Lagos First Lady Leads Push: Female Leaders Invested as TB Champions

In a major move to escalate community-level tuberculosis (TB) intervention, Lagos State officially invested female legislators, newly elected female local government chairmen, wives of House of Assembly members, and spouses of council chairmen as TB Champions and Ambassadors on Monday, December 8, 2025. This high-level ceremony, led by the First Lady and State TB Champion, Dr. (Mrs) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, signaled a renewed, aggressive, and female-led drive toward achieving the global End TB 2030 target. By leveraging the influence of these respected community leaders, the state aims to overcome critical barriers like stigma, low awareness, and treatment non-compliance, which hinder effective TB control.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu highlighted the urgency of this approach by disclosing that over 19,500 TB patients were notified in 2024, with 11,725 placed on treatment between January and September 2025. She stressed that despite TB being curable and treatable, the densely populated nature of Lagos, with its 57 LGAs/LCDAs, makes community engagement the most powerful tool against the disease, particularly drug-resistant tuberculosis. The First Lady specifically urged the newly invested Champions and Ambassadors to utilise their platforms to integrate TB awareness into their outreach, advocate for increased local funding, and provide essential support to patients who often face discrimination and hardship.

​The state's commitment was further underlined by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who described tuberculosis as "one of the most dangerous infections known to man," cautioning that its slow progression often leads to late, potentially fatal diagnosis. Prof. Abayomi also raised a critical concern about patients prematurely discontinuing medication, a trend that fuels the rise of highly costly and difficult-to-treat drug-resistant TB, which poses a significant biosecurity threat to the megacity. He emphasised that the investiture of these female leaders represents a deliberate, strategic shift from hospital-centric control to a community-driven responsibility model, enabling early case identification and ensuring complete treatment adherence across the state.

​Esteemed partners and stakeholders commended Lagos' leadership in the national TB response. Team Lead of the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, Dr. Emperor Ubochioma, and Vice Chair of the Stop TB Partnership, Austin Obiefuna, both lauded the First Lady's visibility and advocacy, noting that the initiative reinforces the unique ability of women to mobilise communities and strengthen grassroots engagement. Dr. Abimbola Mabogunje, Chairman of the Lagos State TB Steering Committee, added that the investiture was both strategic and symbolic, as these women hold positions capable of shaping community attitudes and positive health-seeking behaviour, urging them to champion screenings and counter the myths that prevent sufferers from seeking timely care.

The collective message from the First Lady, the Commissioner, and partners was clear: the newly invested Champions and Ambassadors are the critical link between healthcare facilities and communities. Their influence is expected to significantly reduce TB incidence, enhance access to free screening and treatment across all primary healthcare centres and general hospitals, and ensure legislative advocacy to protect TB patients. This comprehensive and inclusive strategy, underpinned by strong political support and community mobilization, moves Lagos State substantially closer to its TB elimination goals and the End TB 2030 target