By Edwin Philip, Lafia

The Nasarawa State Government has set up a committee ahead of the hosting of the 67th Regular National Council on Health meeting slated for November 2026 in Lafia, the state capital.

Inaugurating the committee on Friday, the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Health, Doctor Gaza Gwamna, will be the first time that the National Council On Health will be holding it in Nasarawa State, as it is a rare privilege for the state.

“That means everyone in this country, all of Nigeria, as long as you have anything to do with health, will be in Lafia in November; all of us seated here count it as a blessing—a rare one,” he said.

He commended Governor Abdulahi Sule for agreeing for the state to hold the National Council, as most other states that wanted to bid but whose governors did not give the nod for the commissioners to go and bid

He said, “A.A. Sule had already mandated me to try and see whether we could be able to do that, and this was one of his major last activities before the handover next year. So it’s something that we are happy about, and it’s something that we are going to be all proud to have participated in.”

The Nasarawa State health commissioner thanked members of the committee and subcommittees for agreeing to serve, urging them to take it as a service to the state, as they have less than six months to put together an event that will be something to remember.

“I have attended so many National Councils on Health in different states. I have seen how a lot of them went; some went way beyond expectations, and some always go below expectations,” he said.

​He expressed optimism that Nasarawa State will put up something that they will all be proud of, which will also make the delegates applaud them for doing something extraordinary, adding that Governor Sule will give his necessary support for logistics requirements.

“This is something we’re going to be pursuing with all our energy and resources to make ourselves proud and to make the state also proud,” he added.

Speaking earlier, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, Nasarawa State, Doctor Ibrahim Adamu Al-Hasan, said the National Council on Health is the highest decision-making body for the health sector, champions health policies, and coordinates implementation of national and state health plans.

He applauded the commissioner of health for bidding for the slot and got it for the state in 2026. “Now, for us to be able to deliver a very good council meeting, we needed to create various sub-committees that would midwife the process and ensure that at the end of the day, we have a council that everybody will be proud of,” he stated.

“So today, we’re going to be establishing and inaugurating those sub-committees under the leadership of the Honourable Commissioner, and those sub-committees are expected to hit the ground running because the National Council on Health meeting is going to be held in November,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the committees, Dr Egdego Egba, Chief Medical Director of the Hospital Management Board, appreciated their choice and promised to serve the state in their various capacities and promised to put up what the state would be proud of.

Committees inaugurated were coordinating, finance and administration, transport, accommodations, venue/protocol, knowledge management/ICT, entertainment, medical, security, among others.