World TB Day: Sanwo-Olu’s Wife Leads Awareness Drive
Kehinde Adeleye
The wife of Lagos State Governor, Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has called on operators in the Nation’s private sector to invest in efforts targeted at eradicating Tuberculosis from the State.
This comes as the State government reaffirms its commitment to providing free screening and treatment for the bacterial infection.
Sanwo-Olu made this appeal during a stakeholders’ engagement at the Folarin Coker Staff Clinic Conference Hall, Secretariat, Alausa-Ikeja, as the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Health, commemorated the 2025 World Tuberculosis (TB) Day.
The event was preceded by an awareness walk, where health officials, community leaders, and volunteers marched through the streets of Alausa with banners, music, and placards, chanting anti-TB slogans and distributing educational materials.
In a press release signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs in the Ministry of Health, Mrs Sanwo-Olu explained the severity of TB, stating that over 10.3 million people worldwide suffer from the disease, which cuts across all demographics.
She also acknowledged the stigmatization faced by TB patients and called for increased education to change public perceptions.
She urged the private sector to invest in TB eradication efforts, emphasizing the need for more mobile TB screening trucks to serve all five administrative divisions of Lagos State, Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe.
She recalled that when she was appointed TB Ambassador for Lagos State in 2023, she recognized the need for a more strategic approach, which led to the launch of TB Ambassadors and Champions across Local Government Areas and LCDAs.
This initiative involved 47 Chairpersons, including 10 female Chairmen, to extend awareness at the grassroots level.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted the importance of community engagement, stressing the need to involve key groups such as transporters, market traders, and schoolchildren as TB advocates.
She praised a Doctor from Ibeju Lekki General Hospital for composing a TB awareness song and encouraged creative methods such as music, dance, and storytelling to spread information about the disease.
She emphasized the need for widespread knowledge about TB, stating that even a bus conductor or a schoolchild should be able to discuss TB symptoms and the availability of free screening and treatment.
She warned against misconceptions that TB only affects the poor, explaining that anyone exposed to an infected person, including domestic staff and Teachers, is at risk.
She urged other States to adopt Lagos’ TB strategies, calling for collaboration to achieve nationwide eradication by 2030 in line with global health targets.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to eliminating TB through increased funding, expanded screening access, and aggressive awareness campaigns.
She described TB as the leading cause of death from a single infectious disease, with 1.5 million fatalities worldwide, and assured that under the THEMES+ agenda, the State is committed to reducing these numbers by expanding access to primary healthcare services.
Ogunyemi highlighted the impact of stigma and poverty on TB transmission, noting that many people avoid seeking medical help due to fear of discrimination.
She emphasized that the State government has integrated TB services into primary healthcare centers to ensure easier and stigma-free access to screening and treatment.
She further said that Lagos State is accelerating research, improving access to care, and increasing funding for TB programs, with the goal of ensuring that no Lagos resident suffers or dies from this preventable disease due to a lack of awareness or access to treatment.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye, stressed the importance of early detection in preventing TB-related deaths.
He lamented that it is heartbreaking for people to die from a disease that is both preventable and treatable.
He explained that TB can be easily detected through screening, and once diagnosed, treatment is free and effective.
Chairman of the Office of the First Lady TB Steering Committee, Abimbola Mabogunje, emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in achieving zero TB cases in Lagos State.
She urged more private sector involvement to sustain and expand TB initiatives, noting that the fight against TB requires additional financial and human resources to bridge existing gaps.
A representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Vivian Ibeziako, commended Lagos State for its commitment to TB control.
She praised the State’s progress in identifying TB cases, particularly among Children, and called for increased investment to meet the target of detecting 33,000 TB cases within the year. She assured that WHO remains a committed partner in the fight against TB.
Participants at the event engaged passersby in conversations about TB symptoms, prevention, and the availability of free screening and treatment.
The event served as a strong visual statement of the state’s dedication to eradicating TB.
The program had in attendance the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, and the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Olusegun Ogboye.
