The Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has said the health of the Armed Forces is inseparable from the security of Nigeria.
Matawalle made the declaration in Abuja on Tuesday during the 20th Anniversary of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme (MODHIP) and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Africa partnership.
“A healthy, confident soldier is a focused defender of our republic,” the minister said, according to a statement by his media aide, Ahmad Dan-Wudil.
He hailed the MODHIP–WRAIR collaboration, which began in 2005, as instrumental in protecting the health of soldiers and civilians alike.
The programme, initially created to combat HIV, has expanded to over 31 military health facilities nationwide. It has tested more than 560,000 Nigerians, placed nearly 400,000 on lifelong treatment, trained over 18,000 health workers and provided scholarships and vocational support to 325 orphans and vulnerable children.
Matawalle commended President Bola Tinubu for placing health at the centre of his administration’s agenda through the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
The minister also thanked the United States Government, PEPFAR, NACA, NCDC, NAFDAC and other partners for their support.
In his address, MODHIP Director General, Brigadier General I.B. Solebo, revealed that over 80 per cent of beneficiaries are civilians, describing the initiative as a bridge between military and civilian health systems.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, praised the partnership as a model of solidarity that has saved lives across Nigeria.
United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., pledged continued support for Nigeria in health and security collaborations.