24th September 2025
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said the NHIA integration was a crucial step in ensuring that soldiers remained fit to defend the country.
He described the 20-year-old partnership with Walter Reed as a model of international collaboration that had already transformed Nigeria’s military health system.
According to him, the partnership, founded on “service, science, and sacrifice,” had strengthened 32 military health facilities across the country, delivered far-reaching benefits to civilian communities, and preserved the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians through interventions in HIV prevention, COVID-19 response, and other disease outbreaks.
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FG promises health insurance for military men
24th September 2025
File: Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle
By Deborah Musa
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The Federal Government has promised that members of the Nigerian Armed Forces will be fully integrated into the National Health Insurance Authority, guaranteeing access to comprehensive healthcare for service members, their families, and eligible retirees.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme’s partnership with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Africa.
Matawalle said the initiative would strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s defence health system while ensuring that soldiers and their dependents enjoy the same health safeguards as other citizens under the NHIA.
“We must shape the next 20 years with national security and the National Health Insurance Authority, ensuring that our forces are covered by national health and well-being safeguards for service members, their families, and eligible civilians—extending across postings and into retirement,” he said.
The minister stressed that the health of the military was a matter of national security, noting that preventive healthcare and insurance coverage would guarantee operational readiness.
“The health of our armed forces is preserved for the security of our nation. When illness is prevented, protection and unity remain operational missions,” he added.
Matawalle also pointed out that the defence health partnership had already impacted more than half a million Nigerians, both military and civilians, saving lives, building infrastructure, and boosting public confidence in military-led healthcare.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said the NHIA integration was a crucial step in ensuring that soldiers remained fit to defend the country.
He described the 20-year-old partnership with Walter Reed as a model of international collaboration that had already transformed Nigeria’s military health system.
According to him, the partnership, founded on “service, science, and sacrifice,” had strengthened 32 military health facilities across the country, delivered far-reaching benefits to civilian communities, and preserved the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians through interventions in HIV prevention, COVID-19 response, and other disease outbreaks.
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