The Federal Government (FG) has commenced the distribution of 215,000 MAMA kits, 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of newborn clothing to vulnerable pregnant women and families across the country.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who flagged off the distribution in Abuja, called for stronger collaboration among governments at all levels, traditional and religious institutions, development partners and philanthropists to tackle Nigeria’s maternal and newborn mortality crisis.
Speaking at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, she said the scale of maternal and newborn deaths required collective action to ensure that interventions reached women in poor, underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
She said pregnancy and childbirth should be occasions of hope and joy rather than a threat to the lives of Nigerian women.
“This occasion represents a further step towards ensuring that every Nigerian child has a healthy start in life and that no woman loses her life while giving birth,” she said.
The intervention is being implemented under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to encourage increased utilization of antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.
Tinubu said the program aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Health, which places healthcare at the centre of national development.
She described MAMII as a bold national intervention aimed at preventing maternal and newborn deaths through improved awareness, emergency care, and transportation and referral systems.
According to her, the 215,000 MAMA kits represent the second batch of the intervention, following the distribution of 110,000 kits in 2025.
She said the government had complemented the kits with 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of essential newborn clothing, with plans to extend the program to additional local government areas where uptake of MAMII services remained low.
The First Lady said the incentives were designed to encourage economically disadvantaged pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics, prepare for childbirth and remain connected to healthcare services after delivery.
She explained that the newborn clothing was intended to ensure that every Nigerian child was welcomed with dignity, warmth and care, while the maternal food support recognized the importance of adequate nutrition to a healthy pregnancy, safe delivery and healthy newborn.
Tinubu urged state and local governments, traditional and religious leaders, development partners and philanthropists to support the Federal Government in ensuring that the materials reached the women who needed them most.
She also highlighted other interventions she had supported in maternal and child healthcare, including the provision of professional kits to midwives, retraining of frontline health workers and advocacy against mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis.
The First Lady commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and officials of the ministry for their efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
In his remarks, Pate said the intervention was part of a broader Federal Government strategy to expand access to essential healthcare and reverse Nigeria’s high burden of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.
He said the government’s sector-wide approach targets a 30 per cent reduction in maternal mortality and a 20 per cent reduction in newborn mortality by 2028, with about 2.9 million pregnant women and families expected to benefit.
According to him, MAMII is already being implemented in several states, with emphasis on emergency obstetric and newborn care, transportation, referral systems and stronger primary healthcare delivery.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, described Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden as “one of the most sobering realities of our nation.”
He said Nigeria accounts for nearly 39 per cent of global maternal deaths, stressing that the government was intensifying efforts to expand antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency medical services and timely referrals.
Salako said the administration’s message to Nigerian women was that “help continues to come and help is very, very close, and it is coming faster.”
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, commended the Federal Government for prioritizing maternal and newborn survival but stressed the need for sustained legislative and institutional support.
She called for increased health-sector funding, improved primary healthcare facilities and wider access to emergency services, saying the reduction of maternal deaths required close collaboration between the executive and legislature.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Pavel Ursu, said the success of the intervention would ultimately be measured by its impact on women’s access to quality healthcare and the number of lives saved.
He emphasized the importance of primary healthcare, describing it as critical to bringing life-saving services closer to families and connecting communities to the wider health system.
Dr. Ursu also urged authorities to make better use of data to identify gaps and direct resources to communities with the greatest needs.
“Data should show us who is being reached, where gaps remain and where action is most important,” he said, stressing that implementation was as important as ambition.
He advocated greater state ownership and domestic financing, saying sustainable progress must be driven by Nigerian institutions.
“Lasting progress must be rooted in Nigerian institutions, budgets, and accountability,” he said.
The WHO representative also commended healthcare workers for their dedication to providing care to women and families, particularly in difficult environments.
Other development partners, including the World Bank, stressed the need for sustained financing, accountability and stronger health systems, noting that material incentives must be complemented by functional health facilities, skilled personnel, effective referral systems and quality healthcare.
The Federal Government said about 642,000 pregnant women had so far been moved to healthcare facilities within their communities, while more than 85,000 women had been transported for emergency care.
It added that more than 93,000 women had benefited from free life-saving surgical procedures nationwide, contributing to a reported 22 per cent reduction in maternal mortality in facilities equipped to provide the services.
More than 250 health facilities across Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states are implementing MAMII, with over 42,000 women and 1,700 newborns reportedly benefiting directly from emergency obstetric and newborn care.
Nearly 79,000 beneficiaries have also been transported to health facilities, while antenatal attendance and facility deliveries reportedly increased by about 20 per cent within one quarter in program-covered areas.
The event was attended by senior government officials, lawmakers, health-sector agencies, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organizations, healthcare workers and beneficiaries.
Among those present were the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud; Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri; and Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Muyi Aina.
Representatives of the Sultan of Sokoto, Christian Association of Nigeria, UNICEF and other development partners also attended the flag-off.
(Channels Tv)
