Remi Tinubu donates 10 TB machines, pledges N1bn to boost FCTA response

Oluremi Tinubu, first lady of Nigeria, has donated 10 tuberculosis (TB) molecular diagnostic machines and pledged an additional N1 billion to support the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in its fight against the disease.

The donation, made under her Renewed Hope Initiative, was commissioned during a ceremony at Dutsen Makaranta Primary Health Centre, Abuja.

Represented by Olufolake Abdulrazaq, wife of the Kwara state governor, the First Lady reaffirmed her commitment to eliminating TB in Nigeria.

“Earlier this year, during the World TB Day community outreach in Sauka village, I made a commitment of an additional ₦1 billion through the Renewed Hope Initiative to further support the fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria. I am pleased to see again that this pledge has been translated into reality,” she said.

Describing TB as curable but still responsible for avoidable deaths due to limited diagnostic access, she said: “Tuberculosis is curable, but far too many Nigerians are still dying from TB, not because there is no technology to detect the disease, but because access to the appropriate diagnostic tools are limited.

“By the grace of God, this is the gap that the Renewed Hope Initiative, with support of other stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is trying to bridge.”

The First Lady said the new machines would be deployed nationwide for rapid TB detection, particularly in underserved communities.

“They will help break the dangerous chain of transmission by ensuring that those infected are quickly diagnosed and placed on treatment,” she added.

She said ending TB requires more than technology alone.

“To end TB in Nigeria requires not only machines and medication. It demands resources including human, financial, technical and political,” she said. “I urge all stakeholders to intensify efforts in mobilising domestic resources for tuberculosis.

“Let us continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in this fight. Together we will build a Nigeria where no life is lost to tuberculosis, where health is not a privilege but a right.”

Dolapo Fasawe, mandate secretary of the FCT health and environmental services secretariat, described the First Lady as “a champion for health in the whole country”.

She said the Renewed Hope Initiative has empowered both men and women and supported healthcare workers through donations of uniforms and protective gear.

Fasawe decried Nigeria’s high TB burden.

“Statistics has it that every day at least seven people are dying from tuberculosis. Every day, at least more than 100 people are catching tuberculosis in Nigeria. This is not right because tuberculosis is preventable, is treatable, and we can end tuberculosis,” she said.

She explained that the donated machines are solar-powered and over 95 percent accurate.

“They don’t have to take your blood. It’s very easy. It’s safe. It’s effective. And we have chest X-rays, mobile, that don’t need light,” she said.

“Once we catch tuberculosis and we start treating, within a couple of weeks, in fact, within a couple of days, the patient’s quality of life starts to improve. And within a couple of weeks, the person is totally cured of tuberculosis. Yes, we can.”

Fasawe also said immunosuppressed persons, including pregnant women, the undernourished, and those under stress, are more vulnerable.

“Tuberculosis affects people that are immunosuppressed. And it is contagious,” she said. “Treatment is absolutely free. You don’t have to pay an order.

“With this drive and Her Excellency’s commitment, we can end tuberculosis.”