Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, said the intervention was part of a wider Federal Government strategy to expand access to essential healthcare and reverse the country's high burden of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.

The Federal Government has rolled out 215,000 MAMA kits, 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of newborn clothing for vulnerable women and families nationwide.

She said the scale of the challenge among pregnant women and infants requires collective action to ensure that the interventions reach them, particularly those in poor, underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

Speaking at the flag-off of the distribution at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the First Lady of Nigeria said pregnancy and childbirth should be occasions of hope and joy rather than a threat to the lives of Nigerian women.

First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and others at the flag-off of the distribution at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu said the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Health, which places healthcare at the centre of national development.

According to her, the 215,000 MAMA kits and bags constitute the second batch of the intervention, following the distribution of 110,000 kits in the previous y

She said the government was complementing the kits with 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of essential newborn clothing, while the intervention would subsequently be expanded to additional local government areas where uptake of MAMII services remained low.

The First Lady explained that the incentives were intended to encourage economically disadvantaged pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics, prepare adequately for childbirth and remain connected to healthcare services after delivery.

She urged state and local governments as well as traditional and religious leaders, development partners and philanthropists to work with the Federal Government to ensure the materials got to women who needed them most.

The First Lady also highlighted interventions she had supported in maternal and child healthcare, including the provision of professional kits to midwives, retraining of frontline health workers and advocacy against mother-to-child transmission of Human Immune Virus, syphilis and hepatitis.

She commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and officials of the ministry for their commitment to reducing preventable deaths among women and newborns.

In his message, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, said the intervention was part of a wider Federal Government strategy to expand access to essential healthcare and reverse the country’s high burden of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.

According to the Minister, the government’s sector-wide approach targets a 30 per cent reduction in maternal mortality and a 20 per cent reduction in newborn mortality by 2028, with approximately 2.9 million pregnant women and families expected to benefit.

He said MAMII was already being implemented in several states, focusing on emergency obstetric and newborn care, transportation, referral systems and stronger primary healthcare delivery.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, described Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden as one of the most sobering realities of our nation.

Nigeria, according to figures presented at the event, accounts for nearly 39 per cent of global maternal deaths.

Doctor Iziaq Salako said the government was intensifying efforts to expand antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency medical services and timely referrals, especially for women constrained by poverty, distance and other barriers to healthcare.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, commended the Federal Government for placing maternal and newborn survival high on its health agenda but stressed that sustained legislative and institutional support would be necessary to achieve lasting results.

She called for stronger funding of the health sector, improvement of primary healthcare facilities and wider access to emergency services, saying reducing maternal deaths required close collaboration between the executive and legislature.

World Health Organisation Country Representative, Doctor Pavel Ursu, said the success of the intervention would ultimately be measured by whether it improved women’s access to quality healthcare and saved lives.

He urged authorities to deploy data more effectively to identify gaps and channel resources to communities with the greatest needs.

Doctor Pavel Ursu also advocated greater ownership and domestic financing by states, stressing that although development partners could assist the country, sustainable progress would have to be driven by Nigerian institutions.

The WHO representative also paid tribute to healthcare workers, whose efforts, he said, remained central to translating government policies and investments into lives saved.

Other development partners, including the World Bank, stressed the need for sustained financing, accountability and stronger health systems, noting that functional facilities, skilled personnel, effective referral systems and quality healthcare must accompany the distribution of material incentives.

The Federal Government said about 642,000 pregnant women had so far been moved to healthcare facilities within their communities, while more than 85,000 women had been transported for emergency care.

It added that more than 93,000 women had benefited from free life-saving surgical procedures nationwide, with the interventions contributing to a reported 22 per cent reduction in maternal mortality in facilities equipped to provide the services.

First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu speaking at the flag-off of the distribution at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on Monday, September 14, 2026.

More than 250 health facilities across Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states are also implementing MAMII, with over 42,000 women and 1,700 newborns said to have benefited directly from emergency obstetric and newborn care.

Nearly 79,000 beneficiaries have also been transported to health facilities, while antenatal attendance and facility deliveries reportedly increased by about 20 per cent within one quarter in programme-covered areas.

The event was attended by senior government officials, lawmakers, health-sector agencies, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, healthcare workers and beneficiaries.

Among those present were Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud; Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri; and Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Muyi Aina.

Representatives of the Sultan of Sokoto, Christian Association of Nigeria, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and other development partners also attended the flag-off.

Edited By Agbonavbare Victor Omoregbe