The Abia State Government is set to distribute 3.03 million insecticide-treated nets worth over ₦1 billion to residents across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas this September as part of efforts to further reduce malaria infections and related deaths.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this at the Government House in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Kanu said the state government, through the Ministry of Health, was collaborating with the National Malaria Elimination Programme to implement the mass distribution campaign.
He noted that the exercise was particularly significant as Abia had not conducted a mass distribution of insecticide-treated nets since 2010.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, described the campaign as a major intervention in the state’s malaria control efforts, attributing it to the administration’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery.
Prof. Uche disclosed that malaria prevalence in Abia had declined from 16 per cent in 2024 to 11 per cent in 2025, a figure he said was below the national average of about 15.2 per cent.
He, however, said the state government was targeting a further reduction to single-digit prevalence, adding that the mass distribution of treated nets would contribute to achieving the target.
The Health Commissioner stressed that the success of the campaign would depend not only on the distribution of the nets but also on their proper and consistent use by residents.
He said the state was adopting a multifaceted approach to malaria control, including larval-source management and the identification of malaria hotspots across the state.
Prof. Uche urged residents to complement government efforts by maintaining clean surroundings, eliminating stagnant water and removing other potential mosquito breeding sites.
Meanwhile, Kanu announced that the Community Supported Health Insurance Programme was gaining momentum, with the formal launch of the scheme for Abiriba community scheduled for September 16, 2026.
He said 1,000 residents of Abiriba would be enrolled in the programme through the sponsorship of the Abiriba Improvement Union.
According to him, each enrolment costs ₦18,000, putting the initial investment at ₦18 million.
The Information Commissioner urged other community development unions across Abia to emulate the initiative by supporting health insurance enrolment for members of their communities.
Kanu also announced that the recruitment portal for additional medical personnel in the state’s healthcare facilities remained open to medical consultants, medical officers and dental officers.
He further stated that no cases of diseases of public health importance had been recorded in the state during the period under review.
On the state’s fiscal performance, Kanu said Abia recorded significant improvements across several sectors and emerged among the top-performing states in the 2026 BudgIT State of States Report covering 2017 to 2025.
He said the report ranked Abia second in aggregate revenue growth, third in internally generated revenue growth, first in total expenditure growth, first in capital expenditure growth and first in personnel expenditure growth, while maintaining comparatively contained overhead expenditure.
Kanu attributed the performance to what he described as prudent and strategic management of public resources.
He, however, stressed that the state government remained more focused on delivering tangible improvements in the lives of residents than on comparisons with other states.
