First Lady calls for recommitment in fight against malaria

As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Malaria Day 2025, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has called for renewed commitment to the fight against the deadly disease, which remains one of the nation’s most pressing health emergencies.

In a statement on Friday, Tinubu urged government agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, healthcare professionals and community leaders to rally together with urgency and resolve.

“I urge all government agencies, private sector partners, NGOs, health workers, and community leaders to recommit to the fight against malaria with urgency and resolve. Malaria ends with us, with our voices, our choices and our actions,” she stated.

The First Lady’s statement aligns with the 2025 World Malaria Day theme: “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.”

The theme, she noted, is a call to action and a message of hope—urging Nigerians to renew investments in life-saving interventions, intensify awareness campaigns, and revive the collective will needed to eradicate the disease.

Tinubu emphasised that beyond medical interventions, environmental responsibility plays a critical role in combatting the spread of malaria.

“We should also ensure that our environment and surroundings are clean and free of stagnant water, that are breeding ground for mosquitoes,” she said.

Highlighting the scale of the challenge, the First Lady noted that Nigeria bears the highest burden of malaria globally, a situation she described not just as a public health issue, but a national emergency.

“We must continue to work hard to reverse this trend,” she said.

World Malaria Day is observed annually on April 25 to raise awareness about the disease and mobilize action toward its control and eventual elimination.

Malaria continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives across Africa each year, with Nigeria accounting for a significant percentage of global cases and deaths.

Since assuming office, the Tinubu administration has reiterated its commitment to improving public health outcomes, with special focus on diseases like malaria that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women.