President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as the pioneer National Coordinator.
The agency will be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The NHTDAO will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating the country’s digital-health agenda.
According to a state on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy) the office will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies.
It will also harmonise and empower the public and private institutions across the health system, set the standards that connect them, and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
The Office’s Steering Committee, which provides strategic direction and oversight, comprises:
• Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare (Co-chair)
• Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (Co-chair)
• Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare (Alternate Co-chair)
• Ms Kachollom Daju, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
• Mr Idris Alubankudi Saliu, Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy
• Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator, SWAp Coordination Office
• Dr Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator, Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chain
• Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency
• Dr Kelechi Ohiri, Director General, National Health Insurance Authority
• Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
• National Information Technology Development Agency Representative
• Six representatives of the State Commissioners of Health, one from each of the six geopolitical zones
• Pharm Hamza Buhari, Stakeholder representing Industry and Community
Onanuga added, that the President expects NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system that improves outcomes for all citizens.
(Ripples)