From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has donated new Tuberculosis (TB) molecular diagnostic machines to hospitals in Nigeria to fast-track diagnosis and treatment of TB
The donation followed a recent financial donation made to Stop TB Partnership Nigeria for the continuous fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria with the target of eradicating the disease by 2030.
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At the commissioning of the TB molecular machines in Abuja, on Thursday, the First Lady who was represented by First Lady of Kwara State, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, said the gesture was part of the intervention of the “renewed hope” agenda on health.
She said: “These diagnostic machines will be deployed across Nigeria to enhance rapid, accurate TB detection, especially in underserved areas. They will help break the dangerous chain of transmission by ensuring that those infected are quickly diagnosed and placed on treatment.
“It is important to say that to end TB in Nigeria requires not only machines and medication. It demands resources, including human, financial, technical, and political.
“As such, I take this moment to emphasize the importance of increasing and sustaining domestic resources in our national TB response and urging all stakeholders to intensify efforts in mobilizing domestic resources for tuberculosis.”
The First Lady promised that as global and national champion for TB, she will continue to advocate and lead the fight to end TB in Nigeria by 2030.
She thus commended the Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, for his steadfast commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s health system and advancing the national TB response.
In his remarks, Prof. Pate attributed the success recorded so far in the fight against TB to the support, financial and otherwise, that came from the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu
He promised more reinvigorated efforts to the fight against TB and other non-communicable diseases. “We will continue to amplify awareness, destigmatise the disease, and reinforce the fact that every TB case represents not merely a number in our surveillance data, but a life, a Nigerian citizen whose health and productivity are critical to our national progress.
“Let TB become a cause that unites us all as government, partners, civil society, faith-based leaders, and everyday Nigerians because it is a fight we can win and must win.”
Dr. Queen Ogbuji-Ladipo, the Acting Board Chairman, Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, in her remarks explained that the TB molecular diagnostic machines were procured through the N1bn donation recently made by the First Lady under the “Renewed Hope Initiative” during the community outreach of World TB Day 2025, held on 24th March 2025 in Sauka Village, Airport Road, Abuja.
She added: “These machines have revolutionised the way TB is detected and managed, thereby aiding fast and accurate diagnosis. Traditional TB tests like sputum microscopy can take days and often miss cases, but molecular machines like GeneXpert give results in less than two hours with much more accuracy. This means TB patients can start treatment sooner.
“It helps detect drug resistance quickly, which is one of the biggest challenges in the fight against TB. These machines can detect rifampicin resistance, which is a marker for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), helping doctors choose the right medicines early.
“It reduces the spread of TB via early TB diagnosis. These machines help reduce transmission to other people in homes, workplaces, or public places. With the help of these TB diagnostic machines, we can achieve early, rapid, and accurate detection of TB, quickly identify drug-resistant cases, save more lives, and significantly reduce the spread of TB especially in high-burden countries like Nigeria.”
She noted that over the years, Stop TB Partnership Nigeria witnessed incredible progress through unwavering advocacy efforts and collaboration with state and non-state actors, stating that it will continue to advocate for increased resources, health policy reforms, and service integration for TB until Nigeria is free of TB.
She further noted that in light of the dwindling donor support, there’s a need to intensify advocacy for domestic resources for TB. “Let us stand together as a community, support one another, and say boldly: Yes, we can end TB!”
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