUESTION: From your experience managing some of these outbreaks, what are your takeaways moving forward that will help you be better prepared?
ANSWER: There are several. We understand that we need to continue getting better in what we are doing. From the previous happenings, we know that once we start approaching the heat period, we should make adequate preparation and put our surveillance system into action.… ready to respond. At the beginning of the heat season, we now hold workshops for our surveillance officers and epidemiologists so that they are prepared. Because they are the first responders who will alert us about any outbreak; take the sample which will be sent to the laboratory for investigation. In terms of drugs, we also know what drugs to store.
QUESTION: How well has Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto performed?
ANSWER: Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has performed fantastically well in delivering on his 9‑Point SMART Agenda. And I am not saying this because I am a member of his cabinet. I only came in last year after my retirement and don’t forget that I am from this state and I know how the state was before he took over and what he has achieved under two years. So with every sense of responsibility, the governor is on the right path. He has restored confidence in the capacity of government to deliver services and he is a man of his words. The story of the former governor not handing over to him, the darkness in the Government House, ministries, the public water works, the failure—or is it the refusal?—to pay the scholarships of our students—all these have been well documented. I won’t forget the over ₦14 billion pension arrears, etc. Not only has the governor cleared this mess, but he has built houses, constructed roads, invested in agriculture because he wants farmers to earn good income without taking any loan. He is accountable and is providing leadership. He is compassionate and sincerely interested in the welfare of the poor. He has made remarkable progress and he has refused to slow down. Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, having lived almost all his life in the state, understands the needs of the people. If he builds a flyover, know that there is a school there and that he doesn’t want our children knocked down by reckless drivers. Look at Mebere, a community that had suffered from flooding and had lost hope until the coming of the governor. Go and see the road networks. It looked impossible, but it has been done.
QUESTION: Clearly there is no vacancy in 2027?
ANSWER: By the grace of God, the re‑election of Governor Ahmad Aliyu would be a walkover, because of his sterling performance and the fact that the opposition in Sokoto State has been decimated by the spectacular performance of the governor. We’re only waiting for the 2027 elections. We need the governor to consolidate on the good work that he is doing. But we will never take the people for granted, so we will continue to engage and deliver services to them.